Written By Kevin McSweeney
Welcome to Seven Deadly Songs, Metal Lair’s weekly feature in which we celebrate the new and the great by selecting seven songs that have us excited for some of the best albums and EPs hot off the press in a given week – the 17th to the 23rd of November in this case.
It’s an exciting week for new output from big names in metal, with a new EP from The Halo Effect, and also the return of Christian hair metal supremos Stryper. Oh, and there’s a live album from some plucky upstarts who go by the name of Def Leppard, so good luck to them, whoever they are.
Our aim, however, is to shine a light on those who might not get the level of exposure they deserve. So, with that in mind, here’s seven songs from seven bands you really shouldn’t sleep on. They’ll have tremendous difficulty playing their instruments with your slumbering frame spread across them. Have some consideration for the artists, please.
Blizzen – Into the Abyss
We commence proceedings this week with one of Santa’s reindeer, apparently. Just kidding, of course! In fact, it’s a German speed metal band whose third full-length album, which is due to be released via Diabolic Might Records on November 21st, bears the absolutely glorious title of Metalectric!
I love a good portmanteau, and there’s no finer combination than metal and electric, except perhaps when electrocution might occur as a result. Let’s rock safely, people!
Into The Abyss is the album’s opening track, and it’s a screeching, screaming, super-speedy way to start both the release and our list. Sanat’s sleigh is going to have no trouble getting around the world in one night with these speedsters pulling it!
Edit The Tide – The Cost of Standing Still
Edit The Tide hail from Bridgend in South Wales, the same town as British metalcore OGs Bullet For My Valentine.
Their sound isn’t a million miles removed either, with big riffs and genuine heaviness tempered with melodic sensibilities (and only brief forays into the realm of harsh vocals) that render their music palatable to those who would run screaming from metal ordinarily.
Their EP, The Space Between Seconds, is due to be released independently on November 21st, and it’s coming out at an exciting time for alternative metal in the UK, with the likes of Mallavora drawing attention to themselves with BBC TV appearances and, more importantly, an interview in Metal Lair! This is one tide that will continue to rise, with no costly standing still.
Midnite City – Heaven in This Hell
Hair metal is alive and well in the UK! I for one am very excited about this, as the last time this sort of thing was popular, I actually had some hair!
Maybe if I slip into some super-tight spandex pants, the pressure might force some more to pop out of my head. One can only hope.
Back to reality, and comfortable trousers, for a moment! Midnite City hail from Nottingham, though their sound is more Sunset Strip than Sherwood Forest, and it just might make you nostalgic for the 1980s, whether you were there or not the first time round.
Their new album Bite The Bullet – their fifth since their inception in 2017 – is due for release on November 21st via Pride & Joy Music and will surely explode on the British hard rock scene in a burst of glitter and hairspray. It might be Hell for some, but it sounds like Heaven to me!
Sacred Leather – Spitfire at Midnight
I just love that song title! And given that we’ve just marked Armistice Day, it seems like an apt inclusion.
Sacred Leather might sound like something Robin would say to Batman in an exclamation of shock, but in fact it’s the name of a band from the state of Indiana – our first of two as it transpires – who specialise in a frenetic but melodic brand of heavy/thrash metal that takes Painkiller-era Judas Priest as its blueprint, and boasts a vocalist in the form of the splendidly-named Dee Wrathchild whose pipes are cut from the same celestial cloth as those of the great Rob Halford.
That was an unnecessarily long sentence. Their second full-length album, Keep The Fire Burning, is due to be released independently on November 20th, and we have a burning desire to hear the rest of its songs.
Sun of The Dying – Of Absence
From the moody, atmospheric piano intro, through to the elegant and elegiac doom metal that stretches mournfully and majestically over the course of nearly eight minutes, this is the kind of goosebump-inducing grandeur from Spanish band Sun of The Dying that rivals the British doom titans like Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride.
Of Absence is taken from their third full-length album, Throne of Ashes, which is due to be released on November 21st via AOP Records.
One wonders how the blazing Madrid sun could inspire anyone to produce such funereal finery as the bleak and barren Yorkshire moors have thus inspired the aforementioned English icons, but why indulge in such pointless pontification when you can just go ahead and enjoy music this good?
Temple of Katharsis – Celebrating The Coronation of Grand Evil
Celebrating The Coronation of Grand Evil is the lead single from the second full-length album from Temple of Katharsis, which is titled Worshippers of The Ancient Necromancy. They come up with great black metal titles, don’t they?
Having said that, it’s one for those who like their black metal to deviate from the blueprint somewhat.
This track is a little bit thrashy. In fact, it bears a strong resemblance at times to early extreme metal pioneers like Celtic Frost, as they eschew the blast beat in favour of the chug.
The album is due out on November 21st, courtesy of Theogonia Records. This is one Greek band who can feel rightly aggrieved not to have been included in our recent World Metal Weekly feature focusing on their home country.
Wolftooth – Darkened Path
We conclude matters this week with an offering from the roster of the ever-reliable Ripple Music in the form of the second band from the state of Indiana to make our list.
Wolftooth deal in Sabbath-style heavy/doom metal with plenty of bite. They don’t spare the melody, though, with Chris Sullivan evoking Ozzy with his lupine howls.
Darkened Path is taken from their fourth full-length album, Wizards’s Light, which is due to be set upon us like a snarling beast on November 21st, and promises to be an album that will put them well-and-truly ahead of the pack.
And with that dire wolf pun, I will slip off with my tail between my legs. See you next week for several shit jokes and seven great pieces of music on Seven Deadly Songs.
Missed last week’s Seven Deadly Songs? You can find it right here
FAQ: Seven Deadly Songs (November 21st- 27th 2025)
Q: What is Seven Deadly Songs?
A: Seven Deadly Songs is Metal Lair’s weekly roundup of the heaviest new releases across the metal spectrum from black and death to doom, thrash, and speed metal. Each week we spotlight seven standout tracks you shouldn’t miss.
Q: When does Seven Deadly Songs update?
A: We post a new edition every Friday, typically highlighting weekly new releases.
Q: Where can I find the best new metal songs?
A: Right here. Seven Deadly Songs is your go-to source for discovering the latest metal tracks including fresh black, death, thrash, doom, speed metal releases and more all curated in one place.
Q: How can I listen to the songs featured?
A: Every featured track links out to the artist’s official release, streaming platform, or label page so you can dive deeper and support the bands directly.
Q: Does Metal Lair have other weekly series?
A: Absolutely, Try:
Deep Cuts Metals Hidden Gems for rare, overlooked tracks or unreleased demos.
World Metal Weekly, your passport for metal around the world.
Metalhead Horoscopes shows you what the stars have in store, translated into metalhead language and paired with a lucky song of the week.
A Rip in Time: Women in Metal, A series celebrating the voices, pioneers, and rule-breakers reshaping heavy music’s DNA
