Profanatica - Profanatitas de Domonatia (2007)

   Profanatica counts as a genuine band on the field of black/death metal, because they couldn't be sorted to any of the main directions of the style.
   Their music is far from the ordinary more melodic and audience-friendlier mix of blackened death, and it's also different from the Blasphemy influenced most deviant direction, though it's more similar to that. The band focused on old school influences and simple, primitive musical solutions. It's not too intense or noisy, but also lacks atmosphere. Only pure blasphemies they offer and raw sound. The riffings are more reminding to thrash, and the basic drum style is like at the heavier '90s death metal bands. The main impression is still closer to black metal, even if the main components are telling about other references. Maybe Goatlord and Nunslaughter should be mentioned if it's a must to compare them to some old classics. The first because the concept and the main feeling is very similar, the second because of the themes, and the sound is nearly the same ravaged. "Profanatitas de Domonatia" is recommended for those who seek the essential evil aspect of black/death, achieved by old school influences that are not to cause permanent brain damage yet.

Insect Warfare - World Extermination (2007)

   If there was a competition about who is the most brutal grindcore band, Insect Warfare would take place in the top 5.
   "World Extermination" is the first and last full-lenght album of their short and and occasional active periods. Like most similar bands, they also preferred to show up on split albums and short EPs, and of course "World Extermination" also had EP lenght. But for this insane intensiveness it's good enough. In their music the references to both the classical directions of the genre (Napalm Death/Extreme Noise Terror and Terrorizer/Repulsion) could be actively sensed, but the very heavy and noisy sound is typically a modern feature. The band didn't bother to play longer melodic punk influenced intros like old school bands did, they preferred to strike into the middle, and to focus on the effectiveness of sudden noisy and intense themes. Newer bands payed more attention on the sound and noise gained more important role than before. The album is full of brutality and could be compared to how is it sounds when buildings are demolished. It offers excellent entartainment for grindcore fans.

Divine Eve - Upon These Ashes Scorn the World (2007)

   Divine Eve was formed in the early '90s as one of the rare death/doom bands that time. "Upon These Ashes Scorn the World" was realeased as a compilation album to summerize their early records. 
   Their music was strongly Celtic Frost influenced and most of their slow themes reminds to Asphyx. There is a sharp contrast in the way how they suddenly switched from intense speed to slow heaviness, that was usual at many early death/doom bands. On the side of the undenaiable Celtic Frost references the musical features of the early '90s could be sensed in their very aggressive and noisy sound. The compilation sounds quite raw and it could be sensed that Divine Eve musically wasn't so unified that time. They preferred simple themes, that were not far to turn groovy, interrupted by wild and sudden switches. Probably because of the similar main influences there is some analogy to discover with Obituary's debut "Slowly We Rot" in the way how they composed their songs, and that suspects a spontaneous approach over accurate songwriting. "Upon These Ashes Scorn the World" could be an excellent material for old school death metal nostalgia.

Thou - Tyrant (2007)

   Thou debuted with an interesting album, that counted as outstanding and unique the same time in the style of doom influenced sludge metal.
   Sludge and doom metal are close related, so to mix the two is nothing extraordinary, but Thou stepped through the borders of the genre. The sludge features are responsible for their rather aggressive sound, and there is the indispensable down-pulling, desperate feeling and the extented heaviness too, but somehow the main view is not so demoralizing as it used to be. That's partly becaue their music is somehow more complex than how sludge used to be, and on the side of the long-term noisy suffering they sometimes switched to light, relaxing melodies too. These having some post-metal feeling, that gave a more modern impression to their music and also compensing the down-pulling heaviness by creating a strong contrast. Their doom themes are reminding to Sleep and old Cathedral. The band preferred to experiment a bit instead of repeating the noisy chaos, and this way the album became more colorful, and (unlike at other similar bands) some hidden emotional aspect appearing too occasionly by of the post-metal melodies. Strongly recommended for fans of heaviness.

Cyanotic - Transhuman 2.0 (2007)

   After the spectacular uprise of industrial music by mixed up with metal incluences in the '90s, there was a longer silence until the genre took a piece again from the actual main scene. This return included modern influences of electronic music, that had some refreshing effect on the genre.
    Cyanotic debuted with the EP "Mutual Bonding Through Violation", and it was one of the earliest bands who gave a taste of this new sound. On the side of the traditional industrial metal features drum n bass and EBM influences showed up, and their music refers to bands like Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and 16 Volt. The EP was very stunning, but their aggressive and cold sound materialized with full power on the first full-lenght album "Transhuman", that lately had an extented release ("Transhuman 2.0") with remix songs. It's definitely something far different than what '90s industrial was. Less compatible for both metal or electronic music fans, even though there was stronger focus on the electronic influences. It just wasn't the way how to invite people on the dancefloor. Skinny Puppy 2 decades earlier and industrial metal 1 decade earlier wasn't either, but this was even a way further. This style showed less propensity for compromises too, even if it counted as something very actual and modern in the '00s, and therefore it was able to gather smaller audience too. This was another way of the extreme development of electronic music, but this time with less metal assistance.

Serpent Throne - Ride Satan Ride (2007)

   There were plenty of experiments from in the late '00s to bring back the style of the '70s. Bands formed who played hard rock/heavy metal in the same style like 30 years before. Even though similar bands that time had the largest audience ever, the modern restoration affected much less people than it was expected, and only a few bands gained wide attention, so this direction stayed as some niche music.
   This ambition reminded to the concept of stoner rock in the '90s, and some bands like Serpent Throne were into both, and that wasn't hard to manage since the two styles are strongly related. But the main thing is that the band probably didn't have sleepless nights while they've tried to put together the preferred style features. Their musical concept was very simple, and by simplicity it's also possible to refer to various influences. Their music was strongly Black Sabbath influenced, but it's not surprising since Black Sabbath is inevitable if it's about to play the most old school style of metal. Even the sound of the '70s they've imitated so well, that anyone who never heard about the band, could believe that it's some long forgotten gem from the past. The only thing that may sound weird for the unsuspicious listener is the complete lack of vocals, since Serpent Throne have found instrumental music enough effective to transmit their message. "Ride Satan Ride" is filled with lots of catchy heavy themes that are able to simulate to time travel back 30 years in the past. The album offers excellent nostalgia for the fans of the most ancient style of heavy/doom metal, and could be enjoyable for stoner rock fans and well.

Paths of Possession - The End of the Hour (2007)

   Melodic death metal is somehow a paradox term, and even in practice it might be difficult to pull things together in this style. It's clear that a whole scene was formed for this subgenre in Göteborg Sweden, and after the (unfortunate) style change of Carcass, this scene had main influence in the development of melodic death metal.
   But fortunately a few bands didn't step into the line to play this style the same way, like leaving behind all death metal features except growling vocals, and to play something that hardly could be called as something death metal related. Paths of Possession belongs to those few bands who were able to create something that can fit to that paradox term. They've kept most death metal features and only frequent melodies making their music different from ordinary death metal. Unlike most other bands in this style, the song structures didn't simplified and led only by one catchy melody that determines the whole song. The proportion of heavy riffings stayed fixed on the side of catchy melodies, and theme changes are also common. By keeping this musical complexity the band showed an example how to not collapse into emotional masturbation or to how to not drift "accidentally" into mainstream in an audience friendlier subgenre. By the lyrics they also didn't turn away from the roots of death metal, and if it wasn't enough, the characteristic growling style of Mr. George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher (ex-Monstrosity, late Cannibal Corpse) also makes sure to keep it brutal. Their music can be enjoyable for melodic death fans and for ordinary death metal fans too.