Written By Kevin McSweeney
Welcome to Seven Deadly Songs on the last weekend before the big day. I was going to make it a special Christmas edition, but then I sat down with a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine, and looked wistfully at the lights twinkling away on the tree, and I thought: bollocks to that! Let’s just stick to the metal.
These are just seven of a whole plethora of new releases on which you might like to spend your Christmas money. There’s plenty to investigate beyond what we’re presenting here.
Unfortunately, A Japanese band by the name of Unarmed Crowd couldn’t have picked a worse week to release their Ritual of Grief album, given the terrible recent events in Sydney.
It didn’t seem right to cover them under the circumstances through no fault of their own, of course. We would still urge you to check them out, as they are very good.
Now, let’s enjoy those that made the list, which has been checked more than twice. Some of these choices are both naughty and nice.
Defenestration – Hypergravity Cranial Evacuation (feat. Bluewaffle Sauerkraut)
Our opening selection comes from a band who are not to be confused with the female-fronted British nü metal band of the same name who were active in the late 1990s and early 2000s. (I saw them live once. They were good!)
Instead, this is Belgian brutal death metal with a smattering of deathcore and a penchant for technical terms in their titles, not unlike early Carcass.
This pithily-named number is from their third full-length album, Windowframe Evisceration Sequence (which makes me think of Rotterdam Termination Source. Thank fuck they didn’t cover Poing!)
The album is out on December 18th, and you have Vivisect Merch to thank. I have no idea who Bluewaffle Sauerkraut is, but the name certainly made me chuckle. That’s not the kind of Belgian waffle I’d be looking to savour.
Lychgate – Renunciation
The name of this band sounds like a quaint little town somewhere in the English midlands, but, according to Wikipedia, actually refers to: “…a covered gateway at the entrance to a churchyard, from the Old English “lych” meaning corpse, serving as a shelter where the coffin rested before burial and the funeral party waited.”
Which is nice. The London-based avant-garde black/doom metal merchants have returned with their fourth full-length album Precipice, which is due to be released on December 19th via Debemur Morti Productions.
It is from that album that this delightful ditty is drawn, with its challenging time signatures and abstruse lyrical concepts. (Probably. Couldn’t understand a fucking word, mate!)
It actually goes a little bit proggy at times, with its swirling Arthur Brown-style organs and plaintive wailing lead guitars that sound like something out of Jeff Wayne’s War of The Worlds. However, its core remains as black as a mourner’s attire, and that’s exactly how we like it. Bow your heads, and then bang them.
Midnight Fortress – The Midnight Fortress
I was hoping that the album would be named Midnight Fortress, just to complete the set. And would you believe it? That’s exactly what it’s called!
The Polish band’s self-titled debut album was released independently on December 15th, presumably at the stroke of midnight, and The Midnight Fortress from the album Midnight Fortress by Midnight Fortress is as fine a place as any to start, though it’s actually the album’s closing track.
It’s an oddly compelling blend of glam, thrash, speed metal and hard rock, with its rapid, double kick-fuelled intensity, augmented by a baffling blend of growling guttural vocals and hair metal screams.
It all goes a bit neoclassical on the solo as well, because we might as well add another subgenre to the rapidly growing list. I want a bit of Kawaii metal on the next album, chaps!
Niovel – So The World Might Be Mended
Given that current affairs seem to resemble dystopian fiction more and more with each passing day, I think it would be a very good idea if the world might be mended, and there’s no better way to instigate such a recovery than through the medium of symphonic power metal.
This beguilingly named track is taken from Niovel’s fifth full-length album, Letters to The Other Side, which mercifully has nothing to do with Adele, nor with Aerosmith, sadly.
Multi-instrumentalist Simon Krajewski produces an epic blend of celestial synths and substantial riffs, battling for space beneath the haunting, ethereal vocals of Fiene Pertosa.
If that sounds like your sort of thing, then the German duo have just the album for you, which was released independently on December 16th. I’m still not sure how you pronounce that name, though.
Olde Outlier – The Revellers
Is it just me or does this band’s name make them sound like an English ale? Furthermore, does the song title sound like the name of a pub, or am I just hankering for a little Christmas tipple?
Anyway, the Australian outfit treat us to their own idiosyncratic brand of death metal on their debut album, the splendidly-named From Shallow Lives To Shallow Graves, which is released on December 19th via the equally splendidly-named Iron Bonehead Productions.
This is the opening track of the album, which consists of just four songs that all happen to be fairly lengthy. This one is relatively modest in that regard at 7 minutes and 54 seconds.
It also features some of the funkiest hi-hat work you’ll ever hear in their chosen subgenre, in a track that goes from Celtic Frost to Carcass by way of Chuck Schuldiner.
Damn it! They’ve made me thirsty, though! Right now, a beer sounds as good as their music!
The Losts – A Dark Place to Hide
Time now for some traditional heavy metal from the charming city of Lille in northern France, courtesy of The Losts, who have been treating us to their haute cuisine for the ears since 2013.
They have returned with their third full-length album, Venom Within, which will be served up by Inverse Records on December 19th.
The opening track is quite the aural aperitif, from its monastic opening chants over clean guitar arpeggios to its succulent vocal harmonies over meaty riffs, garnished with extravagant solos.
The middle eight reminds me a little of Tubeway Army’s Are “Friends” Electric?Though that does bugger up the metaphor somewhat.
There’s a chant towards the end that will bring Iron Maiden’s Heaven Can Wait to mind, and would be great fun in a live setting. The Losts are a band that you might want to find.
Trigger – The Waking Beast
We wrap things up like a Christmas present this week with some Russian death metal from a band called Trigger. Do they carry a gun or is the waking beast in question a horse belonging to Roy Rogers? I digress.
This is the title track from their fifth full-length album, which was released on December 15th via Coyote Records. (There’s another beast!)
Suffice to say, It’s heavy enough to make you fall through a bar, no matter how cool you play it, and sturdier than a broom with seventeen new heads and fourteen new handles.
All in all, it’s fair to say it’s alright, Dave! Anyway, that’s it for this week. For those who got the appalling jokes in that last paragraph, I salute you, and hope to see you back for seven songs from the best new releases during Christmas week. Don’t be spending too much money in the meantime, and go easy on the egg nog!
Missed last week’s Seven Deadly Songs? You can find it right here
Seven Deadly Songs is A Metal Lair Original Series
FAQ: Seven Deadly Songs December 19th – 25th 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, and speed metal releases, 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 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.
About The Author
Kevin McSweeney is Metal Lair’s resident scribe of the underground, eternally rummaging through the global metal scene for riffs worth your time.
As the guiding hand behind Seven Deadly Songs every Friday, he has an uncanny knack for finding the track you didn’t know you needed, usually before finishing his pint.
Equal parts loyal, kind, and quietly razor-witted, Kevin brings deep knowledge, impeccable taste, and a steady, reliable presence to Metal Lair.
Support Metal Lair
Metal Lair runs on passion, riffs, and far too much coffee. If you enjoy the interviews, reviews, and recurring series, you can support the site here: