Written By Kevin McSweeney
Welcome to Seven Deadly Songs, Metal Lair’s weekly feature in which we take stock of the tracks that rock. This week, we’re looking at seven of the best albums to be released between the 23rd and the 29th of June, and the songs that have us most excited for them. We have some outstanding music to share with you from promising young artists and returning legends alike. We hope you enjoy listening to them as much as we enjoyed selecting them. So, without any further faffing, let’s rock!
Aceves – Hail Mary
This week’s list opens up with a solo project by Mark Aceves, bass player of the San José stoner band Zed. He makes the cut primarily because the name of the album is Magnum Dopus, which is my favourite title of 2025! Fortunately, the music is excellent too, as evidenced by Hail Mary, on which he serves up some groovy, bluesy, stoner madness that would surely please any Queens of The Stone Age fan. The album is available from June 27th, courtesy of I: And: I. The sound is described on Bandcamp as: “…raw punk heart, stoner rock soul, and unapologetic rock and roll. Beautifully flawed. Loud as Hell.” We’d be absolute dopes to disagree.
Blood Vulture – A Dream About Starving to Death
The next entry on our list features vocals that are immediately recognisable for me, as they will be for anyone familiar with this gentleman’s social media output. The Blood Vulture project is the brainchild of Jordan Olds, aka Gwarsenio Hall of Two Minutes to Late Night, and he has produced a work of gothic/sludge metal magnificence on this track from the forthcoming debut album, Die Close, which is to be released on June 27th via Pure Noise. Imagine the mournful majesty of Type O Negative adorned with the dulcet but doleful vocal harmonies of Alice in Chains, undermined somewhat with the darkly ironic humour of the former, and you’re there or thereabouts. A Dream About Starving to Death has left me ravenous for the rest of the album.
Creeping Fear – Torture Wheel
Third on our list is some crushingly heavy French death metal, courtesy of Creeping Fear, who will release their third full-length album, Realm of The Impaled, on June 27th, courtesy of Dolorem Records. Torture Wheel is more potent than the aroma of Munster D’Alsace, sounding a little like mid-90s Napalm Death, and featuring a vocal performance that sounds uncannily like Jim Carrey’s impersonation of Barney Greenway. (Check it out on YouTube if you haven’t seen it. Seriously, Jim Carrey could actually front an extreme metal band if he were so inclined.) The accompanying video is highly unnerving as well! This is not one for the faint-hearted, not unlike the aforementioned fromage.
Deadguy – Knife Sharpener
Next, we witness the return of a truly legendary outfit in the form of New Brunswick’s Deadguy. They originally formed in 1994, and burned brightly but briefly, then disbanded in 1997. Their 1995 album, Fixation on a Co-Worker, is considered a seminal work in the history of the mathcore subgenre, and they have been hailed as an inspiration by such luminaries as The Dillinger Escape Plan. Now they are back with their second full-length studio album, a mere thirty years after the first. The album, Near-Death Travel Services, is available from June 27th, courtesy of Relapse Records. Knife Sharpener is a short and seething introduction to the new material, with a sound verging on post-hardcore. It’s a little bit like early Glassjaw, only minus the problematic lyrics. Just don’t leave it another thirty years before we get the third album, guys!
King Witch – Swarming Flies
According to the information on their Bandcamp page, King Witch was: “…formed in early 2015 in a dark cavern beneath the streets of old Edinburgh,” and offer: “…a lead-heavy brew of old school Doom Metal and the meatiest of 70’s classic rock.” And you know what? No lies were told. Well, apart from the bit about the dark cavern beneath the streets of old Edinburgh perhaps. The Scottish band’s latest album, III,which surprisingly happens to be their third full-length album, is available from June 27th, courtesy of Listenable Records. This classic-sounding track is packed to the gunwales with sublime Sabbathy riffs – they actually released an EP in 2021 called Worship the Riffs! – underpinned by a solid performance by the rhythm section, and graced by the sublime, soaring vocals of Laura Donnelly. Swarm to this band, and be bewitched by them!
Perpetual Paradox – Backbone of Existence
London-based metalcore quintet Perpetual Paradox unleash their ferocious debut album, Deathwish, independently on June 27th, and it’s very much towards the heavier end of their chosen subgenre, judging by Backbone of Existence, which is highly reminiscent of Alive or Just Breathing-era Killswitch Engage. No quips and quibbles quaint here, just metalcore at its harshest, with a sound, according to their Bandcamp page, consisting of: “Blistering riffs, earth-shattering drums, lightning leads, booming bass and screams that’ll have your neighbour calling the police (or an exorcist.)” A paradox, a paradox, a most incendiary Perpetual Paradox.
Tiffany Kills – Star Rider
I’ve started to make a bit of a habit of closing these lists with something melodic, possibly as a palette cleanser after all the preceding heaviness. This week is no exception, as we turn to the Netherlands for a bit of good old-fashioned hair metal, courtesy of Tiffany Kills, who will release their debut album, World on Fire, on June 27th via Metalopolis Records. Featuring the golden vocals of Praying Mantis frontman John “Jaycee” Cuijpers, this is classic melodic hard rock that will take you all the way back to the 1980s, making a weary old soul like me feel young again. Possibly there’s some substances widely available on the streets of Amsterdam that will have a similar effect, but music is a much healthier option.