Photo by Bailey Olinger

Last month, Cleveland brutalizers 200 Stab Wounds confirmed the follow-up to their celebrated 2021 release, Slave to the Scalpel, with the announcement of their Metal Blade Records effort, Manual Manic Procedures.  

Characterized by their obvious reverence for the greats of the genre, the band's meld of classic sensibility and contemporary execution has resonated with even the most discerning fan among the death metal traditionalists. Delivering gloriously gory, splatterhouse grade brutality, 200 Stab Wounds harken to the genre's heyday, executed with an undeniable modern day edge.

Continuing on their upward trajectory, 200 Stab Wounds first introduced the new campaign with the release of the opening track in "Hands of Eternity" - a pummeling, near 5-minute wallop that asserts the hype surrounding the band is more than justified. 

Now, the Ohio horde has secured some added firepower in recruiting Jami Morgan, frontman for hardcore outliers Code Orange for the second single, "Ride the Flatline". Inspired by the real life horrors that come with environmental disasters, the latest from 200 Stab Wounds hits especially close to home.

The band's vocalist/guitarist Steve Buhl further explains how the track frames the fallout of the chemical spill that resulted from a train derailment in Ohio earlier this year. “All the crazy chemicals caught fire. The Ohio River goes into Lake Erie, which is where our water supply is. So the song comes from that really. But obviously, we put a little bit of animation into it, with someone getting run over by a train in the process and fucking exploding and shit.”  

Produced by Andy Nelson, the effort is nine-tracks of unwavering savagery, asserting the band's well-honed expertise and their commitment to visceral extremity. From the gruesome cover art to the band's unflinching thematic barbarity, 200 Stab Wounds have proven to be among death metal's thriving next generation - one that modernizes the sound while paying respects to the greats that have paved the way. 

Along with the June release of the album, 200 Stab Wounds recently completed a North American run with Dying Fetus and Full of Hell that proved fruitful in the lead up to the new album's arrival. 200 Stab Wounds is also confirmed for a European trek supporting Gatecreeper later this year. A complete list of dates and cities can be found below. 

Manic Manual Procedures arrives June 28th via Metal Blade Records, Order the album - HERE