The name of this band is 200 Stab Wounds. If you don’t know what you’re getting with a name like that… I think you’re on the wrong website friend, and I don’t think I can help you (Kidding! Please stay, I need the validation). Their sophomore release Manual Manic Procedures continues the band’s trend of tongue-in-cheek (or sliced off and thrown on the ground) slasher-movie gore and old-school death metal filtered through the lens of hardcore, in much the same way as contemporary darlings Gatecreeper and Frozen Soul have. But how does it match up? I told you you should stick around…

200 Stab Wounds have been described as one of the hardest working death metal bands out there, and it’s true. Since Manual Manic Procedures marks only their third release overall (including their debut EP from 2020 with the hilariously appropriate title Piles of Festering Decomposition), they haven’t been around all that long. Since their inception, though, they’ve been nearly constantly on tour, barely taking a break to record two albums before getting right back out there. It’s done them well, considering they have blown up very quickly into an act that garners millions of views and streams in addition to a considerable amount of word of mouth publicity, in practically no time at all. That’s not to say the hype isn’t justified: the Cleveland-based quartet is built on a solid-foundation of the fundamentals (and you know what they say about Cleveland, vis-a-vis its rocking nature), and they clearly have the work ethic and attitude it takes to make it. 200 Stab Wounds perfectly flirt with the border of just taking themselves seriously enough to churn out quality death metal while still being able to use their “pitch-black” sense of humor to tap into the vein (pun intended) of over-the-top shock and revulsion that makes up the brunt of their lyrical content.

All hype aside, I honestly thought I was going to bounce off this album when I first heard lead single “Hands of Eternity”. It’s a fine song, to be sure, but there was something about the way that it bounced from idea to idea, never being able to settle on anything for long enough to see it to completion, that made me worried that the musical ideas on Manual Manic Procedures would be disjointed and hard to follow. Thankfully, that song seems to be a blip, and the rest of the tracks focus very intently on the ideas presented without going too far around the map. The death metal is all righteous, whiplash inducing riffs that are tight, crunchy and just melodic enough to keep them from feeling too similar to each other. The bass tone is outrageously good, to the point that I immediately ran to my pedal board to try to copy it exactly. The “weedly-wee” guitar solos are exactly what I was hoping for them to be, an elegant combination of shred, soulful melodicism and Kerry King-esque whammy bar torture. The drums are a lot more subtle than just non-stop double bass and blast beats, and they inject just enough of a kiss of hardcore to keep the formula feeling fresh and modern. If you need any more proof that the hype is definitely deserved, take one listen to the wicked interplay between the guitars and bass on “Defiled Gestation” or the filthy nasty guitar solo on “Release the Stench” (which might take the cake as the best song title of this year), or the circle pit-inducing breakdown in “Ride the Flatline”. You’ve got your choice of quality moments on this thing, take your pick.

Overall, this is about as solid as solid gets, and I have a sneaking suspicion that even the last few remaining holdouts will get on board. Perhaps you could accuse 200 Stab Wounds of not pushing the boundaries, and you might be right about that, but I say: why? There’s a time and a place for innovation, but this probably isn’t it. This is all about the intersection of brutality, groove, melodicism and fun, and that’s exactly where Manual Manic Procedures lives, and thrives.

-Ian

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Manual Manic Procedures is out June 28 on Metal Blade Records.  For more information on 200 Stab Wounds, visit their official website.