Written By Kevin McSweeney
Seven Deadly Songs: The Best New Metal Tracks This Week (March 20,2026)
Welcome to Seven Deadly Songs, Metal Lair’s weekly feature in which we draw attention to some of the week’s best new releases in the world of rock and metal, and highlight the songs that have us excited for them.
We prefer to concentrate on artists who don’t yet have the level of exposure they deserve, but firstly, we look at the legends.
This week sees the return of OG thrash titans Exodus, the band whose debut album Bonded by Blood is rightly regarded as a classic of the genre, and whose ranks have been graced by Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Gary Holt, who is also known for his work with Slayer. They are back with their 13th full-length album, Goliath.
We also have the return of 1980s hard rock masters Tyketto. Their sixth full-length album, Closer To The Sun, and Miami metalcore machine Poison The Well, with their new album Peace in Place via SharpTone on March 20th.
No news of any legend this week, however, could be more significant than that of the passing of Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell.
A member of the band for over three decades, he helped keep the legacy alive following the departure of “Fast” Eddie Clarke. Now he joins Lemmy, Clarke, Philthy Taylor and Würzel at that great gig in the sky.
This week’s Seven Deadly Songs is dedicated to him and his immense contribution to the music we love. Rest in peace, Phil.
Seven Deadly Songs: Chalice of Suffering – Fading Memories
It’s possibly the loss of Phil Campbell that has inspired me to turn towards funereal doom metal for our opening selection this week.
Something about those plaintive strains and slow, sombre, stately refrains seemed entirely appropriate for the occasion.
The mournful men from Minneapolis, Minnesota are due to commit their third full-length album to the Earth on March 20th. Titled The Raven Cries One Last Time, it will be available courtesy of My Kingdom Music.
I think the bagpipes also compelled me to include this track. Ably performed by Kevin Murphy, it’s a sound that can’t help but stir my Celtic blood – especially at this time of year.
As well as his excellent piping, Mr Murphy provides vocals “as Gaeilge”, or in the Irish language. You can always count on a Kevin!
Seven Deadly Songs: Fear Not – The Blind Leading The Blind
This is glorious stuff! The visceral chug! The anthemic chorus! The gruff but soulful vocals!
It’s all here on the title track of the forthcoming EP from LA hard rock/heavy metal veterans Fear Not, whose musical lineage stretches back to 1987, from their origins in the hair metal scene as Reaction, and later as Love Life, through to the current day, with a harder-edged, Southern-tinged sound.
The EP will be available from Roxx Records as of March 20th, and it’s a prescient release.
The Blind Leading The Blind warns us of the dangers of political and religious extremism, and articulates the struggle to find something meaningful in a world of superficiality and lies: an important message in these unsettling times.
Seven Deadly Songs: Following The Signs – Evolve
This is of course the week of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations, so it’s only fitting that I include a notable new release coming out of Ireland.
Cork’s Following The Signs treat us to their particular brand of Munster metalcore here on Evolve, which is the title track of their forthcoming EP, due to be released independently on March 20th. I’m slightly disappointed they didn’t release it on the 17th.
Also coming out of Ireland this week, we have Belfast deathcore band Nihilanth, with their Detritus of Ruin EP, featuring the single Ruin, with its guest appearance from Patrick Scanlon of If It Bleeds.
If you’re thinking that’s a sneaky way to include an eighth deadly song, you’d be absolutely right. Call it the pluck of the Irish.
Seven Deadly Songs: Skull Altar – War Crimes (Disclosure Act)
You really can’t go far wrong with metal from Finland. That nippy little Nordic country always punches well above its weight when it comes to the quality of its musical output.
You certainly wouldn’t go far wrong with Diabolical, the independently-released debut full-length album from Kuopio-based thrashers Skull Altar, which will be available from March 20th.
War Crimes (Disclosure Act) – now there’s a Rust in Peace-era Megadeth song title! – is a barrage of dissonant lead, syncopated china crashes and a vocal style more akin to death metal.
Their lyrical content is concerned with the horrors visited upon us by armed conflict.
Other songs on the album have titles like March For Destruction and Broken by Religion. It’s every bit as political as it is crushingly heavy.
Seven Deadly Songs: Stonus – Space To Dive
My first thought upon hearing Space to Dive was: “If Tool were a stoner band, this is what they would sound like.” My second thought was: “Your first thoughts are usually nonsense, Kevin.”
There is a distinct similarity to Schism by Maynard and his fellow maverick musical icons, however – not least with the jarring time signature.
The heavy/psych/stoner rock crew from Cyprus are due to release their second full-length album, also called Space to Dive, via Ripple Music on March 20th.
Their website highlights their: “raw, high-energy live show” and also their: “strong DIY ethic.” We would be equally keen to draw attention to the quality of their recorded output. Are they the first Cypriots we’ve covered? I doubt they’ll be the last.
Seven Deadly Songs: Via Doloris – For The Glory
Season of Mist really don’t do duds, do they? In fact, that estimable label gave us Metal Lair’s top-rated album of 2025, Cryptopsy’s An Insatiable Violence, as well as the sole album of last year that I personally ranked even more highly: The Regeneration Itinerary by …And Oceans – my only full-mark review of the previous 12 months!
Well, it seems they’re doing it again, judging by this track from Guerre et Paix, the debut full-length album from Norwegian black metal band Via Doloris, which features former Satyricon guitarist Gildas Le Pape.
The album, which is due to be released on March 20th: “…draws from the towering legacy of Nordic metal,” according to the press release, “…while forging a distinct path.
At its core lies a commitment to detailed guitar work, high-level musicianship, and the art of songcraft.” Take another bow, Season of Mist!
Seven Deadly Songs: Warsenal – Feeding The Wildfire
The best possible way to round off this week’s list is with a band that wears the influence of Motörhead on its sleeve.
Quebec trio Warsenal make a huge noise for just three guys, much like the aforementioned British legends. The speed metal sound on display here is based on dizzyingly fast but bluesy riffs that could have come from the fretboard of Campbell himself.
The cacophonous Canadians are due to release Endless Beginnings… their third full-length album on March 20th via Massacre Records, and it sounds like they’ve got a real ace of spades up their sleeve with this one.
And with that terrible joke, we’ll wrap things up. Thank you to Phil Campbell for all the great music, and to the bands featured here, this and every week, for bearing the torch, now and into the future.
Artwork for Metal Lair’s Seven Deadly Songs, where riffs fall like judgment.
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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 – 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:
Night Thieves: Metaxis Album Review
Matador – Above, Below And So Album Review
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