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Album Review – Lik / Necro (2025)

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The modern-day purveyors of classic Swedish Death Metal strike again with their fourth studio album, the musical equivalent of a classic shock-horror movie drenched in blood and gore.

Considered by many as the modern-day purveyors of classic Swedish Death Metal, Stockholm’s own unrelenting beast Lik (which means “corpse” or “corpses” in Swedish) gloriously returns to action with their fourth studio album, simply titled Necro. Recorded at NBS Studio (aka Necromorbus Studio), produced by Lawrence Mackrory at Rorysound Studios, and displaying a zombified cover art by Stockholm-based tattooist and artist Jens Olsson of Ink Fanatics, Necro is the musical equivalent of a classic shock-horror movie that’s drenched in blood and gore and packed with over-the-top extremities masterfully crafted by Tomas Åkvik on vocals and guitar, Niklas “Nille” Sandin also on the guitar, Joakim Antman on bass, and Chris Barkensjö on drums, standing loud and proud over so many imitators.

The dirty riffs by Tomas and Niklas will kick you in the nuts in the opener Deceased, with the band distilling their undisputed Death Metal with tons of rage and insanity, followed by War Praise, a ruthless sonic attack where the visceral growls by Tomas walk hand in hand with the pulverizing beats by Chris in a lecture in Swedish Death Metal. They is another beast of a song showcasing a dual guitar attack boosted by the rumbling bass by Joakim, and it’s pedal to the metal with the unrelenting extravaganza Worms Inside, with Chris taking the lead with his demented beats and fills for our total delight. Then the bass lines by Joakim will smash your cranial skull in Morgue Rat, offering more of the band’s trademark violence, gore and obscurity.

In Shred into Pieces the name of the song says it all, as you’ll be pulverized into micro pieces to their venomous slab of Death Metal bringing forward the fuming riffs by Tomas and Niklas, and Tomas keeps vociferating rabidly in In Ruins, a horror movie-like tune where the entire band shows no mercy for our putrid souls. Inspired by a trial that led to a series of executions in Stockholm between November 7 and 9, 1520, after the coronation of Christian II as the new king of Sweden, The Stockholm Massacre beautifully depicts that savagery in the name of old school Death Metal; and there’s still time for more heaviness and aggression in Fields of Death, where their core Death Metal is boosted by Chris’ demented drumming. Last but not least, the guitars by Tomas and Niklas transpire savagery in Rotten Inferno, putting a gruesome, evil conclusion to such an incendiary album.

Continuing to fly the Swedish Death Metal flag across the global stage, Necro was born out of pure love and respect for the genre and its creators’ artistic visions to keep pushing their own musical boundaries. “The ambition with Necro was to make an even better record than the previous albums,” says Tomas. “I think this one is really tied together. As it started growing and the songs got put together we were 100% focused on making that Lik album. I really think we made a really good death metal album, we found the right ingredients to make this one work.” Hence, you can experience all of their gore, violence and metallic sounds by following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, by streaming their sick creations on Spotify, and of course by purchasing the fulminating Necro from BandCamp or from Metal Blade Records as a CD or as a violet with purple splatter vinyl 12″, or simply click HERE for all available options. The new blood-soaked opus by Lik will certainly inspire all Death Metal fans around the world to slam into the pit like true metalmaniacs, solidifying the band’s army of zombies on all four corners of the earth, and consequently, prepping our rotten and decaying world for more Lik in the coming years, even if we face its inevitable end sooner than later.

Best moments of the album: War Praise, Worms Inside and The Stockholm Massacre.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Metal Blade Records

Track listing
1. Deceased 4:21
2. War Praise 3:40
3. They 4:02
4. Worms Inside 3:08
5. Morgue Rat 4:58
6. Shred into Pieces 2:18
7. In Ruins 4:40
8. The Stockholm Massacre 2:42
9. Fields of Death 4:02
10. Rotten Inferno 5:41

Band members
Tomas Åkvik – vocals, guitar
Niklas “Nille” Sandin – guitar
Joakim Antman – bass
Chris Barkensjö – drums, backing vocals

Album Review – Häxkapell / Eldhymner (2021)

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Let your soul burn to the debut album by this Swedish Black Metal beast, examining, contemplating and utilizing the concept of fire as a source of power, a destroyer and a bringer of life.

“The longest journey is the journey inwards…”

Founded in 2015 by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Oraklet in the city of Haparanda, a locality and the seat of Haparanda Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden, a caustic Black Metal entity that goes by the name of Häxkapell (which means “witch chapel” or “chapel of witchery” from Swedish) is set to release its first full-length opus, titled Eldhymner (or “fire hymns”), an album which examines, contemplates and utilizes the concept of fire as a source of power, a destroyer and a bringer of life. Mastered by T. Stjerna at NBS Studio, and featuring session musicians JM on drums and IPU on the violin, Eldhymner conveys sheer, unadulterated veneration for classic Swedish Black Metal of all kinds, being recommended for admirers of the extreme music blasted by bands the likes of Covenant, Naglfar, Marduk, Emperor and Dissection, among several others.

Ominous sounds permeate the air in the epic intro Kallet (“the call”), inviting us to the Stygian realm ruled by Häxkapell before they take our minds by storm with Tomhetens Lågor (“the flames of emptiness”), with JM dictating the song’s imposing pace while Oraklet roars with tons of anger in his damned heart, resulting in an old school Black Metal composition with some very welcome elements from Atmospheric Black Metal added to its core essence. And this venomous Swedish entity blasts another fulminating Black Metal tune titled Eldskapt (“created by fire”), living up to the legacy of bands like Marduk and Immortal, while Oraklet is utterly infernal with his growls and riffs accompanied by the demonic beats by JM, all spiced up by the crying violin by IPU; flowing into the phantasmagorical Askans Drottning (“the queen of ashes”), where they continue to haunt our souls with their infernal sounds. Moreover, JM is once again bestial behind his drum set, providing Oraklet all he needs to shine with his demonic screams.

Ur Malströmmens Famn (“from the embrace of the maelstrom”) is absolutely demolishing from the very first second, a lecture in Black Metal by Oraklet and his henchmen that will penetrate deep inside your skin and burn your veins and muscles mercilessly. Not only that, Oraklet’s riffage couldn’t have sounded more Black Metal than this, not to mention the song’s cryptic background voices. Then investing into a more cadenced sonority it’s time for a Melodic Black Metal tune titled Solraviner (“sun ravines”), full of breaks and variations supported by the cinematic keys by Oraklet, followed by Häxkapellet (“the witch chapel”), where once again Oraklet vociferates rabidly accompanied by the headbanging drums by JM in a lesson in contemporary Black Metal, evolving into a beyond heavy and crushing extravaganza. In other words, it’s over eight minutes of dark and caustic sounds for our total delight, until the band embraces us all with the ethereal outro Sanningen (“the truth”), where the violin by IPU will finally bring peace to our blackened hearts.

An eternal furnace of chaos breeding that which lies beyond, forever tempting the embers of life with the flames of everlasting silence, fire will always be a pivotal element in our society, representing at the same time life and death, darkness and light, and in Eldhymner the talented Oraklet was capable of transforming that scorching nature of fire into first-class Black Metal, helping to pave the band’s path to stardom in the underground community. Hence, don’t forget to show your support to Häxkapell by following the project on Facebook, and more important than that, by purchasing a copy of Eldhymner from the band’s own BandCamp page, from the Nordvis Produktion’s webstore in CD or LP format, or click HERE for all locations where you can buy or stream the album. And let the fires of Swedish Black Metal burn bright for centuries to come to the sound of amazing bands like Häxkapell.

Best moments of the album: Eldskapt, Ur Malströmmens Famn and Häxkapellet.

Worst moments of the album: Solraviner.

Released in 2021 Nordvis Produktion

Track listing
1. Kallet 2:20
2. Tomhetens Lågor 5:51
3. Eldskapt 6:50
4. Askans Drottning 4:46
5. Ur Malströmmens Famn 4:05
6. Solraviner 5:40
7. Häxkapellet 8:31
8. Sanningen 2:18

Band members
Oraklet – vocals, guitar, keyboards

Guest musicians
JM – drums (session)
IPU – violin (session)