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Carnage

1. To Kill
2. Rid You Of Your Flesh
3. Celebration Of The Twisted
4. Dr Duschanka
5. Left To Die
6. Cannibalistic Infancy
7. Death Cult
8. The Deranged
9. Only Death Is Left Alive
10. Embrace The End

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As confirmed with considerable venom on their 2015 debut, Mass Funeral Evocation, Lik are zealous advocates of the legendary Swedish death metal sound, HM-2 pedals and all. What they’ve also mastered on their second album is the razor-sharp, ruthlessly direct songwriting that informed At The Gates’ seminal Slaughter Of The Soul. Consequently, Carnage is more potent, memorable and revelatory than any number of worthy but unremarkable records made by the omnipresent legions of Nihilist clones. The perfect marriage of buzzsaw bluster and unstoppable hooks, everything from mad-eyed and stabby opener To Kill to dark, bilious denouement Embrace The End feels both meticulously crafted and driven by seldom-heard levels of intensity. At times, this is almost comically exciting: listen to Only Death Is Left Alive at maximum volume and you may shit yourself with pure death metal joy.

Dom Lawson has been writing for Metal Hammer and Prog for over 14 years and is extremely fond of heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee and snooker. He also contributes to The Guardian, Classic Rock, Bravewords and Blabbermouth and has previously written for Kerrang! magazine in the mid-2000s.