SUNSHINE STATE SOPHISTICATION

Ah, Florida! Here, in the midst of overflowing orange orchards and gold-encrusted shorelines, lies the crowning capitol of death metal (end of discussion). Out of the many deathlike outfits to emerge from this sunlit metropolis, semi-techies Monstrosity belong to the rather more undervalued fraction of the Floridian pantheon. Centred round the ambidextrous skin-beater Lee Harrison, this note-perfect combo has churned out nothing but first-rate handiwork ever since, including and previous to the emergence of their much-coveted Nuclear Blast debut Imperial Doom from 1991. Monstrosity’s fourth longplayer Rise to Power was launched in the US through Conquest Music last September, and was subsequently licensed by Metal Blade for the European territories in early 2004. Offered a chance to cross-examine Lee Harrison earpiece-to-earpiece, Evilution immediately booked a slot in his chaotic interview-schedule, which led to a casual talk about odd-time signatures, first-album nostalgia, SoundScan sales figures, ‘the AC/DC of death metal’ and much more...

# Rise to Power is Monstrosity’s fourth album in 14 years. What musical elements have remained inextricably linked with the identity of the band since the very first recordings back in the early 90s?

“It’s been a pretty natural progression. We have just tried to make each new record better than the previous one in pretty much every way. It was a different time back then in the early 90s when the scene was just starting. It has kind of levelled off since 1995, and the scene has been pretty much the same ever since. Some of the true underground people are still listening to the music, and hopefully all the trendy and fake people have moved on.”

# You and guitarist Tony Norman are the creative minds behind most of the material on Rise to Power, excepting “Visions of Violence” and three other songs that you wrote single-handedly. Is there any notable difference between the tracks that were put together by two or more people and those written individually?

“I don’t know. It just happened to work out that way; it was not something we planned beforehand or anything. Since I’m the one writing the material it’s really hard to comment on. For me, it’s all good...”

# The aforementioned song “Visions of Violence” was written in a four-way collaboration between yourself, Tony Norman, vocalist Jason Avery and bassist Mike Poggione. Incidentally, this track was the first to materialise during the songwriting process. How does than song – if at all – differentiate from the rest of the material?

“Well, it feels like the most varied track because it has ideas from everybody. For some reason the songs that are written by everybody most often turn out really good. But that is just me personally. There are people who like “Abysmal Gods” and “Rise to Power” just as much, so it’s really hard for me to say which of the tracks are better and which are worse.”

# As a modern-day death metal album, Rise to Power arguably contains one of the cleanest and most dynamic audio-productions in recent years; the instrumental balance is exactly right and the overall clarity remarkable. How would you compare the production on this album to that on In Dark Purity?

“We spent a lot of time with the production In Dark Purity, and we kind of had an idea of where we wanted to go production-wise. We didn’t use drum triggers when we recorded the Millennium album, and the fact that the drums were triggered on In Dark Purity made it sound more brutal. I think we just decided to stick with what we did with the previous album because it seemed to work so well. Rise to Power is the first album we recorded at Morrisound, so we were kind of picking a chance and experimenting with the environment for the recordings. The climate was definitely good; it was just us trying to get the best sound possible by using the right guitar, using the right strings, using the right cables, the right cabinet... Just all the way down the line so everything felt good from start to finish. I am pretty happy with it. Sure, I wish I had more time because anything can become better, but for the amount of time that we spent on it I am happy with the production, and the album cost half as much to make as In Dark Purity. But I mean, you be the judge!”

# Gladly! :) This album furthermore features two noteworthy guest-appearances on lead-guitar by former Monstrosity six-stringer Mark English and studio engineer Jason Suecof respectively. How did that come around?

“Mark has been a friend of ours all through the years, even when he didn’t play with us and before he toured with us back in 1992. He has actually filled in for us on guitar because Tony had to play with Morbid Angel, so Mark may do some tours with us. As for Jason Suecof, he is the owner of the studio and he is a good friend of ours as well as a really good guitar player. We had the chance to put him on the album – so we did. I think it turned out good, and instead of it just being one person’s ideas the whole time, you get some other ideas thrown in there too.”

# A fresh input so to speak?

“Yeah, it just makes our style that much wider and opens it up that much more.”

# Let’s turn our attention towards the album cover. What is the symbolic meaning of the artwork and how does it relate to the album title?

“There’s no real big connection like with In Dark Purity. We just thought it was a cool cover; it’s got this evil, sick and violent quality. It sort of fits with the idea and lyrics of the album.”

# The creative artist behind the cover art is the rather prolific Jacek Wisniewski, who has previously worked with a range of bands such as Marduk, Krisiun and Malevolent Creation (visit www.artworks.isg.pl for further details). Was he commissioned to bring to life a specific theme for the artwork?

“No, he sent me a bunch of his sketches, and we just discussed it in the band. I showed them the various options, and that was just the one we decided upon.”

# The overall lyrical theme on Rise to Power appears to orbit around some sort of post-apocalyptic scenario not unlike the visual concept for In Dark Purity. Is there a deeper thematic link between the two albums?

“Well, not really. It’s just a continuation of what we’ve always done. That has been kind of been our main theme ever since Imperial Doom, and that is pretty much what it’s about. I mean, we’re not stuck to one theme, but most of our subject matter does revolve around ‘death, destruction and apocalypse¨’. The lyrics are not meant to make up a concept album similar to what a band like Queensrÿche would do. It’s not like all the lyrics flow together to tell one big story; it’s more like a common theme that seems to run through most of our songs.”

# You said earlier that it would have been convenient to have more time in the studio, but considering the fact that you’re the owner of Conquest Music, and that Monstrosity have total autonomy with regard to production matters, why not just put your foot down and insist on extra time in the studio?

“Well, the thing was that we had the release date for America set and that is why we didn’t spend more time in the studio. And I mean, even if we spent two months I would still be able to find things afterwards that could be better! [laughs]”

# What or who prompted the European license deal with Metal Blade for Rise to Power?

“One of the guys who run Metal Blade, Michael Trengert, used to work for Nuclear Blast, and he did all the promotion for our first album. He was really supportive of us back then, and our problems with Nuclear Blast were financial, whereas Michael pretty much worked with the marketing. We never had a problem with Michael at all, and after he left Nuclear Blast and went over to Metal Blade, we kind of lost contact for a little while. So when I started thinking about how to license Rise to Power for Europe, I remembered Michael and sent him a copy of the album. He liked it – and there it is.”

# To briefly address your gut feeling about Rise to Power: will this album do the trick and at long last break the ice for Monstrosity’s recognition in Europe?

“Hopefully! Yeah, I think it will... Already at this point, we have done more press and interviews than we did with Hammerheart or any other label. That right there should open the doors for this album.”

# Currently, you are working on a future DVD-compilation. Could you provide us with a few details on the content as well as the entire accumulation process, if you will?

“Yeah, I can tell you what I’ve done. What I have down now is the video clip for “Destroying Divinity” and the “Wave of Annihilation” video, which is the demo version with Sam Molina singing. Then there is some footage from a live show we did in Paris, and then I have the “Stormwinds” track from the Slaves and Masters demo put together in a collage of old footage with George Fisher, Jason Morgan, Mark van Erp and myself from a short tour we did in Illinois. It’s like a five-minute clip. So that will be on it, and I’ve got a few other things like some recordings from a live show in Denver, Colorado where I took the soundboard tape and matched it up with the video. Now, I wouldn’t say bootleg video but it’s basically just a normal camcorder video-shot with better sound since I had the soundboard tape to it. So we’ve got that and a few other things as well. I have a drum-instructional DVD that I am working on too, which will in fact probably come out sooner because it’s almost done. There are a few things coming out DVD-wise. We also want to do a live show and then just put that out as a separate DVD.”

# What will be featured on the drum instructional DVD?

“Well, when we recorded the album I videotaped myself playing on the drums, and what I did was matching those videos with the final product of the album. Basically, you’re hearing the album the way it is when you’re watching me record the drum tracks. So you can see exactly what I did when I we were recording Rise to Power. I have a little more to finish and basically I’m going to break down some of the stuff that I’m playing. It covers most of the stuff on Rise to Power, but it’s not solely focused on one album or anything.”

# But no decisive release-date for the Monstrosity DVD as of yet?

“No, we’re still debating as how to do it. We’re not entirely sure whether we want a double-DVD of two different DVD’s separate from each other. We’re not sure about that yet.”

# Karmageddon will re-issue the Millennium album soon; will it come in a different, enhanced package or will the original format be retained?

“As it is now, it will be the actual album the way it was – but to be honest we haven’t even signed the contract yet so I’m not sure how it will turn out. I think they are pushing ahead without the contract having been signed! [laughs] I’m not sure whatever will happen with that.”

# What about Imperial Doom; or were the eight songs on that album pretty much covered by the five rough-mix versions and the Horror Infinity demo featured on the Enslaving the Masses double-CD compilation?

“Yeah. I would rather that people listened to the tracks on Enslaving the Masses because the guitars are a little louder and the overall sound is a little better. But if people really want a copy of Imperial Doom, they can still as far as I know get it from Nuclear Blast. If people want to find the album, they can find it – it’s out there. As I said, I don’t like it! [laughs] The drum production is way too loud and the guitars are buried. The songs are good, though.”

# Throughout the years, Monstrosity has spewed forth a handful of cover tracks including Terrorizer’s “Ripped to Shreds”, Bathory’s “Total Destruction” – and Slayer’s “Angel of Death”, of course. Any new classics ready for a monstrous makeover?

“Not right now. I’d actually like to redo the Bathory cover in the studio, because it ended up on the Japanese version of In Dark Purity as a sort of demo track. Before In Dark Purity we did a four-song demo with “Angel’s Venom” and a couple of other songs on the album, and it also had that Bathory cover. We just threw that on the Japanese version of In Dark Purity and the production is a little weak and I would actually like to redo it one day. But there are no plans yet.”

# As mentioned before, Tony Norman is currently committed as a session guitarist for Morbid Angel and in early 2003 he toured with the gothic/black metal outfit Lovers Of Sin. Are you or any of the other band members active with other musical projects?

“Yeah, we’ve all got something. Mike [Poggione] plays in a band called Capharnaum with our engineer Jason Suecof from Audiohammer. It’s his band and that is actually how we found that studio because we heard Mike’s project with Jason. I’ve got a few different projects too; I play in a cover band and in an original rock band where I sing and play guitar. That’s pretty much it. Jason [Avery] has got a few things going on but nothing too serious right now.”

# How much spare time is there from Monstrosity?

“Well, my life pretty much revolves around music in one way or another. When I’m not doing Monstrosity, it is still music-related somehow, I’m sure. [laughs] It’s more of a life style.”

# Aside from the rock band diversion, do you have any musical aspirations beyond the realm of death metal?

“Just my rock band pretty much. There’s no point in me doing another death metal band, you know. I pretty much get my death metal ideas out with Monstrosity.”

# Millennium was criticised by some reviewers for its compositional complexity, and the band did tone the technical aspects down a tad or two on In Dark Purity for the sake of accessibility. Is it necessary to restrain technicality for the sake of the listener – and perhaps also to lend room for catchiness?

“Well, it’s not so much technicality but more the odd-time signatures. The music can be hard to play, but as long as it’s in 4/4 people can still catch it. The problem comes when you start to play 5’s, 7’s, 9’s and 11’s... People lose the groove. There is a lot of that stuff on Millennium, which makes people fall over. Yeah, we did consciously streamline it a little bit because when we play the Millenniun material live it sort of flies over people’s heads sometimes.”

# Are you conscious of the ‘groove factor’ when you write material?

“No, we don’t try to write groove parts or something. I don’t know; we just experiment back and forth to hear if something works or not. There’s still technical and odd-time stuff on Rise to Power here and there. We just try to even it out a little more instead of just all technical or all brutal or all one-thing. We try to mix it up and make it more varied.”

# You recently did an interview with www.digitalmetal.com and I will just quote an extract of your comments on Monstrosity’s relation to other metal bands and music in general: ‘I still think there’s tons more room to go in metal’. Is that a common hitch on the metal scene today – lack of consistency and focus on a primary style?

“Yeah, well... I don’t know. It depends on what you’re talking about. There are a bunch of people who try to incorporate other ideas that are not necessarily non-metal. It can either work or not work. But it can well end up becoming too arty or whatever. I’m not into it; it’s not what I’m listening to, but everybody should do their own thing. If everybody were playing music like Monstrosity, it would be boring and you wouldn’t want to listen to it! [laughs]”

# At the end of last year, Nielsen Soundscan announced the names and titles of the best-selling death metal bands and albums of all time based on calculations since May 25, 1992. How are Monstrosity’s positioned compared with top dogs like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Deicide?

“We’re not even close. We’re nowhere near those bands. The reason why is simple: we haven’t had the label support that those guys have had. Deicide were on Roadrunner for a whole lot of albums and had that consistent promotion from a top label. It’s the same thing with Morbid Angel: they have been with Earache since day one. They’ve had constant label-support throughout their whole career. And again it’s the same thing with Cannibal Corpse. They have been with Metal Blade since day one. They’ve had an album out almost every year and a half for all those years. We respect those bands that sell more. We had to fight a little harder back in the days because we didn’t want to get ripped off. It might have been a mistake but we’ll just have to live with it and keep moving ahead.”

# Compared to a band like Cannibal Corpse that has had a steady and speedy release-rate since their debut in the early 90s, Monstrosity has in average released an album every fourth year, partly due to label and administrative obstructions, but also as a result of self-elevated demands of perfectionism. Is the pressure from the music business detrimental to the creativity and quality of music today?

“For us, yeah. I mean, other bands can work like that and they don’t seem to have a problem with it. Personally, I don’t like most of those recent albums. I don’t listen to them – I can’t listen to them. They sound generic. The first album from a lot of those bands sounds great because they had ten years to write them. For the second album they had less than a year or whatever, and that is what makes it not good or sound generic. Yeah, it takes four years for us but it gives us a little more time to grow and to really come up with new ideas. We can sit and listen to the songs and make sure that it’s something we are really happy with instead of: ‘Yeah, it sounds good today but tomorrow we will be bored by it and not like it.’ So we had time to really sit with the songs and know that they’re classics even before they become classics.”

# Have the album sales been relatively steady across the years or is there a noticeable disparity between the commercial success of Imperial Doom and In Dark Purity for instance?

“It depends. We’ve had different distribution deals for each one and some were better than others. Most of it depends on the distribution. As far as the sales in Europe go, it’s really hard to say since we’ve never had any straight figures from Hammerheart – and we never really got any sales figures from Metal Age.”

# To finish off: why is Rise to Power the best Monstrosity effort to date?

“Well, the production is on a par with where we’re at these days while the album basically has all the traditional elements. The songwriting is more developed than before, and we are more focused on our sound. At this point I know that the sound on the next album will improve even more because I already have ideas as to how I can make it better. We’re not going to add rap parts or nothing like that; it will always be Monstrosity the way it is. We’re like the AC/DC of death metal! We stick to our guns – and at the same time, hopefully, we are not boring and repetitive either. We want to branch out and touch new ground with each new album.”

Conducted and written by Misereion.