The Greek duo Likno, consisting of Neuroplinter and Flægra, suddenly emerged on the underground firmament in 2024 with their self-titled debut album, released through the Dutch label WolfKult Religion. That first full-length was quickly picked up within the international underground, positioning Likno as a band to watch, thanks in no small part to their uncompromising approach and pronounced atmosphere.
Now, right at the turn of 2025 into 2026, the duo return with their second full-length, Summit and Trench. With this new album, Likno builds further upon the foundation of their debut while deliberately diving deeper and pushing their musical boundaries. Where the debut mainly served as a raw introduction, Summit and Trench feels like a more developed and self-assured next step, in which contrasts between height and depth, tension and stillness play a central role.
With three tracks that all comfortably exceed the ten-minute mark, the duo manage to construct a massive wall of sound that at times evokes the atmosphere of early Urfaust releases. This association is especially strong in the opening track, particularly in its first section, driven by an endlessly repeating riff and a crushing doom-laden tempo.
With a sound that is almost untypical for a Greek band, Likno nevertheless manage to surprise. Despite the fairly repetitive riff structures, the music never becomes tedious; on the contrary, it slowly draws the listener in and carries them along into an almost trance-like state, where time and structure seem subordinate to mood and experience.
The only drawback of the album, for me, is the closing track “Telma”: an 11-minute-and-46-second dungeon-synth–like synthesizer instrumental. While the track is not bad in itself, it feels somewhat misplaced in this position. On an album that up to that point leans so heavily on hypnotic Black Metal, I would have preferred another all-consuming Black Metal crusher as a finale, rather than this more restrained, ambient-oriented outro.
I already found the debut album to be very successful in 2024, and with this new release there is clear progression. Summit and Trench is now available on CD via WolfKult Religion.
79/100
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