Serrated Scalpel - Suspended In Misery CD Review

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2002-08-13 : maddy : Link
When it comes to brutal death metal we have been thrown at us hundreds of cd's from the US but there are actually bands in other parts of the world who do this style of music as well, believe it or not. Canada might not be the furthest away from the US but this is still where Serrated Scalpel find its origin, Winnipeg to be more precise. The band formed in the late 90's and at that time they were influenced by bands like Slayer, Death and Cannibal Corpse. I wouldn't say that there are very much of those Slayer influences shown on this cd but the other two I could agree on. The production is not perfect but very good for being a self-financed album and that is all you have the right to demand without any label support. Most of the lyrics are told through guttural growls but there are also some vocals who sound close to black than death metal. Serrated Scalpel are more varied than most of their American colleagues. Some songs are rather traditional Dying Fetus sounding death metal tunes while others are almost a little doomy and yet others tend to move closer to melodic death metal while still maintaining the brutal edge. My general opinion is however that this kind of music almost always has to be performed with intensity and frenzy and this is unfortunately not always there on this album. It is still not bad at all and if you are into Suffocation, Dying Fetus and the likes you might want to check out what Serrated Scalpel are like as well. They have an interesting and unconventional thing going and will surely improve in the future."
2002-08-13 : maddy : Link
"Canadian death-grind!! This is sick, twisted and tormented grinding death, brutal as fuck! Plenty of chugging guitar riffs, hyper-blasts and sickness prevails...reminds me of ultra-brutal guttural bands like (Canada's) ABUSE... overall this is straight up death though...
2002-08-13 : maddy : Link
Serrated Scalpel hails from the icy north known as Canada and plays good old New York death metal with heaviness to spare. This is the band's first full-length, following up their debut demo from 2000. These guys definitely know what makes American death metal so great. They use those dark kind of song titles, such as the title track, "Denudation of the Scriptures" and "Pernicious Encomium", with lyrics that follow suit.

The high point for me would have to be Chuck Labossiere's guttural vomiting. This guy has some of the thickest, deepest vocals I've heard in a while! Josh Ngolls' drumming is tight as hell--plenty of mid-paced blastbeats amidst the slower, churning Suffocation-style grooves. The kick could be punchier, but otherwise the drums sound fine. My only advice--not that it's worth a shit--would be to shorten the songs by about a minute or so each, as this nine-tracker becomes just a bit tedious toward the end of its 39 minute playing time. (Ironically, the longest song, "I.T.R."--incestual torturous rape--is captivating throughout its entirety, especially the first few instrumental minutes, which feature some extremely dark clean guitar followed by the best crunch riffs on the whole album.)

For a self-financed effort, this disc looks and sounds great and includes full lyrics. The cover photo is absolutely awesome with its depiction of utter desolation. Suspended in Misery is a top-notch effort from these Canucks that, with a little improvement, promises their next release will be of godly proportions!