Written By Kevin McSweeney
It’s a warm welcome both to Seven Deadly Songs and to 2026 as we bid farewell to the old year and greet the new with seven songs that are always great, no matter the date.
This week we’re bringing to your attention some of the best new releases of the first few days of the year, and we’re not sleeping on the tail end of 2025 either, as we say goodbye to what was a glorious year for metal. Here’s hoping for an even better year in 2026! Now, on with the selections!
1986 – Black Mirror
Speaking of great years for our genre, 1986 was hugely important in the history of metal. It was a genre-defining year in thrash, with landmark albums from Metallica (Master of Puppets), Megedeth (Peace Sells) and Slayer (Reign in Blood).
It also saw Iron Maiden drop the fourth installment of the best five-album run in music history (imho) in the form of the sublime Somewhere in Time.
I don’t know if these sludge metal/hardcore punk-peddling Mancunians are named in honour of that year’s tremendous significance, but that’s going to be my assumption. I also have no idea if this track is influenced by Charlie Brooker’s dystopian televisual spectacle of the same name, but it’s every bit as dark.
It’s taken from their debut full-length album Carniveil, which is due to be released independently on January 2nd, and it commences the week, and the year, with a distinctly British bang, not unlike the firework display on the Thames on New Year’s Eve.
Arcane Frost – Swarming Rats
I don’t feel entirely comfortable with this song’s title. You see, I have family on the Isle of Man, where it’s considered taboo to mention those creatures by name – they’re seafaring people on the island for obvious reasons – and so the rodents in question are referred to typically as longtails.
I don’t suppose the Germans care much about a tiny island in the Irish Sea, nor my personal proclivities, and wouldn’t it be a strange world if they did?
Instead, they are concerned primarily with creating old-school black metal of the finest quality and thus are to put forth Night’s Cavalry, their debut full-length album, upon us on January 3rd, courtesy of the exquisitely-named Bleeding Heart Nihilist Productions.
This particular track has all the trappings of traditional black metal, but alternating with slow and sombre passages more akin to 1990s doom metal.
It’s compelling stuff from the Teutonic trio, who will have plenty of frost, arcane or otherwise, to contend with at this time of year.
Bozopogostickstomp – Show Me Tariffs
Now, this is fun! And I’m not just referring to the name of this comical but topical grindcore outfit from Australia.
The track, lasting just 1 minute and 44 seconds, is taken from Getting Cancelled For Dummies, which is their fourth full-length album, the first of which was released as recently as 2023.
Their previous album – Did You Assume My Genre? – was released in May of last year, so they’re as prolific as they are politically incorrect.
This time, they’re turning their ire towards a certain prominent American political figure on the album, which is due to be released independently on January 2nd.
There are similarities between them and the hugely controversial grindcore pioneers Anal Cunt, though they are much less puerile.
Comparisons may also be made with British bands such as the rowdy Pintglass or the viral YouTube/TikTok phenomenon that is Raised by Owls. Their name, however, is purely Australian!
Enemy Awake – My Hell is Yours
Enemy Awake is a solo project by Swedish vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ivan Castro.
The Stockholm-based artist released the Rotten Soul EP independently on December 31st. This is the project’s first collection of songs to be released since 2021’s Fallen World album.
My Hell is Yours, the first single taken from the EP, starts with a blood-curdling scream, very much like Biohazard’s Tales From The Hardside.
It then proceeds in stately and funereal fashion for its duration. Billed as melodic death/thrash metal, this song is more like doom metal, with little discernible trace of melody, and vocals that verge on black metal.
Let’s not split hairs, though. This is top-notch extreme metal from a country with a laudable track record for producing music of that ilk.
Feed Them Broken Teeth – Damnatio Memoriae
Next up, we have another solo project by a remarkably talented vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, this time in the form of Louisiana-based renaissance man Michael Baer, who is about to release his second full-length album under the Poison of The Masses moniker on January 2nd.
The independently released Poison of The Masses will arrive just ten months after the debut album, On The Disfiguration of Man, and will offer up 13 servings of death metal, black metal and grindcore for your delectation, of which Damnatio Memoriae is the last.
From the sludgy opening riff over marching snare beat, through blast beats and vocals seemingly emanating from the bowels of Hell, to the storm-battered breakdown at the end, it’s an unrelentingly heavy experience. My only complaint would be the snare sound, which is a bit too close to St Anger for comfort.
Kiljin – Disjointed
We have a second consecutive offering from America courtesy of Alma, Michigan’s traditional metal torch bearers Kiljin, whose fifth full-length album Far Too Gone is released independently on New Year’s Day.
Disjointed actually goes in something of a groove metal direction, with its punchy riffing mirrored by the kick drums and bluesy edge to its lead guitar.
The spoken intro is taken from George A. Romero‘s iconic zombie film, Dawn of the Dead (1978) and it certainly adds to the atmosphere.
The band’s website describes them as: “…a heavy metal powerhouse known for their explosive sound, electrifying energy, and unapologetic attitude.
Blending old-school metal roots with modern aggression, Kiljin delivers a sonic punch that hits hard, loud, and without compromise.”
Wildhunt – The Holy Pale
We conclude the first list of 2026 by heartening back to the aforementioned sounds of 1986, as we revisit the halcyon days of thrash metal forty years on in the company of Austria’s Wildhunt.
The Vienna-based band are due to release Aletheia, their second full-length album on January 2nd via Jawbreaker Records.
The Holy Pale is a lengthy number, clocking in at just under seven minutes, but it’s a multifaceted composition that holds your attention throughout its duration.
In that regard, it’s not unlike Megadeth’s similarly titled Holy Wars… The Punishment Due, from their 1990 magnum opus Rust in Peace, with its variations in pace and superb fretwork throughout.
Wolfgang Elwitscher’s vocals are quite a bit stronger than Dave Mustaine’s, it does have to be noted.
Right! That’s the first one of the year done. See you next week for another seven from south of heaven! Happy New Year!
Missed last week’s Seven Deadly Songs? You can find it right here
Seven Deadly Songs is A Metal Lair™ Original Series
FAQ: Seven Deadly Songs January 2nd – January 8th 2026
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.
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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. Proclamations, decrees, cultural edicts, and metal lore 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.
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.