Written By Kevin McSweeney
Welcome to Seven Deadly Songs, Metal Lair’s weekly feature in which we bring to your attention the new music that’s too good not to mention.
Here we are in the third week of January and things are hotting up in terms of new releases, though sadly the same can’t be said for the weather where I am.
With regard to returning legends, we have the veteran Norwegian hard rockers Gluecifer with their new album Same Drug, New High.
We are graced also with the return of German thrash royalty in the form of the mighty Kreator. Their new album, Krushers of The World, gives me a second opportunity in as many weeks to remind the world of Krusher Joule, which pleases me greatly! He’s the former art director of Kerrang magazine, the designer of the sleeves of numerous iconic metal albums and all-round legendary figure in the UK metal scene of the late 20th Century.
If you remember him, you must be extremely old, like me. He would surely approve of what we have to offer here. Rock hard! Rock heavy! Rock elderly!
Edenbridge – Cosmic Embrace
Our opening selection is the first of two pieces of power metal on this week’s list, and I’m not even remotely sorry. Yes, it’s melodic and palatable enough to be the Austrian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, but I don’t care.
Edenbridge have been serving up their symphonic splendour for a quarter of a century now, and some respect ought to be put on their name, hence their inclusion.
Cosmic Embrace is taken from Set The Dark on Fire, their 12th full-length album, which is due to be released on January 16th via Steamhammer.
It’s gorgeous, grandiose and gloriously over-the-top, and perfectly showcases the impressive contralto (I think!) voice of Sabine Edelsbacher, which is a name that makes me want to launch into a certain song from The Sound of Music. If you know, you know.
Mariana’s Rest – Diamonds in The Rough
I can’t decide whether this band’s name sounds more like a pub or a euphemism for an intimate body part (or deviant sexual practice involving said intimate body part.)
What they actually are is a melodic doom/death metal phenomenon from fabulous Finland.
On this showing, they display distinct gothic overtones, with the plaintive prevailing riff evoking Paradise Lost at their most elegiac.
The vocals for the most part are pure extremity, however, and the spoken word outro will have the hairs standing up on your neck.
Diamonds in the Rough is taken from their fifth full-length album The Bereaved, which is available from January 16th courtesy of Noble Demon. Don’t sleep on Mariana’s Rest.
Niemaracz – Tale of The Misunderstanding
This song title has brought to mind the intro to Roald Dahl’s Tales of The Unexpected, with its images of scantily-clad women dancing in silhouette amid flames. That’s actually quite metal, to be fair.
Niemaracz – I have no idea how to pronounce their name – hail from Kazakhstan, and are purveyors of blackened heavy metal with a stoner twist.
We have blast beats interspersed with Mr Bungle-style silly buggers and a vocal delivery straight out of the Nordic church burning fraternity.
There’s also a bit of something akin to Spinal Tap’s Stonehenge eulogising in there for good measure.
The Masters of The Universe fandom of my youth came to the fore with the discovery that their second full-length album is to be released via Orko Productions.
The magnificently-titled Night Joy Over Morning Hangover will be available from January 16th, and I might well have to have a few scoops to celebrate its release.
Soulbound – sYn
For our next offering, we have a German industrial metal band whose vocalist barks out spoken word verses in a dark, sonorous baritone voice.
I’m going to try very hard not to compare them to a certain other German industrial metal band whose vocalist barks out spoken word verses in a dark, sonorous baritone voice, but we all know I’ll fail.
The chorus of sYn, the title track from their fifth full-length album, took me unawares with how melodic and upbeat it is, but there’s plenty of big, meaty German hardness to be getting your teeth into as well.
The album is due to be released on January 16th via Metalville, which is all very good, and there’s no need whatsoever to mention Rammstein. Sorry!
Total Annihilation – The Art of Torture
Who’s in the mood for a bit of thrash? I certainly am, and I’m happy to say that it’s not just the German OGs mentioned in my introduction that have us covered.
Basel-based bludgeoners Total Annihilation like their thrash with a side order of death metal, and that’s fine by me.
The pinpoint precision of the speedy riffing is reminiscent of the work of Dino Cazares with Fear Factory, minus the industrial elements, and the middle section goes a little bit Reigning Blood, and then a little bit Master of Puppets, with clean arpeggios leading to an immense solo.
This is the opening track from their fourth full-length album, which will be available from January 16th via Testimony Records, and is titled Mountains of Madness. If there’s one thing they know a thing or two about in Switzerland, it’s mountains.
Valiant Sentinel – War in Heaven
Do you remember I promised you a second piece of power metal earlier? Well, I don’t blame you for not trusting me. I’m the reason they put the blocks of cheese in cases in the supermarkets these days.
Anyway, our penultimate offering comes all the way from Greece, as Valiant Sentinel release their sophomore full-length effort Neverealm on January 16th, courtesy of Theogonia Records.
The Athenians are described by their label as having: “…carved a place in the power metal scene with their epic storytelling, thunderous riffs, and soaring melodies.”
War in Heaven adds considerable ballast to those claims with its exhilarating pace and electrifying energy. This is power metal as if it were handed down to us from Mount Olympus.
Viserion – Fire and Blood
Here we are at the last slot to be allocated and, outrageously, we’ve yet to have any black metal. Well, let’s put that right by turning to the east coast of America, which is not where I’d normally be looking for black metal.
Viserion are about to drop the Fire and Blood EP, which is not to be confused with Blood and Fire by their fellow dark and despondent New Yorkers Type O Negative.
The title track sets the tone perfectly for the forthcoming EP, which is to be released independently on January 16th.
It switches from tremolo picking to much more rudimentary riffing for the chorus section, a style much more in keeping with the hardcore punk of their native New York.
It’s also fairly short, in true punk style, and in contrast to the more ponderous passages of music that you might associate with black metal these days.
I can’t help but wonder if the second track on the release is a tribute to NYC grappler Eddie Kingston. I’m looking forward to finding out. All hail the black metal kings from Queens! Anyway, see you next week!
Missed last week’s Seven Deadly Songs? You can find it right here
Seven Deadly Songs is A Metal Lair™ Original Series
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.
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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.