Welcome to Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs weekly feature where we curate music from the past and the present for your listening pleasure
Body Count – The Purge, Album: Merciless. Century Media Records
This week’s Seven Deadly Songs on Metal Lair features a track from Body Count’s latest album, Merciless. The album kicks off with Ice-T embracing his role as a sadistic inquisitor, before the album shifts from horrorcore to sharp social commentary. Highlights include the gory tales of “Purge” and “Psychopath,” the politically charged “Fuck What You Heard,” and the apocalyptic “World War.” The album delivers relentless thrash with Slayer-esque riffs, RATM-style dynamics, and a guest list that includes Max Cavalera, George Fisher, and David Gilmour, whose metal-infused take on “Comfortably Numb” stands out as one of the band’s most thoughtful moments. A raw, potent, and surprising record from a band that shows no signs of slowing down.
Track Listing:
Interrogation (Interlude)
Merciless
Purge (feat. George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher)
Psychopath (feat. Joe Bad)
F*ck What You Heard
Live Forever (feat. Howard Jones)
Do or Die
Comfortably Numb
Lying MF
Drug Lords (feat. Max Cavalera)
World War
Mic Contract
Order Body Count Merciless here:
Opeth – “§1”(Radio Edit)Album: The Last Will and Testament. Teigning Phoenix Music
The growls are back!!! Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth’s heavy new song reveals a sound that harkens back to their heavier material. The song, “§1”(Radio Edit)is reminiscent of the old days boasting their signature progressive sound. The guitar riffs feature a tone that resembles their more proggy side but with a heavier dose of gain while the keyboards sweep chromatically, shifting between the chords to create a dissonance thats pleasing to the ear. Drummer Waltteri Väyrynen delivers a syncopated onslaught that blends seamlessly with the music. And to everyone’s delight, Mikael Åkerfeldt’s gutteral vocals are in top form.
“The Last Will And Testament” track listing:
01 – “§1”
02 – “§2”
03 – “§3”
04 – “§4”
05 – “§5”
06 – “§6”
07 – “§7”
08 – “A Story Never Told”
Order Opeth Last Will and Testament here:
Thy Catafalque – Piros kocsi, fekete éj. Album: XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek. Season of Mist Records
Thy Catafalque. Just over a year since the release of his last album, Tamás Kátai returns with a new record that pushes musical boundaries even further. This latest work blends elements of folk, black metal, and even disco-inspired sounds, creating a constantly evolving sonic landscape. There’s far more depth to explore beyond these initial descriptions, so if one passage doesn’t immediately resonate, be patient—give it a few moments, and let TC’s transformative style unfold.
Tracklist:
1. Piros Kocsi, Fekete Éj (4:12)
2. Mindenevö (6:35) [WATCH]
3. Vasgyár (6:18)
4. Világnak Világa (6:28)
5. Nyárfa, Nyírfa (2:53)
6. Lydiához (3:05)
7. Vakond (4:29)
8. Ködkiraly (7:58)
9. Aláhullás (3:48)
10. A Gyönyörü Álmok Ezután Jönnek (3:14) [WATCH]
11. Babylon (Bonus Track – Omega Cover) (3:42) [LISTEN]
Order Thy Catafalque XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek here:
Defeated Sanity – Temporal Disintegration, Album: Chronicles of Lunacy. Season of Mist
Chronicles of Lunacy sees Defeated Sanity returning to their roots—whatever that may mean for a band as unconventional as this. Even the band acknowledges that their previous album ventured a bit too far into progressive territory, impressively complex but leaving some listeners scrambling to keep up. With this new release, they’ve crafted a razor-sharp, unrelenting masterpiece of brutal technical death metal. It’s intense, precise, and will undoubtedly clear a room without question.
Tracklist
1. Amputationsdrang (2:30)
2. The Odour Of Sanctity (3:36) [WATCH]
3. Accelerating The Rot (3:22)
4. Temporal Disintegration (5:52) [WATCH]
5. Extrinsically Enraged (4:09)
6. A Patriarchy Perverse (4:16)
7. Condemned to Vascular Famine (6:00)
8. Heredity Violated (3:48)
Total runtime: 33:35
Order Defeated Sanity Chronicles of Lunacy here:
Múr – Holskefla, Album: Self-titled. Century Media Records
Múr emerges as a bold force from Iceland’s fiery underground, with a sound that defies easy categorization and a creative vision that pushes the boundaries of metal. This rising quintet is charting a new course in dark, atmospheric, and genre-bending music. Drawing on progressive influences reminiscent of the Devin Townsend Project and mid-era Opeth, they seamlessly blend expansive textures with razor-sharp technicality in the vein of Neurosis and Gojira. With a foundation in jazz studies, the band’s skilled, young musicianship brings a fresh, dynamic edge to their already formidable sound. Múr is quickly proving itself as a powerful and transformative force in modern metal.
Order Múr’s self titled record here:
Tracklisting:
01. Eldhaf
02. Múr
03. Frelsari
04. Vitrun
05. Messa
06. Heimsslit
07. Holskefla
Gutless – Viral Infection, Album: High Impact Violence. Dark Descent Records
Australia’s Gutless unleashes a barbaric debut with High Impact Violence, a relentless death metal assault that delivers unfiltered, subterranean heaviness. True to their name, the band rips through each track with savage riffing, pulverizing drums, and a vocal barrage that leaves no room for mercy. The album combines old-school death metal aggression with a distinct sound, offering gnarly, skull crushing rhythms. The track Viral Infection channels High Impact Violence that takes you on a twisted, visceral journey into the realm of nightmares. Gutless is one of the year’s most vicious new acts.
Track Listing:
1. Bashed And Hemorrhaging
2. Beyond The Catacombs
3. Scalpel Obsession
4. Avalanche Of Viscera
5. Galvanized
6. Carved Into Existence
7. Gore God
8. Viral Infection
Order High Impact Violence here:
Golgothan Remains – Methuselah. Album: Matriarch Of Death, Bearer Of Light. Dark Descent Records.
Golgothan Remains’ Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death is a dark and atmospheric concept EP that tells a twisted love story between two ancient, malevolent beings unable to coexist due to the nature of their overwhelming evil. The band’s signature blend of death metal, black metal, and doom creates a suffocating, intense atmosphere, while the cohesive songwriting ties the four tracks together as a single, flowing narrative. Produced by Greg Chandler of Esoteric, the EP is both sonically crushing and thematically compelling, enhanced by Christian Kiesling’s haunting artwork that perfectly captures its eerie, otherworldly essence. This EP marks a deliberate shift in the band’s creative direction, offering a more atmospheric and interconnected experience than their previous work.
Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death tracklist:
1) Methuselah
2) Tribulation
3) Necropoles
4) Andromeda