Report
Lik Proves That Swedish Death Metal Still Rules In Prague, Czechia
Ahhhh… Swedish death metal. For fans of the genre’s extreme sounds, what came to mind when you read that? Perhaps Entombed? Or maybe Grave? How about Unleashed? There are too many to choose from—it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. The formula hasn’t changed much since its inception in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and that’s exactly why one of the newer members of that brotherhood has been steadily rising in popularity since the first time they stepped on a Boss HM-2 pedal. That band is Stockholm’s own Lik.
I’ve written about Lik several times already. I first saw them at Poland’s Mystic Festival in 2023, reviewed their latest album Necro, and caught them again at last year’s Brutal Assault. I’m writing about their live show once more—this time at the cozy confines of Prague’s Music Club Modrá Vopice, as they passed through the Czech Republic on their current European tour.
As I mentioned above, Modrá Vopice is quite small for a band with Lik’s popularity. Inside, it’s essentially one divided room, with a bar in the back that sits almost on top of the entrance. It’s not an ideal space for anyone who suffers from claustrophobia. Modrá Vopice also hosts the official Brutal Assault afterparty. I’ve been to a couple of these, and they live up to the cliché of feeling like sardines in a can. I don’t believe there’s even a posted maximum capacity limit—and if there is, absolutely no one gives a fuck. In the summer, you’ll be dehydrated after two songs, but at least the beers are cheap (45 CZK—just a little over $2 per draft)!
Now that I’ve set the stage, Lik took the stage—after worming their way through the packed crowd—right on time, especially considering the opening band had finished just 20 minutes before the scheduled start. After a quick “Yeah!” from lead vocalist/guitarist Tomas Åkvik, they ripped into “Deceased” from Necro, and headbanging immediately erupted from both the band and the crowd. Their sound in this intimate setting was crystal clear, just as I remembered from seeing them on festival stages.
I mentioned the crowd earlier—they were having a blast. There was plenty of fist-pumping, shouted affirmations, and even a few beers exploding during some attempted pit action in the middle of the floor. After taking dozens of photos at the front of the stage, I moved into the second room, separated by a partial wall with an open floor-plan view. This area has tables and benches for those who don’t want to stand and would rather drink a Pilsner with a solid soundtrack in the background.
New Drummer Emil Wiksten
I was able to take some better shots of the drummer from this side and somewhere in the middle of the set, it was announced that the drummer on this tour is Emil Wiksten who also drums for Fetus Stench and the Norwegian black metal legends, Tsjuder. Apparently, he had two weeks to learn the setlist and from the reactions from the band checking on him from time to time, he nailed it! Lik sounded super tight to me and I’m pretty familiar with their songs.
In total, Lik played 16 songs, with their set lasting just over an hour. Do the math—there wasn’t much jibber-jabber between songs, which is exactly what the crowd came for: non-stop, punishing, chainsaw guitar–driven death metal. By the end of their set, Modrá Vopice had a certain mustiness to it. I don’t say that to gross you out, but rather to emphasize that it was a great success in terms of death metal appreciation. The best way to cap this Road Report comes from the lyrics to “They.” When it comes to Lik’s live shows, “They kill”…it.
Here’s “War Praise” from Lik’s incredible set in Prague!
Metal isn’t just a type of music, it’s a lifestyle for Nikos Mixas. In addition to playing guitar for the Phoenix’s own Mosara, he’s a contributing writer for V13 and The Sludgelord. And when he’s taking a break from it all and on vacation, you can almost be certain he’s banging his head at a metal festival somewhere interesting.
