Monstrosity – Screams from Beneath the Surface
Release Date: 13th February 2026
Label: Metal Blade Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Old School Death Metal, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal.
FFO: Malevolent Creation, Cannibal Corpse, Pestilence, Immolation, Deeds of Flesh, Massacre, Deicide.
Review By: Rick Farley
Formed in August 1990 in one of the most recognized global regions for American death metal, Florida’s Monstrosity is an important cog in the post birth and growth of the death metal genre. An integral part of the scene that has built a tremendous cult status but remains an underrated band often overshadowed as equals to larger bands of the same time period. It’s probably safe to assume a lot of people know that George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher was a founding member of Monstrosity before leaving the band after only two albums becoming the vocalist for Cannibal Corpse in 1996 but then might not realize that Monstrosity have been putting out killer albums ever since without even the slightest of hiccup. The level of consistency of evolving, quality death metal despite multiple line-up changes, record label issues, and shifting musical trends over the years shows the bands roots are firmly in place and will not be wrested.
2026’s version of Monstrosity consists of the bands remaining founding member drummer Lee Harrision and the triumphant return of bassist Mark Van Erp who was also there at their beginning. Long tenured guitarist Matt Barnes and vocalist Ed Webb solidifies the bands hallmark death metal ferocity as well as pushes the genres boundaries on Screams from Beneath the Surface. A ferocious new beast of bone crushing riffs, relentless, intricate drums and brutal gutturals that celebrate the bands old school spirit while still maintaining a modern technical style of musicality and production.
Screams from Beneath the Surface marks the bands seventh full length studio album, one that delivers the usual thrashy, technical death metal goods but also creatively in minor ways tries to widen their soundscape with bits of melo-death, doom, slow chugs and even the tiniest flourish of progressive elements within some of the guitar structures. For the most part it all works effectively since nothing is outrageously conflicting, but it’s when Monstrosity kicks in the brutal violence and just flat out mauls you is where their blood and guts sit, and honestly there’s plenty of that.
The twisted guitars of opener Banished to the Skies pulverize on contact after a brief interlude of shreddy leads. Ed’s burly gutturals shake the earth with his bellowing authority. The guitarwork is melodic, nasty, and downright euphoric if you like a little neoclassical virtuosity with your death metal griminess. Monstrosity has always been able to sound raw and violent as hell while still being extremely intricate and technical. This really shows up on closing track Veil of Disillusioned. The crushing, weaving track feels slightly proggy and complex while still being completely savage in its overall delivery. Intricacy mixed with ferocity definitely works.
Screams from Beneath the Surface from front to back is tons of killer with little filler, while it does sound a little dated in terms of songwriting, it’s still quality death metal from a band that’s been there done that. Not much here is going to raise eyebrows but in the grand scheme of things that’s actually a good thing, this record may not be a statement of modernistic renewal but rather a brutish statement of “we never left.” Monstrosity undoubtedly in 2026 is still writing extreme music that should appeal to nearly all metalheads, especially the old schoolers. There’s a substantial number of artists and fans that owe a debt of gratitude to bands like this, and I personally am thankful that a band as legendary as Monstrosity is still writing killer music. Hail.
(3.5 / 5)
