Written by Kevin McSweeney
Welcome to Seven Deadly Songs, Metal Lair’s weekly feature in a week where the live album seems to be especially popular as a format.
A number of prominent bands have opted to capture their sound in a concert setting, perhaps most notably in the case of black metal innovators Darkthrone.
The Norwegian legends build anticipation for a forthcoming studio album with As Wolves Among Sheep… Live in Oslo, which is due on April 18th via Peaceville.Records.
The innovators of blackgaze follow suit, as California’s Deafheaven release their live album, Under The Blue Valley via Roadrunner, also on the 18th.
Whereas Swedish hard rockers Thundermother, whose studio album Dirty & Divine was reviewed favourably by yours truly on February 8th 2025, beat the boys to it by releasing Live ‘N’ Alive a day earlier via Napalm Records.
The Newport helicopters will be cleared for take off as Welsh wizards Skindred release perhaps the most hotly-anticipated studio album of the week in the form of You Got This on April 17th via Earache.
But it’s the artists who don’t have such illustrious platforms that we seek to highlight in this column, so, with that in mind, here’s Seven Deadly Songs from seven deadly albums this week that really shouldn’t get lost in the shuffle.
Seven Deadly Songs: Adgar – Puños De Acero
We start off with some “steel fists” from the band I’m going to deem, in my terrible attempt at their native tongue: los reyes del metal Español. (Google Translate is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, admittedly.)
The return of the Kings of Spanish power metal, with their noble 26-year lineage, will occur on April 15th as Adgar prepare to grace us with their irresistibly Iberian blend of melody and muscle.
This will be in the form of their fourth full-length album, Màscaros Y Demonios, courtesy of the damned good Maldito Records.
It’s their first album since 2008’s Tiempos de Cambio. That’s one heck of a long siesta, but judging by the punch packed by this powerful number, it’ll be well worth such a lengthy wait.
Seven Deadly Songs: Class Traitor – User
We go from Spanish veterans to relative newcomers now as we head Down Under for some shouty sludge/post-metal from Melbourne’s Class Traitor. (If I lived in a country full of massive crocodiles, poisonous snakes and spiders the size of cats, I’d be constantly screaming my head off too, quite frankly.)
The acerbic Australians, who first formed in 2020, are due to release their second full-length album, The Images Aren’t Mine, independently on April 17th.
The band themselves describe the album as having taken: “…a lot of blood, sweat and tears to create,” adding that: “…it’s brimming with new ideas, textures, riffs and emotions.” I’m not going to argue with any of that. They might feed me to the crocs if I do.
Seven Deadly Songs: Crippled Black Phoenix – Ravenettes
Things take a spooky turn with the lead single from a record that, according to its press release: “…presents itself not as a dramatic statement but as a slow accumulation of unease.”
British dark rockers Crippled Black Phoenix were formed in 2004 by Justin Greaves, formerly of Electric Wizard and Iron Monkey. Sceaduhelm is, remarkably, their thirteenth full-length studio album, and it is due to be released on April 17th via the equally remarkable Season of Mist label.
Their music is billed as being for fans of, amongst others, Swans and Codeine. To my ears, they sound more like Siouxsie and The Banshees, their fellow British merchants of the macabre.
The accompanying video is quite chilling, so those of a nervous disposition might want to avert their eyes from the screen while playing it. Ears should be fully engaged at all times, however.
Seven Deadly Songs: Doodswens – Driven by Death
I was having a drunken chat over the weekend with my Dutch friend Gerard, whom I haven’t seen in years. We discussed who we thought the best band from his native land might be.
He said The Gathering, if I remember rightly. I went with The Vengaboys. Eindhoven-based black metal trio Doodswens – it means “death wish” in Dutch, apparently – might give us both cause to reconsider.
They’ve only been around since 2017, and their self-titled forthcoming album is only their second full-length effort, but theirs is a brutal, old-school take on their chosen genre, judging by this, the album’s opening track. Doodswens is available from April 17th via Svart Records. Gerard will probably love it, and so might you.
Seven Deadly Songs: The Fals – Vigilance Renewed
For the second time in as many weeks, we offer you the finest blackened heavy metal from Germany, this time courtesy of The Fals, which I presume is pronounced like a plural reference to an extremely hot kind of curry. (I ate numerous phalls in my youth, primarily for the sake of bravado. I had an asbestos arse back then.)
I digress! Vigilance Renewed, from the Teutonic trio’s second full-length album, Where Cold Steel Gleams, leans more into the black metal than other bands of their ilk, such as Astral Spectre or Nite.
That’s not to say they scrimp on the traditional metal, and there’s even an occasional hint of surf rock, to my ears at least.
The album will be uncovered by Undercover Records on April 17th. I might also add: recent world events would suggest that a renewal of vigilance would indeed be a good thing.
Seven Deadly Songs: Thunderor – Pump Up The Volume
Toronto-based trio Thunderor are not to be confused with the aforementioned Thundermother, nor with bluesy British rockers Thunder, and this song is definitely not to be confused with the 1987 one-hit-wonder by MARRS.
Instead, it is the opening track from the anthemic Ontario band’s second full-length album, Bleed For It, which is due to be released on April 17th via Boonsdale Records.
It’s melodic, keytar-driven metal that is as catchy as it is Canadian, performed by, amongst others, a drummer whose cymbals seem to have been set up in the video for Shaquille O’Neal to play.
JJ Tartaglia is clearly a man who puts his art before his comfort. Why not reward his noble efforts by giving it a listen?
Seven Deadly Songs: Warside – Synthetic Abyss
We bring this week’s list to a close in bloody fashion with perhaps the most brutal thing to occur in France since they chopped the head off Marie Antionette.
This is a death metal sound, verging on slam, that bears something of a resemblance to that of the legendary Cryptopsy, both in terms of its cerebral nature and high level of technical proficiency in evidence.
April 17th sees the release of the Lyon quartet’s debut album via Gruesome Records. They have named it Cognitive Extinction, and I certainly know that feeling!
The accompanying video for this track is another spooky one, after we already terrified you with the one from Crippled Black Phoenix earlier, so proceed with caution again, and we’ll see you in seven for another seven.
Artwork for Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs, where riffs fall like judgment.
“Dive into last week’s Seven Deadly Songs metal roundup”
Seven Deadly Songs is A Metal Lair™ Original
SEVEN DEADLY SONGS Q&A
Q: What is Seven Deadly Songs?
A: Seven Deadly Songs is Metal Lair’s weekly roundup of the heaviest new releases across the full metal spectrum. 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 – Metal’s Hidden Gems and lost recordings from rock and metal history.
- Metalhead Horoscopes – Weekly forecasts laced with riffs, attitude, and a lucky song for every sign.
- World Metal Weekly – A global passport through the underground, one country at a time.
- Women in Metal – A series celebrating the voices, pioneers, and rule-breakers reshaping heavy music’s DNA.
- Ministry of Metal – A satirical authority devoted to the laws, rituals, and unspoken rules of heavy music. Features proclamations, decrees, cultural edicts, metal lore, and an original comic book series, all delivered with humor and bite.
- Metal Legacy Profiles – Deep dive essays honoring artists who shaped metal’s sound, culture, and philosophy. These aren’t timelines or greatest-hits lists, but examinations of impact, conflict, evolution, and what each figure left behind.
- Road Riffs: Metal On The Map – We take metal beyond the speakers and onto the highway, exploring legendary venues, scene-defining cities, historic landmarks, local haunts, and travel stops tied to real
metal scenes around the world that every metalhead should experience.
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.
Read More From This Author:
Dive into our Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis album review
Check out Foreignwolf: Merely Mortal EP Review
Join the patrons of Metal Lair
MetalLair.net is a metal zine muttering to itself about seo and blastbeats at 3 AM while scheduling posts – powered by caffeine, riffs, a severe lack of sleep and a dog wondering why the human is still awake.
And occasionally, Kevin falling asleep on his keyboard while writing album reviews and Seven Deadly Songs.
If this kind of work matters to you – become a patron of Metal Lair.