Written By Kevin McSweeney
Seven Deadly Songs – February 13th 2026
Welcome to Seven Deadly Songs, Metal Lair’s weekly feature where we bring you news of seven of the week’s best new releases, and the songs that have us excited for them.
Once again, it’s been tough to choose. We will witness the return of Converge, the band widely credited as being the catalyst for the metalcore subgenre (thanks for that, lads) and whose 2001 album Jane Doe gave us one of the most iconic pieces of cover art in 21st Century music.
Their new album Love is Not Enough will be available from February 13th via Deathwish/Epitaph.
We’d also like to draw your attention to Completely Covered in Black, the new album by the southern/doom metal band from New York and New Jersey – doesn’t sound very southern to me – Patriarchs in Black.
The album contains covers of classics by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Twisted Sister and many other luminaries besides.
It sounds like fun, even if we have risked alienating the more politically correct among you with mention of their name alone.
Hell, I’m also going to direct you towards Blazoner’s Sonic Chambers EP, though I can’t find much information about it. What I’ve heard on YouTube is very impressive, and I love the retro cover art!
It looks like an old bit of vinyl you discovered in a dusty box in the garage. Right, onto this week’s selected songs, or we’ll be here until next week’s list!
Greyhawk – Ascension
Let’s open this week’s account with the opening track from Warriors of Greyhawk, the third full-length album by Seattle, Washington’s finest purveyors of power metal, the mighty Greyhawk.
The musicianship is highly impressive, Anthony Corso’s vocals are formidable and the solo is absolutely epic – none of which will be surprising to fans of this subgenre.
Other fabulous tracks will be revealed to you on February 13th, courtesy of Cruz del Sur Music.
The cover art is pleasing as well, as it depicts the titular warriors seeking to defend Greyhawk from those horrible, green, troll-like creatures that stand before them.
It’ll all have you holding aloft your magic sword like He-Man and crying: “By the power metal of Greyhawk! I have the power metal!”
Leatherhead – V.H.S.
I see what you’ve done here, Leatherhead, and I like it! Violent Horror Stories is the title of their second full-length album, which will be available from February 13th via No Remorse Records, and they’ve used its initials for the title of the album’s lead single and opening track.
It also stands for “video home system”, of course, which they’ve referenced in the video for the track, with the titular violent horror stories being screened in the retro format.
I like the way this ties in with the cover art as well, with a spectral figure clad in a Native American headdress emerging from an old-school screen.
There’s also a reference to the spookiness of the release date in the artwork. They sound a bit like early Anthrax, so the headdress might be a nod to the New York thrash metal institution’s Native American frontman, Joey Belladonna.
The sound is as retro as the video’s theme, taking us right back to the 1980s, though huge credit to them for the virtually neoclassical solo as well.
I wonder if the Greek speedsters are aware of the fact that they share a name with a small town in the ceremonial county of Surrey in South East England. I suspect not.
Nullingroots – Memoir of a Frail Past
I absolutely love this! From the synth-and-strings intro that suggests something ethereal and as delicate as gossamer, through the romantic poetry of the lyrics that bring to mind Keats and Coleridge.
Even to the inevitable intensifying of the track and the introduction of the tortured howls and growls of the one known as Cameron, it’s phantasmagorical in a way I’m not sure I ever thought black metal could be.
There’s not a burnt church or butchered band member in sight! It’s perhaps not radically different to similar stylistic achievements by the likes of Alcest and Deafheaven, but it’s impressive all the same.
They’re from Phoenix, Arizona; the album is called Fourth Dimensional Dreamscape; it will be released independently on February 13th. Go get it!
Slaughterday – Dread Emperor
I’m starting the campaign for Saturday to be officially renamed Slaughterday. De La Soul’s Roller Skating Jamwould be a very different song!
Not that you’ll get any roller skating jams from this death metal duo from Deutschland, who are due to release Dread Emperor, their fifth full-length album via Testimony Records on February 13th.
I hear the influence of the late and much-missed Chuck Schuldinger on the title track.
There’s a similarity to Lack of Comprehensionat times, and also to Necroticism-era Carcass, and there’s a bit of groove metal creeping in on the verses, with the legacy of Dimebag Darrell very much in evidence in the riffing.
Needless to say, it’s heavy as all Hell, and it’ll have you wishing that every day could be a Slaughterday.
Temple Balls – Soul Survivor
Hand-pressed balls of hashish, apparently. It wouldn’t have been my guess either.
I was in full-on Beavis and Butthead mode when I saw this band’s name, imagining a tabernacle of testicles, or taberknacker, if you will.
The Finnish hard rockers are due to dangle their self-titled fifth full-length album before us on February 13th, courtesy of Frontiers Records, and both sides of the vinyl are sure to add up to an impressive pair.
Soul Survivor certainly suggests as much. It’s an anthemic bit of melodic heavy metal that shows plenty of… guts.
To quote Neil from The Inbetweeners, “You’ve got to put the Balls in to make it work,”
I assume he was referring to this column, so that’s what I’ve done. You’d be nuts if you didn’t check them out. They’re the dog’s bollocks!
Unchosen Ones – Caught by The Wind
I feel your pain, señores. I had baked beans with my breakfast and now I’m scared to light a match.
I was reluctant to select two melodic heavy metal/hard rock songs in a row, but they’ve both presented me with opportunities to make puerile jokes, and I simply can’t turn that down.
Spain’s Unchosen Ones will now have to change their name, as I’ve chosen them. Sorry for the inconvenience, mis amigos.
Their second full-length album, Divine Power Flowing, is due to be released independently on February 13th, and there’s absolutely no need to change its title, as it is powerful, and divine, and flows like the sweetest Spanish wine.
Javier Calderon’s vocals are stunning, and the interplay between guitars and keys leaves the hairs standing up on the back of the neck.
It’s a solid performance from the rhythm section as well. (I don’t want any member saying they’ve been unchosen!)
Wolfchant – Lifeblood
We head back to Germany for this week’s final selection, as Bavarian veterans Wolfchant prepare to release their eight full-length album, Echoes of a Time Once Past, on February 13th, courtesy of Reaper Entertainment.
Lifeblood gets the pulse racing in anticipation of the album. From the folky piped intro – hummelchen pipes, I presume, which sound similar to the uilleann pipes of my own native land – through the epic synths and power metal leanings that are at odds with but still complementing Nortwin’s inimitable harsh vocal delivery, it’s clear that this is a band who are determined to do things their own way.
It’s a lot of fun, but also a serious proposition as a quality piece of music. And with Wolfchant, we’ll pack it in for another week. See you in seven days for another Seven Deadly songs!
Missed last week’s Seven Deadly Songs? You can find it right here
Seven Deadly Songs is A Metal Lair™ Original Series
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:
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- Metalhead Horoscopes – Weekly forecasts laced with riffs, attitude, and a lucky song for every sign.
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- 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.
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