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MONSTROSITY
The Passage Of Existence

Metal Blade (2018)
Rating: 9/10

2018 heralds the return of Floridian death metal maniacs Monstrosity. The Sunshine State boys will be forever known as being part of that sizzling hot death metal scene which took over us teenagers back in the late 80s and early 90s; their 1992 debut Imperial Doom striking a chord even though it appeared just a fraction too late to make the impact it would’ve had it emerged a year or so earlier.

In spite of being such an underrated act, Monstrosity remained pivotal as a cult act and rode on, albeit it sporadically through the 90s and 00s before seemingly grinding to a halt after 2007’s Spiritual Apocalypse.

However, here we are again with The Passage Of Existence, a rather apt title for such a long-awaited opus and one sure to get the death metal disciples salivating once again. Only drummer Lee Harrison remains from the band’s early days, while the rest of the line-up is propped up by bassist Michael Poggione who was recruited in 2001, guitarist Mark English and vocalist Mike Hrubovcak who both joined in 2006, and newest member, guitarist Matt Barnes who was taken into the fold in 2010.Together, the combo have created a behemoth of an outing, a record which causes 12 tracks worth of damage at a total duration of just under an hour.

The Passage Of Existence combines the bellowing and grumbling wastelands of death metal while injecting that classic Monstrosity serum. The overall result being a storming, often complex, yet battering release full of hyper percussive taps, grinding bass flips and a twin guitar hammer that pulverises the system into numbness before we’re finished off by Hrubovcak’s immense growls.

Monstrosity has always been an evolving force; a band that has allowed progressive streaks to line their sound while always maintaining that efficient death metal standard of solidarity and solidity. One only has to experience the blistering pace yet complex aesthetics of ‘Kingdom Of Fire’ to fully appreciate and understand the many levels which Monstrosity operates on; the eye-gouging menace of juddering rhythms coupled with slower, reflective bursts of menace and then the trampling of such themes by the bulldozer blasts.

The striking percussive patterns, the aching solo exploits, and the frenzied, belligerent attacks are what we’ve always come to expect from death metal, but Monstrosity have always carved their own pathway through the generic fields, deftly finding intricate and intriguing structures to enshroud with charging whips of heavy malevolence.

Opener ‘Cosmic Pandemia’ provides such skull shaking utterances; beefy rolling riffs laced with staggering threads of bony bass before the gruff yet versatile sneers of the vocals combat the avalanche of drums. The mid-paced slaps of the sinister grind; effortless and smoothly married complexities interchanging with simpler snarls of morbidity without ever retracing steps back to those halcyon Floridian years.

‘Radiated’ is a speedier composition; a blazing death metal powerhouse maintaining nightmarish momentum. Meanwhile, ‘Solar Vacuum’ and ‘The Proselygeist’ supply hefty structures of complexity with the listener gorging upon dark, twisted realms whereby Morbid Angel cavorts with Death. All the while hardened grooves meander throughout with cosmic folds and galactic horrors born into massive structural abominations. These are fed upon subtle leads that squirm in Cynic fashion while those punishing, throttling passages persist, forcing one into quick submission before your gulped down into the stomach of such an immense form.

Monstrosity, for all of its sneering arrogance, refuses to be dragged into the past, finding no requirement to drift into fusty avenues or doom-laced arenas. Instead, the guys have a wonderfully natural yet futuristic design as another shriek from Mike Hrubovcak infiltrates the forceful, frantic mash of instrumentation.

‘The Hive’ pummels with its intensity and yet the solo rises with glinting perfection above the sea of foaming hostility, while ‘Slaves To The Evermore’ flips with further multifaceted bombardments without jarring the senses. All the while the heartbeat of the record is that unrelenting pace and aggression, showcased in the dark, overwhelming expressions of ‘Dark Matter Invocation’ with its melodious tints.

Bringing such technicality to the table and yet without bamboozling the listener has become Monstrosity’s art. And any questions previous as to whether the band were an integral part of the early 90s scene can now be swiped away, because with The Passage Of Existence Monstrosity has now become top tier death metal in general – masters of their craft and new gods of the genre. This is an emphatic return and one sure to shake up a scene of sound-alikes and pretenders into questioning their own meagre existence.

Neil Arnold

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