Monstrosity (band)

{{Use American English|date=June 2023}} {{Short description|American death metal band}} {{sources|date=June 2018}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}

{{Infobox musical artist | name = Monstrosity | image = Monstrosity, Dec 2012, Barge to Hell.jpg | caption = Monstrosity performing in 2012 | image_upright = 1.2 | origin = [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Florida]], U.S. | alias = | genre = [[Death metal]], [[technical death metal]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://disposableunderground.com/monstrosity-interview/ | title=Monstrosity interview | date=October 24, 2022 }}</ref> | years_active = 1990–present | label = {{flatlist| * [[Nuclear Blast]] * Conquest }} | website = {{URL|monstrosity.us}} | current_members = * Lee Harrison * Mark Van Erp * Matt Barnes * Justin Walker * Edwin Webb | past_members = * Jon Rubin * [[George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher]] * Jason Morgan * Kelly Conlon * Jason Avery * Tony Norman * Mike Poggione * Sam Molina * Mark English * Mike Hrubovcak }}

'''Monstrosity''' is an American [[death metal]] band. Formed in 1990 in [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monstrosity Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More |website=AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000589459 |access-date=2023-06-24}}</ref> as part of the larger [[Florida death metal]] scene, drummer Lee Harrison, bassist Mark Van Erp, and vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher were founding members. The group has undergone multiple lineup changes with Harrison being the only constant member. Edwin Webb is the fifth and current vocalist. Van Erp rejoined the band in 2021 after departing in 1995.

In 1995, shortly before his second album with Monstrosity was released, Fisher became the vocalist of death metal band [[Cannibal Corpse]], and was replaced by Jason Avery.

Monstrosity has released seven studio albums, most recently ''Screams from Beneath the Surface '' (2026), following an 8-year gap. Despite a dedicated cult following,<ref>{{cite web |last=Arnold |first=Neil |date= |title=MONSTROSITY The Passage Of Existence Metal Blade (2018) |website=metalforcesmagazine.com |url=https://www.metalforcesmagazine.com/site/album-review-monstrosity-the-passage-of-existence/ |quote=In spite of being such an underrated act, Monstrosity remained pivotal as a cult act and rode on,...}}</ref> their commercial success has been limited to some albums appearing on CMJ college radio charts.

== History == ===Formation and ''Imperial Doom''=== Vocalist [[George Fisher (musician)|George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher]], drummer Lee Harrison and bassist Mark Van Erp founded Monstrosity in 1990. Harrison had just left New York death metal band [[Malevolent Creation]] and George Fisher left his band Corpsegrinder in his hometown of [[Baltimore]] and relocated to Florida in 1990. [[Jon Rubin]], who had played guitar in Malevolent Creation also joined to form Monstrosity. Mark Van Erp played bass in the band [[Cynic (band)|Cynic]] and he left Cynic to join Monstrosity. The four members of Monstrosity signed with German label [[Nuclear Blast]].

Monstrosity's played their first shows during fall 1990, when the [[Florida death metal]] scene was already largely established.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/george-corpsegrinder-fisher-my-life-story | title=George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher: My Life Story | date=April 13, 2022 }}</ref>

[[Jason Gobel]], who was a member of [[Cynic (band)|Cynic]], assisted Monstrosity in the recording of ''[[Imperial Doom]]'', despite having never been an official member of Monstrosity. The album was released in 1992 by Nuclear Blast. To support the album, Monstrosity toured Europe as support for [[Pestilence (band)|Pestilence]].

===Lineup changes and ''Millenium''=== After a number of problems with the label, Lee Harrison formed his own record label Conquest Music in 1996. The band released their sophomore album ''[[Millennium (Monstrosity album)|Millennium]]'' in 1996. Guitarist Jon Rubin was replaced by Jason Morgan and bassist Mark Van Erp, by [[Kelly Conlon]]. Following the recording sessions for the album, George Fisher left Monstrosity to replace [[Chris Barnes (musician)|Chris Barnes]] in [[Cannibal Corpse]], and was subsequently replaced with Jason Avery on vocals in Monstrosity.

===Later releases (1999-present)=== In 1999, Monstrosity released their third studio album ''[[In Dark Purity]]''. The album was produced by Monstrosity and recorded at [[Morrisound Recording|Morrisound Studios]], Tampa, Florida. Conquest Music licensed the album to Olympic/Slip Disc/[[Century Media Records|Century Media]] for better distribution in the US and licensed the album to Metal Age and then Hammerheart Records in Europe. Jason Avery was the vocalist, Lee Harrison, the drummer, Tony Norman, the guitarist and Kelly Conlon, the bassist.

By 2004, Monstrosity recorded their fourth studio album ''[[Rise to Power (Monstrosity album)|Rise to Power]]'' at Audio Hammer Studio, Sanford, Florida.The album was produced by Lee Harrison and co-produced by Monstrosity, and engineered by [[Jason Suecof]]. Monstrosity toured the US in support of the album and they were invited by the Bogotá, Colombia government to headline a musical festival in Bogotá with 85,000 people were in attendance.

Avery was replaced in December 2005 by Brian Werner. Werner filled vocal duties on the band's 2006 European tour and subsequent U.S. shows. In December 2006, Werner was replaced by Mike Hrubovcak (Divine Rapture, Imperial Crystalline Entombment, Vile) and Mark English (guitar) joined the band.

The band released its fifth studio album ''[[Spiritual Apocalypse]]'' in 2008, followed by its sixth studio album eleven years later with ''The Passage of Existence'' on September 7, 2018.

On January 21, 2026, the band announced their seventh album, ''Screams from Beneath the Surface'', set for release on March 13.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bravewords.com/news/death-metal-legends-monstrosity-to-release-screams-from-beneath-the-surface-album-in-march-the-colossal-rage-music-video-streaming/|title=Death Metal Legends MONSTROSITY To Release Screams From Beneath The Surface Album In March; “The Colossal Rage” Music Video Streaming|magazine=[[Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles]]|access-date=January 21, 2026|date=January 21, 2026}}</ref> The band will tour Europe with [[Bio-Cancer|Bio Cancer]], Reject The Sickness, and Deadwood in April and May of 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monstrosity: US Death Metal Legends Announce “Screams Across Europe Tour 2026″! {{!}} Metal Blade Records |url=https://www.metalblade.com/us/news/monstrosity-us-death-metal-legends-announce-screams-across-europe-tour-2026/ |access-date=2026-03-04 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Band members == {{col-begin}} {{col-3}} ;Current members * Lee Harrison – drums (1990–present) * Matt Barnes – rhythm guitar (2010–present) * Justin Walker – lead guitar (2019–present) * Mark van Erp – bass (1990–1995, 2021–present; touring 2014–2021) * Edwin Webb – vocals (2021–present) {{col-3}} ;Former members * Jon Rubin – guitars (1990–1994) * [[George Fisher (musician)|George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher]] – vocals {{nowrap|(1990–1996)}} * Jason "Tux" Morgan – guitars (1994–1999) * Tony Norman – lead guitar (1999–2005) * [[Kelly Conlon]] – bass (1995–2000) * Jason Avery – vocals (1996–2001, 2003–2005) * Mike Poggione – bass (2001–2021) * Sam Molina – rhythm guitar (2003–2006), vocals {{nowrap|(2001–2003)}} * Mark English – lead guitar (2006–2019) * Mike Hrubovcak – vocals (2006–2021) {{col-3}} ;Touring members * [[Pat O'Brien (guitarist)|Pat O'Brien]] – lead guitar (1996–1997) * Jay Fernandez – guitars (1998–1999) * Bobby Earl – vocals (2001) * Patrick Hall – guitars (2002) * Brian Werner – vocals (2006) * J.J. Hrubovcak – guitars (2007) * Ben Kuzay – bass (2008) * Andrew Guthrie – bass (2012) * Jamie Harris – guitars (1998) * Jamie Osburne – guitars (1998) * Matt Moore – guitars (2009) * Steve Bailey – guitars (2000) * Chuck Amos – guitars (1994) * Adam Bollenbach – guitars (1993) * Jason Gobel – guitars (1991) {{col-end}}

=== Timeline === {{#tag:timeline| ImageSize =width:800 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea =left:120 bottom:80 top:5 right:10 Alignbars =justify DateFormat =mm/dd/yyyy Period =from:01/01/1990 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}} ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1990 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1990 TimeAxis =orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend =orientation:horizontal position:bottom

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LineData= at:03/26/1992 color:black layer:back at:08/01/1996 color:black layer:back at:09/04/1999 color:black layer:back at:09/23/2003 color:black layer:back at:04/05/2007 color:black layer:back at:09/07/2018 color:black layer:back at:03/13/2026 color:black layer:back BarData= bar:George text:"George Fisher" bar:Jason text:"Jason Avery" bar:Sam text:"Sam Molina" bar:Mike text:"Mike Hrubovcak" bar:Edwin text:"Edwin Webb" bar:Jon text:"Jon Rubin" bar:Tux text:"Jason Morgan" bar:Tony text:"Tony Norman" bar:Mark text:"Mark English" bar:Justin text:"Justin Walker" bar:Matt text:"Matt Barnes" bar:Mark2 text:"Mark van Erp" bar:Kelly text:"Kelly Conlon" bar:Mike2 text:"Mike Poggione" bar:Lee text:"Lee Harrison"

PlotData = width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:George from:start till:10/01/1996 color:vocals bar:Jason from:10/01/1996 till:06/01/2001 color:vocals bar:Sam from:06/01/2001 till:02/01/2003 color:vocals bar:Sam from:02/01/2003 till:12/31/2005 color:rguitar bar:Jason from:02/01/2003 till:12/31/2005 color:vocals bar:Mike from:01/01/2006 till:07/01/2021 color:vocals bar:Edwin from:07/01/2021 till:end color:vocals bar:Jon from:start till:04/01/1994 color:lguitar bar:Jon from:start till:04/01/1994 color:rguitar width:3 bar:Tux from:04/01/1994 till:02/01/1999 color:lguitar bar:Tux from:04/01/1994 till:02/01/1999 color:rguitar width:3 bar:Tony from:02/01/1999 till:12/31/2005 color:lguitar bar:Tony from:02/01/1999 till:02/01/2003 color:rguitar width:3 bar:Mark from:01/01/2006 till:04/01/2019 color:lguitar bar:Mark from:01/01/2006 till:02/01/2010 color:rguitar width:3 bar:Justin from:04/01/2019 till:end color:lguitar bar:Matt from:02/01/2010 till:end color:rguitar bar:Mark2 from:start till:06/01/1995 color:bass bar:Kelly from:06/01/1995 till:12/31/2000 color:bass bar:Mike2 from:01/01/2001 till:07/01/2021 color:bass bar:Mark2 from:07/01/2021 till:end color:bass bar:Lee from:start till:end color:drums }}

== Discography == === Studio albums === *''[[Imperial Doom]]'' (1992) *''[[Millennium (Monstrosity album)|Millennium]]'' (1996) *''[[In Dark Purity]]'' (1999) *''[[Rise to Power (Monstrosity album)|Rise to Power]]'' (2003) *''[[Spiritual Apocalypse]]'' (2007) *''The Passage of Existence'' (2018) *''Screams from Beneath the Surface'' (2026)

=== EPs and singles === *''Burden of Evil'' (1991) *''Darkest Dream'' (1992)

=== Compilations === *''Enslaving the Masses'' (2001)

=== Live albums === *''Live Extreme Brazilian – Tour 2002'' (2003) *''10 Years of Nuclear Blast'' (1997) *''Stages Of Decay'' (2001)

=== DVDs === *''Live Apocalypse'' (2012)

=== Demo albums === *''Horror Infinity'' (1990) *''Slaves and Masters'' (1994)

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == *[http://www.monstrosity.us/ Official website] *[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monstrosity/32550464935 Monstrosity] on [[Facebook]] *{{allmusic}} *[http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Monstrosity/893 Monstrosity] at [[Encyclopaedia Metallum]] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043919/http://www.swampfootrecords.co.uk/monstrosity.cfm Interview at Swampfoot Records]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monstrosity}} [[Category:1990 establishments in Florida]] [[Category:American technical death metal musical groups]] [[Category:Death metal musical groups from Florida]] [[Category:Metal Blade Records artists]] [[Category:Musical groups established in 1990]] [[Category:Musical groups from Fort Lauderdale, Florida]] [[Category:Musical quintets from Florida]]