Some albums do not need to explain their intentions too much: once the first guitar comes in with that rotten buzz, you immediately know in which cemetery you are standing. Five years after ‘Misanthropic Breed’, Sweden’s Lik return with ‘Necro’, an album that keeps its bond with classic Swedish Death Metal intact, while also showing a band a bit more willing to drag some extra dirt into the grave.
The starting point is still very clear: guitars with that classic HM-2 sound, rough and buzzing like a rusty chainsaw, direct riffs, dark vocals and an atmosphere that immediately brings the old Stockholm school to mind. References to Dismember and Entombed come naturally, not only because of the guitar tone, but also because of the way Lik combine aggression, groove and sick melodies. In some of the heavier and drier passages, there is also a certain closeness to Grave, especially when the band slows things down and allows the riff to breathe with more weight.
But ‘Necro’ is not only a frontal discharge of Swedish Death Metal. One of its most interesting aspects is that Lik are not just here to kick the coffin; they also take the time to let the stench come out slowly. In the second half of the album, slower, darker and almost funereal atmospheres appear, where the music crawls with a filth that may recall Autopsy in their more sick and decadent moments. The appearance of Nick Holmes on ‘In Ruins’ also opens a direct connection with the British Death/Doom of Paradise Lost. This does not mean that Lik turn into a Doom Metal band, but it does show that they know how to use that kind of atmosphere to give the album more depth.
The production also works in their favour. The guitars sound thick, saturated and full of that broken saw buzz this style needs. The drums hit hard and the vocals remain dark, sick and fairly clear within the chaos. Maybe the cymbals sound a bit thin in some passages, but it is not something that breaks the overall experience. As a whole, ‘Necro’ has a powerful, dirty and well-built sound.
The cover artwork follows the Death Metal horror manual, but does not go much further than that: tombstone, corpses, skulls and darkness. Everything is correct, but also a bit too obvious. Fortunately, the album has more poison than its visual presentation.
Those expecting something as direct and addictive as ‘Carnage’ may need a little more time to get into this record. ‘Necro’ does not always go for the immediate attack; sometimes it prefers to crawl, contaminate the atmosphere and build tension before striking again. That decision may divide some listeners, especially those who prefer the most frontal side of Lik, but it also shows that the band did not want to repeat the same formula without any shades.
‘Necro’ is still pure Swedish Death Metal: rotten, sharp and full of recognizable riffs. But its strongest point is the way it slightly expands its margins without betraying its roots. It does not reinvent the Swedish grave, but it opens it again with enough strength for the stench to remain convincing.
