Written By Kevin McSweeney
It’s a warm and sunny welcome to Seven Deadly Songs from your cold and soggy scribe from a part of the world where it seems as if it’s going to rain from now until the last syllable of recorded time.
Please excuse me as I plagiarise Macbeth, and indulge me as I cheer myself up in the only way I know how, by recommending seven excellent pieces of music to you, and trying not to put you off them with my inane utterances.
These tremendous tracks are from albums and EPs released between the 1st and the 7th of December, and they are all deserving of your attention. So, let’s run through them, just as soon as I’ve towelled myself down and put on some dry clothes.
Booby Trap – Um Dia de Cada Vez
Um dia de cada vez, sweet Jesus! That’s all I’m asking of you to check out. Well, that and six other songs this week. (I ran it through Google Translate. It means “one day at a time in Portuguese, apparently.)
Don’t be fooled by the lovely piano tinkling and classical guitar arpeggios at the beginning. It gets heavy! It turns into old-school thrash metal with a distinct Iberian flavour.
Bay Area by way of The Algarve! The song is taken from their seventh full-length album, the bizarrely titled L(I)mbo, which was released on December 1st via the even more bizarrely named Firecum Records.
Beavis and Butthead would love it, partly because of the innuendo in both band and label name, but also because they’d get a good headbang out of it.
Ghoulhouse – Rotten Rancid Remains
Now that’s a fantastic bit of alliteration! In fact, it’s almost Shakespearian, very much along the lines of “Full fathom five thy father lies.”
This canonical verse comes courtesy – I’m at it now! – of Ghoulhouse, a Swedish death metal trio whose songs are about horror, zombies and gore, and whose drummer goes by the name of Mr Meatbeater.
Because he eats meat and beats the drums, right? Their third full-length album, Realm of Ghouls, will be released on December 5th via Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, naturally, and it contains such other delightfully-titled ditties as Pit of Maggots, Devoured by Famined Pigs and the similarly alliterative Fetid Flesh Fairytale, which will make a nice alternative to Fairytale of New York this Christmas, I am sure. Don’t let it put you off your turkey dinner.
Decimator – Downfallen
Regardez la guillotine! This is a gleefully gory account of the events of the French Revolution by the Australian thrash/heavy metal band Decimator, which borrows liberally, fraternally and equally from La Marseillaise – including using the opening bars of the French anthem as the song’s intro, like The Beatles classic All You Need is Love.
Downfallen is the title track from their forthcoming EP, which is due to be released on December 5th via Wormholedeath.
I love the harmonised Maiden/Priest style riffs and the subtle shifts of time signature throughout. Also, the highly entertaining animated video reminds me a little of the similarly gory video that accompanied Pearl Jam’s Do The Evolution. Do The Revolution, anyone? Suit yourselves.
Enthroned – Ashspawn
The Belgian black metal legends are back with what is, remarkably, the 12th full-length release of their storied 30-year career.
Ashspawn is due to be released on December 5th via the ever-reliable Season of Mist label, and the title track makes it perfectly clear that they haven’t lost a single yard of pace three decades on (I say this in full acknowledgement of the fact that there are no original members left in the band, and that they’ve been through more male members than Bonnie Blue.)
Once again, they display a level of technical prowess that will have you scratching your head at how music of such speed, intensity and intricacy could be performed by mortal hands and throats. In other words, it’s a tremendous return to form for this European musical institution.
Hollow Peak – Attack
This tuneful track from Norwegian melodic heavy metal/hard rockers Hollow Peak will serve as something of a palette cleanser on what is otherwise a notably heavy week.
The female-fronted band are due to release their debut album Obsidian Cult on December 5th via Massacre Records, and Attack forms a fine vanguard for the forthcoming opus, with the strong clean vocals of Raghild Westgaard being a particularly potent weapon in their arsenal.
There’s something almost gothic about that chorus, very much like something you’d have heard from Paradise Lost during their more melodic moments.
Metal Shock Finland described them as: “…one of Norway’s most promising melodic metal acts: uniting emotion, atmosphere, and power in a striking first statement.” That’s surely enough to “peak” your interest.
Jester Majesty – When Numbers Speak
Is this Devin Townsend? It is! This is Devin Townsend! Come on now, Devin! You’re fooling nobody by pretending to be a progressive thrash/death metal duo from Italy.
It certainly bears a resemblance to the special brand of madness of the Canadian genius.
It has the intensity of Strapping Young Lad and the nuance and idiosyncratic intricacies of the Devin Townsend Project. Their debut album, Infinite Measure, Finite Existence, is available from December 4th, courtesy of the consistently excellent Xtreem Music.
When Numbers Speak, a title that belies the intensity of the track, was the second single from the album, and we hope the rest of it is just as brilliantly bonkers.
Sepulchral – Abandoned Feretrum
We complete this week’s list with exciting news, folks! Brazilian legends Sepultura are about to release their forthcoming album Beneath The Remains on… April 7th 1989?
Hang on a minute! This is a Spanish death metal band called Sepulchral who are about to release Beneath The Shroud, their second full-length album via Soulseller Records on December 5th.
Whether it’s designed to cause a double-take, I don’t know, but fortunately, the music is good enough for us not to care.
It’s a primitive-sounding emulation of nascent death metal with rudimentary rhythms, straightforward, iron-clad riffing and vocals straight out of the old school.
Oh, and feretrum is the Latin word for coffin, apparently. I honestly read the title at first as Abandoned Ferret. That’s a different song altogether. Anyway, join us next week for a different list altogether. Toodles for now!
Missed last week’s Seven Deadly Songs? You can find it right here
FAQ: Seven Deadly Songs December 1-7, 2025
Q: What is Seven Deadly Songs?
A: Seven Deadly Songs is Metal Lair’s weekly roundup of the heaviest new releases across the metal spectrum from black and death to doom, thrash, and speed metal. 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 Metals Hidden Gems for rare, overlooked tracks or unreleased demos.
World Metal Weekly, your passport for metal around the world.
Metalhead Horoscopes shows you what the stars have in store, translated into metalhead language and paired with a lucky song of the week.
A Rip in Time: Women in Metal, A series celebrating the voices, pioneers, and rule-breakers reshaping heavy music’s DNA.