Seven Deadly Songs

Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs

Welcome to Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs for August 29, Metal Lair’s weekly feature, in which I’m not even sorry this week. Call me unprofessional if you like, but it’s not as if anyone’s actually going to be silly enough to pay me for my insufferable drivel, so professionalism doesn’t really come into it. Call me biased and I’ll happily accept the charge, but in my defence, it’s such a rare pleasure for me to be able to introduce you to a new Irish metal album, I’ve simply got to include it when one appears on my radar. This week, they’re like Dublin buses. You wait for ages for one, and three show up at once. Also, they’re so good, they’d deserve inclusion irrespective of where they come from. We hope you enjoy them, and the four offerings I’ve reserved for the rest of the world. 

Missed last weeks Seven Deadly Songs list? Find it here.

Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs August 29. Artwork featuring a hooded grim reaper with black wings holding an electric guitar in dark gothic style. Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs August 29, 2025
Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs August 29. The weekly roundup of the heaviest new metal tracks, symbolized by a grim reaper with guitar.

 

Crimson Butchery – Stalker

 

The first offering for Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs August 29 in general is also the first of the three Irish albums – the first of the three leaves of the shamrock, if you will. Crimson Butchery are a brutal/technical death metal outfit from Kilkenny, and their sound is as dark, dense and heavy as the black marble for which that county is famous. They’re also incredibly productive, with Stalker being their third album in total, having released all three albums in the last two years. It is due to be released via Iron Fortress Records on August 29th, and the album’s opener and title track is a blistering introduction to it. From the dizzying opening solo, to the verses that are faster than a sliotar off TJ Reid’s hurley, they have an approach to their art that rivals the mighty Cryptopsy in terms of both brutality and technicality. Go on and give them a lash, why don’t you?

 

Necrokinesis – Death is Just The Beginning

 

Next up is the second of the unholy Irish trinity, so follow me up to Carlow for some thrash metal of the finest quality. Carlow is known as the Dolmen County, named in honour of a 6,000-year-old Megalithic portal tomb, the capstone of which is reputed to be the heaviest in Europe, weighing over 100 metric tonnes. And if that’s not the perfect metaphor for the music of Necrokinesis, I don’t know what is. Death is Just The Beginning is the opening track from their third full-length album, Death is The Hammer, which is due to be released independently on August 29th, and quite frankly, it’ll leave your ears and neck even more sore than your head after 15 pints of Irish stout.

 

No Apologies – Grief

 

Life is the first release in 15 years for Australian veterans No Apologies. The album is only their second full-length offering, after 2007’s Survival, and will be released via Last Ride Records on August 29th. Their sound is a compelling blend of hardcore punk and alternative metal, though, having said that, there’s quite a bit of groove metal in there as well. There’s definitely something of Dimebag Darrell in those riffs and that solo, and there’s a breakdown that evokes memories of Pantera’s Domination. Lyrically, Grief is a moving expression of loss along similar lines to Rose of Sharyn by Killswitch Engage. So, it’s powerful stuff in more ways than one from the Sydney-based band.

 

Rising Steel – King of The Universe

 

We turn now to the French Alps – Grenoble, to be precise – to find the flame of traditional heavy metal being held aloft amid the mountain peaks. Rising Steel are about to release their fourth full-length album, Legion of The Grave, courtesy of Frontiers Records on August 29th, and the sound is as big as that other famous son of Grenoble, Andre The Giant. They remind me of Judas Priest in particular, in that it’s a classic metal sound with powerful clean vocals and harmonised lead guitar, but it also flirts with thrash. It’s all too easy to think that French metal begins and ends with Gojira. Rising Steel expose the folly of such a way of thinking in emphatic style.

 

Temair – 1847

 

Our third and final Irish offering comes in the form of a black metal solo project from the Boyne Valley in County Meath. As mentioned earlier, Crimson Butchery haven’t wasted any time in releasing material, but even they are tardy in comparison to Shane Mac Con Uladh, who has served up three albums in less than a year, or at least that will be the case when The Allure of The Wild is released independently on August 29th. This particular song, which was put out as a single in May of this year, is about An Gorta Mór, one of the most harrowing events in Irish history. 1847 was the most horrific year in this terrible period. Mac Con Uladh performs all vocals and instruments on this release, as well as handling the programming. It’s an achievement as impressive as the subject matter is bleak.  

 

Torvus – Ashes

 

We have something similarly dark but altogether more melodic now, courtesy of Washington D.C./Maryland gothic metal maestros Torvus, who release their latest EP, .44 Caliber Angel, independently on August 29th. It’s a rich and sombre sound, backed by mournful orchestral strings, and featuring the kind of full-bodied baritone croon that is integral to their chosen subgenre. A few of the riffs echo Metallica’s The Unforgiven, and there’s certainly a heaviness beyond the plaintive gloom. Also, it’s refreshing to hear a gothic metal band that isn’t merely derivative of Type O Negative. They’re actually a bit more like My Dying Bride in their more subdued moments, and that’s certainly no bad thing.

 

Unén – Forever Winter

 

Our final offering for this weeks Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs August 29 is a melodic number from a band hailing from Arendelle… Sorry! I mean hailing from Finland. According to their website: “Unén is a band … that plays modern melodic metal,” that “…also incorporates elements ranging from progressive to pop, blending intensity with sensitivity in its sound.” It’s certainly more palatable for a mainstream audience than most of the stuff on this list. In fact, it’s almost like Disney in comparison. Forever Winter is the title track from their first album in forever, which is due to be released via Frontiers Records on August 29th. The band’s vocalist Queen Elsa… Sorry! Stina Girs certainly has a fine set of pipes, adding a symphonic element to their sound. As for Seven Deadly Songs, I’ve got to let it go for this week. See you next time for another venture into the unknown!

Missed last weeks Seven Deadly Songs list? Find it here.


FAQ – Seven Deadly Songs

Q: What is Seven Deadly Songs?

A: Seven Deadly Songs is Metal Lair’s weekly feature that highlights seven of the best new rock and metal tracks released each week.

Q: Which bands are featured in this week’s Seven Deadly Songs?

A: Each week Metal Lair chooses seven bands to feature on the Seven Deadly Songs weekly series. This week, August 29th 2025 we are showcasing Crimson Butchery, Necrokinesis, No Apologies, Rising Steel, Temair, Torvus and Unén.

Q: When were these songs released?

A: The songs in this week’s Seven Deadly Songs were released August 2025.

Q: How often is Seven Deadly Songs updated?

A: Seven Deadly Songs is updated every week with new tracks across metal’s many subgenres.

Q: Does Metal Lair have other weekly features like Seven Deadly Songs?

A: Yes! Alongside Seven Deadly Songs, we publish Deep Cuts: Metal’s Hidden Gems, a series dedicated to spotlighting overlooked and underrated metal releases you might have missed.

Q: Where can I find past editions of Seven Deadly Songs?

A: Past editions can be found in the Metal Lair archives or linked directly in each week’s feature.

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