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I came back to Slave to the Scalpel, 200 Stab Wounds' debut album, after reviewing and really liking Manual Manic Procedures a few weeks ago. This is very much in the same vein. Visceral, incisive (uhuh) old-school death metal that takes no prisoner, presented with more family-friendly artwork. I like how they throw in some short horror-like little interludes that trigger the imagination and really sound like there's a horror movie on. This kind of stuff usually annoys me on an album, but the band has done a great job putting these in the right spots and ensuring they don't overstay their welcome by keeping them just the right length. The death metal here is punctuated with sharp machine-gun riffage that just call for the air guitar and with drumming that gets the right beat going for headbanging (and/or the mosh pit going in a live setting). This album is full of first-rate, meaty death metal and, like its successor, just calls for repeat plays.