Welcome to Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs weekly feature where we curate music from the past and the present for your listening pleasure.
Written By Kevin mcSweeney
March is shaping up to be an exciting month for new releases in the metal world, with hotly-anticipated albums due to drop from such big names as Spiritbox, Whitechapel and Cradle of Filth to name but three. In this week’s Seven Deadly Songs, we’d like to look at some of the albums coming out to less fanfare in the first half of the month, with a selection of some of the best new songs that promise great things to come.
Raging Speedhorn – Night Wolf
First up, we turn to the legendary (albeit dubiously named) British sludge merchants Raging Speedhorn, who release their seventh studio album Night Wolf on March 6th via Spinefarm Records, and its title track is promising indeed. As ever, the sound is characterised by the twin guttural vocal attack of Frank Regan and Daniel Cook, and by guitars tuned so low, they threaten to unearth ancient artefacts in their native Northamptonshire. It’s as delightfully sludgy an affair as ever. Also, The Teen Wolf-inspired album artwork and accompanying video can’t help but warm the antediluvian cockles of hearts such as mine that are somehow still beating in complete defiance of the laws of nature.
Edge of Paradise – Prophecy Unbound
The symphonic metal band from Los Angeles are due to release Prophecy, their sixth studio album, via Napalm Records on March 7th. The title track Prophecy Unbound – Raining Blood is the title track of Slayer’s Reign in Blood, right? – is all nü metal-style staccato riffing, atmospheric synths and a breathtaking demonstration of the considerable range of Armenian-born vocalist Margarita Monet. This forthcoming album could be just like listening in paradise, and I won’t want to go home.
This Gift is a Curse – Kingdom
We will be blessed rather than cursed when this multifaceted Swedish outfit bestows upon us the gift of their fourth full-length album, entitled Heir, on March 7th, courtesy of our friends at Season of Mist. They define their sound as a blend of black metal, sludge metal and hardcore punk. Kingdom leans distinctly towards the former, with the blast beats, tremolo picking and pterodactyl shrieks synonymous with that most Scandinavian of subgenres being very much in evidence. The accompanying video is strongly reminiscent of the Blair Witch Project and, combined with the track, is much more unnerving than the movie that seemingly inspired it.
Wildfire – Rise
We are to be treated to a generous helping of Hellenic heavy metal on March 7th, as The Greek band Wildfire release their debut album Rise. The title track is a tempting little titbit, full of stirring vocal harmonies, inspirational lyrics, exhilarating twin lead guitars and undulating organs. It’s melodic, gloriously old-school and unapologetically so in both cases. They are at times reminiscent of Iron Maiden in the early stages of Bruce Dickinson’s tenure, and that can only be a good thing. May their rise to the top be meteoric.
Nite – Cult of the Serpent Sun
So that’s a lot of good stuff for the first week of March, but what of the second? Well, the 14th of March sees the release of some blackened heavy metal from San Francisco group Nite, in the form of their third studio album, Cult of the Serpent Sun, courtesy once again of Season of Mist. The title track has a hook that would be great to chant along to in a live setting. It sounds a little bit like Tool at times, to my ears at least, only minus the unorthodox time signatures, and with the fey, otherworldly warblings of Maynard James Keenan replaced with a growl from the bowels of Hell. Sign me up for that cult!
Sanhedrin – Blind Wolf
The second song of a lupine nature on our list comes from Sanhedrin, the Brooklyn trio who release their fourth full-length album Heat Lightning on March 14th via Metal Blade. They define their sound as a blend of “…traditional metal and hard rock sounds with a fresh modern energy and perspective.” They had me at traditional metal, quite frankly, and the opening riff of Blind Wolf had me thinking for a second that they were launching into Slayer’s South of Heaven. It has a similar eeriness to it – almost like the sound of a distant howl on a dark night. Thereafter, it’s an upbeat, double-kick driven affair that serves as a great opener for what will surely be an album packed with growly goodness.
Warbringer – A Better World
We conclude our list with some good old-fashioned Californian thrash metal, courtesy of Newbury Park’s Warbringer, with the release of their seventh studio album, Wrath and Ruin, on March 14th via Napalm Records. They’re really not messing around with this one. It’s fast, brutal and uncompromising, with shredding lead guitars, frenetic drums and riffs so thick and heavy, they’d probably be refused access to a Lyft vehicle. If the rest of the album follows suit, you’ll have serious difficulty maintaining a vow to give up headbanging for Lent.
