By Dig Dirkler
After more than seven years of silence, Monstrosity have erupted back into the extreme metal conversation with Screams from Beneath the Surface—a record that feels less like a comeback and more like a continuation of a mission never abandoned. At the center of it all is drummer and founding force Lee Harrison, whose perspective on time, intensity, and evolution is as unflinching as the band’s sound.
Screams from Beneath the Surface is your first full-length in seven years — what creative, personal, or industry shifts most significantly shaped the direction and intensity of this record compared to your previous releases?
The Covid times happened in the middle of making this record, but honestly, it didn’t really affect me too much. I was already quarantined anyway, pandemic or not. I just try to stay focused and keep my nose to the grindstone, so for the most part nothing really changed. Seven and a half years is a long time, but things didn’t end up feeling all that different.
“The Atrophied” is described as both direct and ferocious, yet musically and emotionally complex. How did you balance maintaining MONSTROSITY‘s trademark aggression with the broader, almost epic compositional scope mentioned in the writing process?
“The Atrophied” has kind of all the hallmarks of a classic Monstrosity song. It’s probably the most well-rounded track on the record. It carries a lot of our signature brutal direction, then shifts into this halftime feel that I guess you could call melodic in a way. After that comes a more technical middle section that gets pretty crazy. We didn’t stick to a strict verse/chorus/verse/chorus songwriting structure. We let the arrangement wander a little bit, but nothing too out there or indulgent. There are still verses and choruses, just not laid out in such a rigid, regimented way as something like “Vapors”, so to speak.
With the return of original bassist Mark Van Erp and the addition of vocalist Ed Webb (ex-Massacre), how did the restored and refreshed lineup influence the songwriting dynamic and overall sonic identity of the album?
I’m sure their influence will be felt even more on the next record, to be honest. I wrote most of this one with Matt Barnes helping me, he’d take my parts and kind of mold them. He has a way of taking what I write and leveling it up a bit. I came up with a lot of the bass parts myself, but once we got into the studio, I’d incorporate Mark’s suggestions too, and even our engineer, Jason Suecof, threw out a ton of great ideas. We’d all kind of hash it out, figure out which ones worked best, and in some cases combine them. As for the vocals, Ed really stepped up and did an outstanding job bringing the ideas I’d written to life. Like I said, on the next album I’m sure it’ll be even better.”
The album was recorded between Audiohammer Studios and Morrisound Studios, reuniting you with producer Jim Morris while also working with Jason Suecof. What did each production environment contribute to the final sound, and how did you ensure cohesion between modern and classic production approaches?
There’s a misconception, I think, that Morrisound is kind of an antiquated studio, which it absolutely is not. If anything, they’re even more cutting edge than Audiohammer these days. They’re diving deep into immersive audio, Dolby Atmos, and that kind of stuff. But I can see why people might get that impression. Overall, it’s just different studios for different needs. For drum tracking, I prefer working with Jason, it’s a more relaxed environment and a little less stressful. With Morrisound, I mainly wanted to come back to work with Jim again and get his contributions on some of the guitar parts and vocals. They really understand what we’re going for. Plus, it’s nice because we don’t have to drive all the way north of Orlando to Sanford. Since Morrisound is in Tampa, it makes things a lot easier to get to and for Ed, it’s literally two minutes around the corner.
“The Atrophied” are described as a haunting narrative of decay and collapse. What themes dominate Screams from Beneath the Surface, and how do they reflect the band’s current worldview or commentary on modern society?
The lyrics for this album stick to the typical themes people expect from Monstrosity… songs about death and dying, the good stuff. It’s not a concept album or anything like that, but our basic outlook has always been apocalyptic, just transposed into the latest batch of songs. I’ve always written this way, a lot of it starts as pure stream of consciousness, then I go back and do some fine-tuning.
As you prepare for the Screams Across Europe Tour 2026, including appearances such as Metalstorm Festival, how do you envision translating the album’s layered intensity and technical depth into a live setting while maintaining its emotional weight?
Well, we’ve been working some of the new songs into the set and changing a couple of things around. I’m not sure about that particular show because I think we’ll maybe have to cut a few songs, depending on what our final allotted time turns out to be. But for the tour in general, we have a good, well-rounded setlist prepared, and we’re really just looking forward to getting back out there and letting it rip. We try to cover something from each album, showcase the new songs, and of course play the classic songs that people want to hear, maybe even throw in a surprise or two. I think people will be happy with the setlist. It’s always a challenge for us, regardless. These songs are almost impossible to play sometimes even when everything is perfect and we’re using our own gear, so playing in strange environments with rented gear often poses big challenges. We just have to battle the elements, so to speak.
Have you ever had a funny or totally unexpected run-in with a celebrity where they turned out to be a secret death metal fan — or had no idea who you were but loved the band name?
We had a pretty funny encounter in Minneapolis airport with Norm Macdonald and Kevin Nealon from SNL. We were on the same flight, and after we landed, we ended up chatting with them as we got off the plane. Next thing I know, we’re all being whisked around the airport on a golf cart together to our connecting flight. It was pretty crazy. They were super nice guys, and we were laughing the whole time because the whole thing felt so surreal. I’m not sure they were death metal fans, though, I didn’t get that vibe, but they were cool as hell, nonetheless.
When dialing in your tones for Screams from Beneath the Surface, did you stick with trusted gear that’s been part of your sound for years, or did you experiment with new equipment to push things further and were there any unexpected discoveries along the way?
It’s always a huge experimentation. Recording at Audiohammer, and the way they do things over there, makes it easy to get experimental. We’ll spend several days just deciding which drum configuration we’re going to use. We’ll record a song, then switch the cymbals around and record the same song again. After that, we listen back several times and kind of decide which setup is working best. Sometimes we do that several more times before finally settling on the set up we’re going to use. We can easily spend hours in a tuning hole just trying to dial in one drum. It can get tedious, but the end results speak for themselves. That’s the beauty of working at Audiohammer. Like I said, it’s a more relaxed atmosphere, but it also lets us spend more time experimenting and really finding the right sound.
If you had to name a personal “Big 4” of death metal whether it’s the classic pioneers like Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary, and Cannibal Corpse or a more unconventional mix who makes your list, and which death metal band logo do you think is the most iconic or visually brutal of all time?
Well, I would say Death, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, and Deicide. Those bands came out a little ahead of us timeline wise, so they were able to make a bigger mark since they were there first, you know? As far as that particular wave of death metal goes, we’re more part of the second wave of the Florida death metal scene. I’m fine with that. I understand why things are the way they are, they came out first. But I feel our albums are up there with the best. As for a logo, there’s a lot of good ones. No one in particular.
What’s the one band—dead or alive—you’d kill to tour with but haven’t yet?
LEE HARRISON: There are tons of bands we’d love to tour with on all kinds of levels. Obviously, whatever puts us in front of the most people would be the best option for us. We’ve been really lucky and fortunate to play some of the biggest festivals alongside some of the biggest names out there. We’ve shared the bill with ZZ Top and KISS, not as direct support, of course, but that’s the beauty of those huge festivals: you get to play with massive acts in front of huge crowds. So, there’s no one band in particular we’re dying to tour with. Really, it’s anybody who brings a good crowd, or just some solid bands we get along with and would have fun hanging out with. It all just depends on the situation.
Finish this sentence: ‘Death metal is at its best when ________.’
LEE HARRISON: The crowd is feeling it
Seven years on, Screams from Beneath the Surface doesn’t feel like a return—it feels like a reaffirmation. Monstrosity haven’t chased evolution for its own sake or softened their edges to fit a changing landscape. Instead, they’ve sharpened what’s always defined them: precision, intensity, and an unwavering commitment to their craft.
In an era where trends come and go at breakneck speed, there’s something almost defiant about that kind of consistency. It’s not about nostalgia—it’s about mastery. The band knows exactly who they are, and more importantly, how to push that identity forward without diluting it.
If this album proves anything, it’s that time away doesn’t dull the blade—it tempers it. And as Monstrosity prepare to bring these songs to the stage, one thing feels certain: when the riffs hit and the chaos locks in, the only thing that matters is exactly what Lee Harrison said best—
Death metal is at its best when the crowd is feeling it.
Categories: Interviews, Monstrosity
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