Written By Kevin McSweeney
Welcome to Seven Deadly Songs, Metal Lair’s weekly feature in which your humble scribe, this week at least, is struggling to cope with a heatwave, with temperatures in the UK said to be reaching 33°C/91.4°F. My Australian and Floridian colleagues might scoff at the idea that such temperatures should be deleterious to my journalistic efforts, but I’m really not accustomed to these conditions. Luckily, I’ve managed to find seven songs from seven albums released between the 11th and 17th of August that are every bit as hot as the summer sunshine. So, slap on your SBF 5,000 and follow me into the inferno!
Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs. The weekly roundup of the heaviest new metal tracks, symbolized by a grim reaper with guitar.
Dewichor – The Great Divide
We open our account this week with some black metal, courtesy of Siberian quintet Dewichor (I bet it’s lovely and cold there!) The Novosibirsk-based band release their debut album, No Tomorrow, via Satanath Records on August 14th. The Great Divide is taken from that album, and it’s a stately, funereal piece of music that alternates between doom-laden riffs backed by lightning-fast double kicks and passages of ominous melody that might be unnerving to the more faint of heart. The customary pterodactyl shrieks are present in abundance also. The label describes them as: “…the quintessence of black, death and post metal, seasoned with the atmosphere of the end of the world.” They also prompt us to: “…get ready to plunge into a world of chaos and the absence of any hope for survival.” So, business as usual, then!
Cruel Bomb – Target Neutralized
Is there any other kind of bomb really? Well, there’s bath bombs, I suppose, but you’d need to have a basic standard of personal hygiene to know anything about those, which rules me out. This fast and frenetic track is taken from the self-titled debut album from the Pennsylvanian thrashers, which is due to be released independently on August 15th. I don’t mean to get personal, but there’s some big dudes in this band. Music of this pace and extremity requires considerable stamina to play. As a rotund gentleman myself, I am hugely impressed! I’d get exhausted just walking to the stage. Great effort all round, lads!
Hammer King – Make Metal Royal Again
I reviewed King’s Hammer a few months ago. Now I’m including Hammer King in Seven Deadly Songs. It’s all very Judean People’s Front and People’s Front of Judea. As far as I’m concerned, metal has always worn music’s crown but, according to their own website: “Heavy Metal’s most feudal band has set the course to conquer city after city and land after land to enlarge the Kingdom and the band’s loyal following named the Hammer Heroes. Hammer King stand for the abundance and decadence of a royal court and the necessary means to maintain and extend it.” Quite! Anyway, this is the title track from the German power metaller’s seventh full-length album, due to be released on August 15th via Reaper Entertainment, and it’s a lot of fun. Bow down to them forthwith!
Haunt – Soaring Through The Ages
This is metal like mom used to make it! It’s pure nostalgia-inducing stuff, right down to the beautiful BC Rich guitars and vintage Slingerland drum kit in the video. The riffs shred and the vocals soar, through the ages, if you will, with glorious harmonies on both vocals and guitar. I absolutely love it! The Californian quartet release Ignite independently on August 13th. It’s their eleventh full-length album since 2018, with plenty of other releases along the way as well. That is a highly impressive work rate. Is there a more industrious band in metal? Please reward such back-breaking labour with your attention at your earliest convenience.
Incite – Lies
From Ignite to Incite! The thrash/groove metal maestros from Phoenix, Arizona return on August 15th with their seventh full-length album, Savage New Times, courtesy of Reigning Phoenix Music, appropriately enough. Lies is truly a great introduction to the album. The chant of “lies!” in the chorus over sharp, staccato riffs is reminiscent of the chant of “love!” in the chorus of Pantera’s This Love, from their seminal groove metal album A Vulgar Display of Power. Elsewhere, it’s frenetic thrash with chugging riffs and double kicks aplenty, and furious growls from the throat of vocalist Richie C – a throat that must feel permanently like it’s been sandpapered. I love the Davidian-style outro as well. It makes me feel like I’m back in the early 1990s, when I was a lot slimmer and better able to cope with this heat!
Justice for The Damned – Stay Relentless
Is this metalcore or deathcore? I’m not entirely sure. If it is metalcore, it’s very much at the heavier end of the spectrum. There’s no melody or heartfelt clean vocals here; just full-on aggression. In fact, it’s like the song is basically a two-minute breakdown. There’s no messing around. This is the sound of five Aussies getting down to business, with no nonsense permitted. Stay Relentless is the title track from their forthcoming third full-length album, which is available from August 15th, courtesy of Greyscale Records, and when they say relentless, they mean relentless. It’s brief, brutal and brilliant. Good on ya, fellas!
Mono Inc. – Abendrot
It means “sunset” in English, apparently, and that shouldn’t be surprising, as this German gothic metal band look and sound as if it might be fatal for them to venture outside when the sun is up. It seems that their forthcoming full-length album, Darkness (available on August 15th courtesy of NoCut Records) might be their 13th. Make of that what you will. It’s difficult not to think of Rammstein when you hear a man with a bass-baritone voice singing in the German language, and the similarity doesn’t end there. They have the same sense of macabre glee as the industrial metal legends. There’s a bit of Rammstein, a bit of Type O Negative and more than a generous helping of Sabaton in their sound, and the costumes in the video are straight out of the Wednesday Netflix series. They may even have filmed it at the Nevermore Academy. I don’t recognise the building. Whatever, it’s a lot of fun. Just don’t forget your crucifix and garlic.
FAQ – Seven Deadly Songs
Q: What is Seven Deadly Songs?
A: Seven Deadly Songs is Metal Lair’s weekly feature that highlights seven of the best new rock and metal tracks released each week.
Q: Which bands are featured in this week’s Seven Deadly Songs?
A: This edition of Seven Deadly Songs features Dewichor, Cruel Bomb, Hammer King, Haunt, Incite, Justice for The Damned, and Mono Inc.
Q: When were these songs released?
A: The songs in this week’s Seven Deadly Songs were released between August 11th and August 17th, 2025.
Q: How often is Seven Deadly Songs updated?
A: Seven Deadly Songs is updated every week with new tracks across metal’s many subgenres.
Q: Where can I find past editions of Seven Deadly Songs?
A: Past editions can be found in the Metal Lair archives or linked directly in each week’s feature.
Missed last weeks Seven Deadly Songs list? Find it here.
