Monstrosity - _Rise to Power_
(Conquest Music, 2003)
by: Brian Meloon (6 out of 10)
Monstrosity's latest studio offering is on the surface similar to
their previous death metal opus _In Dark Purity_, but I found it
rather uninspired. Their style remains largely unchanged: it's still a
riff-heavy brand of death metal featuring both power chord-based riffs
and individual note lines, harmonized guitar parts, growled vocals, fast
double bass drumming and blast beats. However, in comparison to _In Dark
Purity_, this album has a more brutal production, with the guitars losing
their sharp edge and taking a more blunt tone. They occasionally step
outside this style, such as the Death-ish instrumental "The Fall of Eden"
and the Marty Friedman-inspired guitar solos, but for the most part the
album is consistent in style.The playing is tight, competent and
occasionally pretty technical, while the guitar solos are just average.
The vocals are neither particularly interesting nor original, but they
don't really detract from the music. Unfortunately, the songs are
just average. The riffs are pretty predictable and the song structures
don't do anything to help make them interesting. None of the songs
are very memorable and in the end, they offer nothing new to the genre.
One final disappointment is the album's closer, "Shadow of Obliteration",
which ends with over six minutes of guitar screams and bombs -- similar to
those at the end of Cacophony's "Speed Metal Symphony" -- followed by over
two minutes of a repeated sample that sounds something like a car alarm.
It's a pointless display of wankery that epitomizes the album's lack
of vision.Ultimately, this is a competent release but nothing special.
I really can't think of any reason that a death metal fan would hate it,
but on the other hand I can't think of any reason why said fan wouldn't
already have ten albums just like it.
Contact: Monstrosity P.O. Box 1343 Englewood, Florida 34295-1343
(article published 7/6/2004)
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