Cleveland death metal legends-in-waiting 200 STAB WOUNDS have returned with Manual Manic Procedures, set for release on June 28th through Metal Blade Records.
A superlative sophomore effort that follows their tour de force debut, 2021’s Slave To The Scalpel, the new album Manual Manic Procedures is a brutal slab of old-school death metal with a contemporary edge. Not for the faint-hearted, the record may well be the album that puts classic gore-themed ferocity back into the metal community’s collective consciousness.
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.
The album’s artwork — graphically depicting radical surgery on somebody who may or may not be conscious — is an immediate indicator of what this record is all about. No punches pulled, no holds barred, just blood-soaked death metal.
The themes on Manual Manic Procedures run the gamut of classic gore-metal horror subject matter, beloved to the band and their rapidly growing audience. “I’ll feel what kind of vibe the song has, and what topic would fit for that particular song,” vocalist/guitarist Steve Buhl explains. “The last song on the new record, ‘Parricide,’ is about someone going into a nursing home, and just blowing it up. The lyrics are about those type of corporations that don’t really give a fuck about those people. It’s all just a money grab.” The lead single is Manual Manic Procedures’ opening track, “Hands Of Eternity.” Buhl explains that the song is about being trapped in your own mind, something most of us can relate to. “That song is a good example of where we want to go musically. The heavy riffs are there, but there’s still a lot of good melody. It’s not just crazy fucking blast beats and, ‘riff riff riff.’ It’s more structured, groovy, and melodic, but still heavy. That’s one of my favorites.”
Watch 200 STAB WOUNDS’ video for “Hands Of Eternity,” shot at a sold-out hometown show, at THIS LOCATION.
Manual Manic Procedures, which was produced and mixed by Andy Nelson and mastered by Brad Boatwright, will be available on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:
Disfigured Face (US)
Septic Remain (US)
Liquefied (US)
180g Black (EU)
Dark Liver (EU – Ltd. 400)
Seaweed (EU – Ltd. 300)
Blood Red Black Splatter (EU – Evil Greed Exclusive Ltd. 300)
Find preorders at metalblade.com/200stabwounds.
Manual Manic Procedures Track Listing:
1. Hands Of Eternity
2. Gross Abuse
3. Manual Manic Procedures
4. Release the Stench
5. Led To the Chamber/Liquified
6. Flesh From Within
7. Defiled Gestation
8. Ride the Flatline
9. Parricide
200 STAB WOUNDS will kick off a tour supporting Dying Fetus along with Full Of Hell, Kruelty, and Psycho-Frame beginning tomorrow, April 25th in Silver Spring, Maryland. The band has also confirmed a European tour with Gatecreeper and Enforced this Fall. See all dates below.
200 STAB WOUNDS w/ Dying Fetus, Full Of Hell, Kruelty:
4/25/2024 The Fillmore – Silver Spring, MD
4/26/2024 Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ
4/27/2024 The Song & Dance – Syracuse, NY
4/28/2024 Empire Live – Albany, NY
4/30/2024 Theatre Capitole – Quebec, QC
5/01/2024 Beanfield Theatre – Montréal, QC
5/02/2024 The Brass Monkey – Ottawa, ON
5/03/2024 London Music Hall – London, ON
5/04/2024 Phoenix Concert Theatre – Toronto, ON
5/05/2024 Electric City – Buffalo, NY
5/07/2024 The Crofoot Ballroom – Pontiac, MI
5/08/2024 The King of Clubs – Columbus, OH
5/10/2024 The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
5/12/2024 Park Theatre – Winnipeg, MB
5/13/2024 Louis – Saskatoon, SK
5/14/2024 The Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB
5/15/2024 The Palace Theatre – Calgary, AB
5/17/2024 Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver, BC
5/18/2024 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
5/19/2024 Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
w/ Dying Fetus, Kruelty, Psycho-Frame:
5/22/2024 The Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
5/23/2024 Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA
5/24/2024 Delmar Hall – St. Louis, MO
5/25/2024 Portal – Louisville, KY
5/26/2024 Eastside Bowl – Nashville, TN
w/ Gatecreeper, Enforced:
10/30/2024 Whelan’s – Dublin, IE
10/31/2024 The Fleece – Bristol City, GB
11/01/2024 O2 Islington Academy – London, GB
11/02/2024 Damnation Fest – Manchester, GB
11/03/2024 Sepulfest – S-Hertogenbosch, NL
11/04/2024 Schlachthof – Wiesbaden, DE
11/05/2024 Dynamo – Zurich, CH
11/06/2024 Legend Club – Milan, IT
11/07/2024 Arena – Vienna, AT
11/08/2024 Backstage – Munich, DE
11/09/2024 Turock – Essen, DE
11/10/2024 Musikenstrum – Hannover, DE
11/11/2024 Pumpehuset – Copenhagen, DK
11/12/2024 John Dee – Oslo, NO
11/14/2024 Olympia – Tampere, FI
11/15/2024 AAniwalli – Helsinki, FI
11/16/2024 Kantakrouvi – Oulu, FI
11/18/2024 Kollektivet Livet – Stockholm, SE
11/19/2024 Film Studios – Gothenburg, SE
11/20/2024 Knust – Hamburg, DE
11/21/2024 SO36 – Berlin, DE
11/22/2024 UT Connewitz – Leipzig, DE
11/23/2024 IM Wizemann – Stuttgart, DE
11/24/2024 Zappa – Antwerp, BE
200 STAB WOUNDS:
Steve Buhl – vocals, guitars
Raymond Macdonald – guitars
Ezra Cook – bass
Owen Pooley – drums
Follow 200 Stab Wounds