Written By Kevin McSweeney
Welcome to Seven Deadly Songs, Metal Lair’s weekly feature where we bring you news of some of the week’s best new releases.
We focus on artists and bands who don’t yet enjoy the level of exposure their talents deserve, with a word or two about the more established artists beforehand.
The big news in terms of the big names is the impending release of Frisson Noir, the 10th studio album from Tarja, the band fronted of course by former Nightwish vocalist Tarja Tarunen. The album will be with us on June 12th, courtesy of earMUSIC, and will be worth getting excited about if symphonic metal is your thing.
The 12th is going to be a busy day for that label, as it also sees the release of the fabulously-named Gargoyle of The Garden State, the debut solo album by Bolan, aka Rachel Bolan of Skid Row fame.
There’s also the small matter of the self-titled debut album by the supergroup Lex Legion. The album is also due on the 12th, courtesy of MNRK Heavy, and is brought to us by musicians formerly of King Diamond, Blakk Totem and, most notably, Motorhead and The Scorpions in the form of legendary drummer Mikkey Dee.
That’s an appetising prospect. Now, let’s see if we can introduce you to some of the legends of tomorrow. On with the list!
BalashToth – Self = Dark Side
There was me thinking the heaviest music to come out of Dundalk was by The Corrs! We begin this week’s list with a death/thrash solo project from the Wee County of Louth in Ireland.
In true Irish style, however, it’s a solo project that is the work of two fellas, as this is in collaboration with Japanese vocalist Deathmetalvoicer. Self = Dark Side is one of a number of awkwardly-titled tracks from the project’s debut full-length album, Equation II – the Antithesis of Life and Free Will. (Jesus!
Don’t be losing the run of yourself, lad!) The album, which is due to be released independently on June 12th, is seemingly a sequel to the awkwardly-titled 2024 EP = Equation =. I’ve often said the only good thing to come out of Dundalk was the road to Dublin; I was wrong, but not about the titles.
Circle of Origin – Watching The Walls
Metal owes a lot to Yorkshire. Sheffield gave us NWOBHM titans Def Leppard, whereas the denizens of doom metal, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, hail from Halifax and Bradford respectively.
Alternative metallers Circle of Origin, who have only been around since 2024, are now vying for inclusion on that roll of honour.
Judging by this track from their Gallows EP, they might well be worthy of the accolade.
I mentioned Rachel Bolan earlier. Well, it sounds at first like they’re launching into Skid Row‘s Youth Gone Wild, but actually the song weaves elements of 90s alternative acts like Stone Temple Pilots and The Rollins Band into an overtly metal tapestry, complete with a banging solo.
The EP is due to be released independently on June 12th, and could be the origin of something special indeed. If nothing else, it puts Doncaster firmly on the metal map alongside other Yorkshire cities and towns. Prior to this lot, the city’s most significant contribution to heavy music was Yungblud.
Day 40 – Lunar Enigma
I’m curious about the name. I carried out a Google search in perfunctory fashion but found no answers. I suspect it refers to something sinister, but a band name with numbers in it always smacks of pop-punk to me, like Sum 41 or Blink 182.
It’s a curious choice of name for a bunch of British thrashers if it doesn’t reference something scary.
Odd name or not, the Londoners have been laying down some quality thrash metal since their debut EP Circles back in 2013.
This absolute face-melter of a track is taken from their second full-length effort Phenomenon. The album is due to be released independently on June 12th, and comes 12 long years after their full-length debut Only The Stones Remain.
For more top-notch thrash this week, check out the new releases by Atomic Terror, Confused Mind and Cornucopia to name but three.
Fleshcrawl – Embers of Wrath
I said we’d be looking at the legends of tomorrow, but here we have a band that have been in operation since 1991, so it seems a bit disrespectful not to acknowledge them as legends in their own right.
They have ten full-length albums under their belts, the latest of which, Epitome of Carnage, is due to be released on June 12th via Reigning Phoenix Music.
Embers of Wrath was the second single from the album, and it’s a masterclass in brutal Bavarian death metal, with vocals from Borisz Sarafutgyinov that seem to be emanating from the bowels of Hell.
Verily, they are legends of German extreme metal, and their latest album does exactly what it says on the tin. It truly is the epitome of carnage.
Heavenwood – The Moon
I would have suggested that this Portuguese gothic metal band was following in the footsteps of the mighty Moonspell, but they’ve been around for roughly the same amount of time, having been making music for over thirty years.
It’s once in a blue moon that we get new material from them, however. The Tarot of The Bohemians, Part II, their sixth full-length album, comes a full decade after The Tarot of The Bohemians, its immediate predecessor.
It sounds like it’s been worth the wait, however, as The Moon gives us everything you might want from the subgenre: bass-baritone vocals over chugging riffs, augmented by ethereal female tones and a palpable feeling of dark, brooding sensuality throughout.
The album will be available from June 12th via Mighty Music. Make the most of it, as it might be a while until we get a seventh album.
Hecate – Hymne au Clair de Lune
These purveyors of black metal from La Belle France are not to be confused with British black metallers Hecate Enthroned, whose recent album, The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried, was reviewed by the lovely Lucien Drake on May 27th. (Spoiler alert: Lucien liked it!)
This cultured quintet from Tours, Centre-Vai de Loire are about to release their fourth full-length album independently on June 12th, titled Comment Est La Nuit? I believe the English translation is “How is The Night?”
This track, the title of which translates poetically into English as “Hymn to The Moonlight”, is eight minutes of beauty and brutality in equal measure, like the French Revolution in musical form.
I guess that was done literally in the form of Les Misérables but let’s not concern ourselves with that now.
Khemmis – Invocation of The Dreamer
Denver doomsters Khemmis complete our list this week with this absolute barnstormer of a song from their self-titled fifth full-length album, which is due to be released on June 12th via Nuclear Blast Records.
Billed as doom metal, this track is also furnished with flourishes of black metal, death metal and a smattering of traditional metal for good measure.
There’s some frankly gorgeous vocal harmonies on display here, as well as the occasional blood-curdling scream. It’s sterling stuff from the Colorado quartet, with riffs bigger than the Rocky Mountains.
It’s also not the only doom metal album released this week that we’d like to direct you towards. There’s also State of Invocation by British band Desdemona, and Arcane Desert Rituals by Italy’s King Potenaz.
There’s so many great new releases, and there’ll be many more next week, so please join us in seven for another seven.
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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:
BlackMarket – Radical Views EP Review
Impure Wilhelmina – Le Sanglot Review Melancholy & Post Hardcore Beauty
The Outfit by Opensight Review: Progressive Rock With Cinematic Flair
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