Review by Michael on April 24, 2025.

Five long years after Misanthrophic Breed the morbid storytellers Lik are back with a vengeance. Kicking off with "Deceased" we all get want we want to hear. Some classic HM-2 riffs in the vein of Dismember, super groovy and peppered with some malevolent vocals and painful screams. That's a really good one to start with and puts the bar pretty high for the rest of the album. Also "War Praise" goes into the same direction although the guitar leads are more Maidenesque, just like what Dismember did on their 1995 release "Massive Killing Capacity". Damn, this one is already thirty years old but it still kicks ass. And just like they did back a long time ago, the same do Lik on Necro: taking out some speed here and there to focus more on some groovy, a certain morbidity spreading atmosphere in some of their songs. Of course you can find a lot of brutality in the aforementioned songs and some others but this may be their most diverse album so far.

It starts at the halftime of the album with "Morgue Rat". This one is almost some kind of death metal blues, like a ghastly poisonous fog creeping out of a spooky crypt to infect and possess some harmless victims. That one is a really evil and slow song with very sinister vocals and sick guitars which also could have been on Autopsy's "Mental Funeral".

Another doomy one is "In Ruins" and if you just listen to the first seconds of that song, you should be having one certain British band in mind which brought death-doom to life. Got it? Yes, sure, I mean Paradise Lost. That's just a snapshot of the song because that reminiscence doesn't last too long but the Swedes have a good reason to quote Paradise Lost. Why? Well, they got Nick Holmes as guest vocalist on that song.

But that's it with the slower funeral dances. Between these two songs are some other breakers like "Shred To Pieces" that works like a strong cup of coffee to get you out of the doom-laden trance and also a song like "The Stockholm Massacre" wakes you up again.

Also the production is super powerful, the guitars sound super buzzsawing and the drums mostly are thundering like hell. Only the cymbals sometimes sound a little bit tinny. Also the vocals are clear to understand and sound very dark and sick. All in all this one is a rich and saturated production no one should be complaining about.

It becomes pretty clear that Lik have widened their musical influences on Necro so it takes a little bit more time to get into the album. It isn't such a straightforward thing like their masterpiece Carnage or its predecessor but still really kicks ass. Maybe the one or the other may not be too happy with the slower songs (especially those who adore "Carnage") but at the right time, they show the right effect. Especially the album closer "Rotten Inferno" with its super atmospheric outro turned out great.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Felix on October 28, 2021.

While the miserable creatures of Manowar ramble about "Pleasure Slaves", Leather Leone shows them how true heavy metal works. In contrast to Sabina Classen of Holy Moses, she makes excellent use of her voice without denying her femininity. Furthermore, she cannot be confused with Doro Pesch, because Leather delivers really raw and powerful vocals. She is rather screaming than singing, but she makes the difference. The music of Ruler Of The Wasteland is good, but most pieces cannot be praised as spectacular. Anyway, Leather's sensational charisma pushes the song material on a higher level and therefore we find some real gems on this output.

Jester deMaio probably still thinks that he is God's gift for the female part of the world population, but this is his exclusive point of view. Yet it is true that Leather's voice is a wonderful present for the heavy metal fans worldwide. She manages the different challenges in an amazing manner. On the one hand, 'Angel Of Mercy' is the prototype of a power ballad. Its emotional, slightly eerie guitars coalesce with the fervent vocals in a great manner. On the other hand, a nearly brutal thrasher like the fatalistic 'One Day To Live' uncovers a battle between the guitars and the screams of Leather. The perfectly flowing chorus adds a catchy element and marks the culmination point of this sonic diamond. Without neglecting the necessary number of melodies, 'One Day To Live' picks up the atmosphere of the slightly apocalyptic artwork. By the way, who is the guy on the cover who wants to be knocked down by the car behind him? Look at his haircut, is it mastermind Chastain himself? However, I am sure that Leather is driving the car in the background and grins behind the wheel.

Well, the old men of Manowar sit and fart in their living rooms. In a very rare moment of self-reflexion, they ask themselves when they lost their creativity. By contrast, Chastain are still alive and their album from 2015 is not too far away from the here presented work. Ruler Of The Wasteland sometimes borders on thrash ('Living In A Dreamworld') and has some epic, meaningful riff monster ('Children Of Eden'), but the core competency of Chastain is power metal. The full sound supports this kind of metal brilliantly. The riffs of the mastermind convey a profound heaviness, only 'The King Has The Power' is irritating, because this king has absolutely no power. However, this piece with its crude bass lines and the spiritless chorus marks the exception to the rule. The opening title track possesses a comparatively simple structure; nevertheless, this track represents the general style of Ruler Of The Wasteland. Those of you who like the mighty, non-commercial opener will find further numbers that are worth listening to.

DeMaio is (or plays the role of) an egocentric imbecile. He will never understand that traditional heavy metal is, among other things, based on teamwork. Okay, today we have these countless legions of lone wolfs; many of them wander through the forests of their home countries and whisper their depressive poems. They probably think that this is great art, but we think that it is the most effective form to play the fool. Yet back in the eighties, a small group of musicians marked the microcosm of outsiders, and a constantly growing group of fans formed the equivalent macrocosm. Both Leather and Chastain have understood the team concept and any form of vanity does not appear on Ruler Of The Wasteland. Despite their individual capabilities, the focus is put on the songs themselves. Thus, it comes as no surprise that they score with compactness, power and directness. Listen, Joey, women can do their jobs very well and they are able to provide the greatest pleasure, but they are no slaves. (And don't think that I felt the need to write this sentence only in order to fight against my own chauvinist tendency that comes through from time to time.)

Rating: 7.8 out of 10