Written By Kevin McSweeney
Welcome To Seven Deadly Songs For The Week of December 25th – 31st 2025
Very happy birthday to Jesus! Some might claim that The Devil has the better tunes, but I’ve looked into the albums and EPs due to be released during Christmas week, and that might not actually be the case, you know.
Having said that, there’s a lot of black metal, and I do mean a lot – much of which is possibly Satanic. Could you not have given him a break for one week, lads?
It’s his birthday, for Heaven’s sake! Of course, there’s more to get excited about besides the stuff we’ve covered, such as the return of Italian doom metal veterans Abysmal Grief with their new album Taetra Philosophia, which is released on Christmas Day, presumably much to the chagrin of The Vatican. Anyway, on with the deadly sinfulness! And may the birthday boy forgive us!
Bestial Goat Desecrator – Endless Desceration
We’re opening our account this week with a late contender for the best title of the year, as the Mexican/El Salvadorean duo, who are also in strong contention for best band name ever, release the Genocidal Worship to The Unholy Wargoat EP via Rex Diaboli Death Syndicate on Christmas Eve.
And, frankly, what better way to commemorate the birth of our lord and saviour than with a bit of endless desecration? (Insert satirical comment about religious extremism here.)
We have some proper old-school black metal on this occasion, with tremolo picking and blast beats in plentiful supply.
This is despite them being far removed from the icy fjords of Scandinavia in balmy Central America.
They released a single from this EP as long ago as 2021, so they’re not quite as prolific as some black metal acts we’ll encounter. More on that later!
Black Mold – Cramped on Nothing
And we’re straight into some more black metal on our second selection, albeit with a distinct punk edge, as enigmatic Iberian artists Black Mold release the Antinomy EP via Helldprod Records on Christmas Day.
(You can do things like that in the era of streaming sites. You’d have had a struggle to rush to the shops on December 25th in previous decades!)
Sounding as if The Stranglers had forsaken golden brown for brutal black, this is 1 minute and 57 seconds of primal Portuguese intensity, backed by some soothing organ sounds to take the edge off the brutality.
The song commences with a brief drum intro, and I’ve mentioned before how much I love those! There’s another one later. This is the season of self indulgence, is it not?
Consanguine – Secret Under Reflected Moon
Just for a change, I thought we’d move away from the black metal and instead savour some… progressive black metal.
Watertown’s Consanguine are due to release their new EP independently on the date known as Boxing Day in the UK (December 26th for everyone else).
The EP is called Worlds Hidden Behind Vision; Rituals Hidden Behind Dream, and if there were ever a proggy title with a slightly sinister black metal edge, then that’s surely it.
There are some riffs in Secret Under Reflected Moon that verge on the hardcore punk/crossover thrash of their native New York – how’s that for consanguineous music?
Though the blast beats and banshee shrieks are much more in keeping with the traditions of this most European of extreme subgenres.
Oh, and we have the other drum intro that I mentioned in the previous paragraph. My love for those is certainly no secret.
Gormoth – Winterfall I
And after all, you’re my Winterfall! (That joke didn’t really work, and Liam Gallagher hates metal, so fuck Oasis!)
Gormoth is an atmospheric black metal/ambient solo project by a Hungarian multi-instrumentalist called Dave.
Since 2022, Dave has released more music than a small record company’s entire roster. (This is how it’s done, Bestial Goat Desecrator!)
Winterfall is his fourth full-length album in 2025 alone. At this rate, he’ll be nipping off to record new songs between mouthfuls of Christmas dinner. Take at least one day off, Dave!
This is the opener of the four-track album, consisting of Winterfall I, II, III and IV, which will be released independently on Christmas Eve.
My main reason for covering it is because the album cover looks like a Christmas card. I jest!
It’s because it’s an excellent bit of black metal, with its ominous arpeggios and what I can only describe as implied vocals, but tell me that cover doesn’t look like a Christmas card!
Green Eyes of Darkness – Die Before The Rise
At the fifth time of asking, we finally present something that isn’t black metal! I absolutely love this!
The macabre early ‘90s doom vibe, the Toccata in D Minor-style organ, the ominous bass-baritone vocals: it’s all so much more suited to Halloween than the Christmas period.
Having said that, one of the most famous Christmas stories of all involves a parsimonious old curmudgeon being tormented by four ghosts, so why not?
Like a certain iconic vampire, they hail from Romania, and their sound is defined as “symphonic, progressive, gothic doom metal”, according to the blurb on their Bandcamp page, where the band is also described as: “…an open lineup project, that thrives on collaboration with talented artists from diverse backgrounds.”
What manner of wanton debauchery is this? Their debut album, Fire Waves, is out on December 22nd via Loud Rage Music. Don’t it make your green eyes dark?
Noirsuaire – The Dragging Poison
The Feast of Stephen sees the release of some thoroughly scary and possibly Satanic black metal – yes, more black metal! – from a band whose name refers to a black cloth for wrapping up the dead like a big decomposing burrito.
The Dragging Poison is the title track from the French duo’s debut full-length album, which is to be released via Osmos Productions.
The cover art is scary, with its skeletal demonic/vampiric central figure. The video is spooky, with its footage of bats and clips of old horror movies, and the vocalist sounds like Smeagol from Lord of The Rings.
What more could you want from old-school black metal? You have the blast beats and the tremolo picking, and Gollum on the mic. And bizarrely, some bits where they turn to the major key, which are the most unsettling moments of all.
Sadael – Absolute Silence
As it transpires, Absolute Silence is fairly fucking loud! Who’d have thought?
We wrap up business this week, like a corpse in the aforementioned cloth, with some Austrian funeral doom/death metal courtesy of Sadael, who have released a lot of music over the course of their 21-year career.
Absolute Silence seems serene if not silent at first, with its gentle synth intro, but this soon gives way to sheer brutality, with a twin harsh vocal attack – beast and the beast vocals, if you will.
The counterintuitively-titled track is taken from Paralytic Thrall, which is, remarkably, their 21st full-length album. This incredible landmark is brought to us via Satanath Records on December 28th, and what a fine way to sign off on an outstanding year of metal it will surely be.
Have a very moshing Christmas and a heavy new year, and we’ll see you in early January for seven more deadly songs.
Missed last week’s Seven Deadly Songs? You can find it right here
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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.