Cleveland death metal legends-in-waiting 200 Stab Wounds have returned with Manual
Manic Procedures, a superlative sophomore effort that follows 2021’s Slave to the Scalpel,
their tour de force debut. The new album is a brutal slab of old school death metal with a
contemporary edge. Not for the faint-hearted, Manual Manic Procedures may well be the
album that puts classic gore-themed ferocity back into the metal community’s collective
consciousness.
The band's debut, "Slave to the Scalpel" saw 200 Stab Wounds insinuate themselves into the
minds of extreme metal fans, leading to praise from Pitchfork for their 'unpretentious
brilliance, pitch-black sense of humor' and an 'aesthetic [that’s] built around a chugging,
groovy riff that stomps down a path of destruction.' Manual Manic Procedures sees the
band upping the ante both musically and lyrically.
Ultimately, for 200 Stab Wounds, it’s all about creating art that they enjoy. 'I know that if we
like it, our fans will like it,' says Buhl. 'That's really all that matters to us. And if we keep
touring, it's just gonna get bigger and bigger. Then everyone's happy, far as I'm concerned.'
The songs on Manual Manic Procedures are not safe for work – perhaps unsafe most
anywhere. But that’s its dark charm in a world where even heavy music can play it too safely.
200 Stab Wounds have crafted Manual Manic Procedures for themselves and like-minded
brethren: thrill-seekers, carnage cravers, horror fans, and aficionados of the most extreme
metal. Above all, 200SW created a future death metal classic.
