Serrated Scalpel

It should be a criminal offence that regurgitated slime like Cannibal Corpse and Six Feet Under sell thousands upon thousands of copies of countless releases while bands like Winnipeg's Serrated Scalpel are doomed to be heard by few. These guys are leagues above most of today's popular death metal, incorporating both well-written melodies and catchy grooves into their songs; check out the first riff in "Empty Visions" for a taste of metal glory. A slight European vibe also prevails, with some atmospheric blasting parts and shrieking vocals, but the band also does the North American death metal style competently. Instead of getting bogged down in cookie monster madness, these guys offer enough variety in their sound, vocals and vibe to keep your attention throughout this five-song demo. It's always nice to hear drums that sound like real drums as well. Serrated Scalpel does have an element of death metal redundancy to them, but this is still recommended. That cover art is just the worst, though.