Rise to Power (Monstrosity album)
Encyclopedia
Rise to Power is the fourth studio album
by American death metal
band Monstrosity
. The album was recorded at Audio Hammer studios in Sanford, Florida
, with engineer Jason Suecof
and was released on September 23, 2003, through Conquest Music.
During the tour in promotion of Rise to Power, Monstrosity headlined the Rock Al Parque festival in Bogotá
, Colombia
, and performed in front of 80,000 people.
's Mexican dates coinciding with the original trek, Monstrosity began to record their fourth studio album at Morrisound Studios in early 2002. However, due to the band's heavy touring schedule, the recording of the follow-up to the compilation album Enslaving the Masses was pushed back to April 2002.
Rating 9/10
Ralf
"It's doubtless an almost perfect Death Metal record. Everything is well-done, commenced with the enormously dynamic killer production, which shows off all subtleties. Then comes the super tight musicianship of the members, which sounds nearly perfect. It proves that it's no way that Death Metal is shredding for idiots from idiots... these are really first-class musicians, which could also easily play any other music style. But why should they? They are die-hard Death Metal lunatics and this is what they do best. Although that the style of MONSTROSITY is pretty technical and they use a lot of breaks, I feel never overcharged or overrun. The songs are pretty catchy and they could be seen as a straighter type of MORBID ANGEL. This is how I would have wished their new record...
MONSTROSITY have realized that less is sometimes more and they easily surpass the former Death Metal Gods with this new record. It's not useful to comment on single songs. You got to discover this album for yourself. What I can say is, that it is fast, heavy and the vocalist grunts!!! (Online February 7, 2004)."
Teufels Tomb
Album rated Essential
"A lot of people believed that when George Fisher left MONSTROSITY for the greener pastures ofCANNIBAL CORPSE that the band had, in essence, died. 2003′s RISE TO POWER proves that this simply isn’t the case. RISE TO POWER is 11 tracks and nearly 50 minutes of old school death metal at it’s absolute finest. Imagine, if you will, early MALEVOLENT CREATION mixed with DEATH mixed with the already solid MONSTROSITY sound and what you get is one of the best pure death metal albums in years. The riff trade-offs between Sam Molina and Tony Norman are un-fucking-real and their contributions to this album instantly launch them into the upper echelons of guitar duos in metal. The bass lines are great with Mike Poggione proving his performance on the amazing CAPHARNAUM debut. The drumming, it’s Lee Harrison, honestly, what more needs to be said? Its solid, pummeling and blends with every other element. Jason Avery’s performance on RISE TO POWER simply leaves Corpsegrinder in his wake, as he actually sings WITH the music, rather than just shouting randomly hoping it fits. IN DARK PURITY may not have been the album everyone had hoped it would be, but listening to RISE TO POWER more than makes up for it. Kelly Conlon, George Fisher, Jason Gobel, Jon Rubin, Jason Morgan, Patrick Hall and Mark Van Erp all left for "bigger and better" things, to which all I can say is "Good riddance!" Death metal hasn’t sounded this good since Mr. Schuldiner, Mr. Masvidal, Mr. DiGiorgio and Mr. Reinert entered Morrisound Studios many moons ago with producer Scott Burns and recorded HUMAN. Seriously."
Metal Crypt
Christian Renner
Rating 5/5
"I had forgotten just how damn good this album was until someone on the forums asked to see a review. So me being the really swell guy I am I decided to oblige. To be completely honest not reviewing this album earlier was a gross lack of judgment on my part…I blame all that damn power/traditional metal I listen to. Hailing from Florida, USA the band has been around for quite some time in different incarnations. This is their fifth album and if I am not mistaken their fifth different lineup.
With all these changes you would think there is a real lack of cohesiveness to this band but if there is it certainly doesn't show in their musicianship or songwriting. This band plays a brand of old school death metal but at such a high level you cant understand why they are not at the top of the death metal heap. The main problem I have always had with death metal is not the music but simply the lack of variety. Monstrosity certainly doesn't have that problem. This band defines variety in the death metal genre with tons of tempo changes and absolutely killer guitar work. This is some of the best guitar playing I have heard on a death metal album this side of Chuck Shuldiner and trust me that is saying a lot. Even with all the excellent musicianship by far the stand out feature of this album is simply the overall songwriting. You never find yourself thinking you have heard the same song twice and believe it or not the songs actually become very memorable from the very first listen.
Overall Monstrosity has created exactly what a death metal album should sound like. If you have any interest in this genre at all you should really do yourself a favor and pick this one up. Highly Recommended"
Metal Storm
"For the most part, 2003 was not a very good year for metal. Nu-metal was still all the rage, Imortal broke up, and Metallica released St. Anger. However, among this sea of filth and broken souls, there was one shining island of greatness. In 2003, the Florida death metal band Monstrosity went from being a rather sub-par death metal act to releasing Rise to Power, one of the greatest metal albums of 2003, and possibly one of the greatest metal albums of the decade. This album proved that the best works can be found during the worst times.
The album was produced by the legendary Jason Suecof, who knows how to create an album that has an incredibly high production value but still retains the impact that the music was meant to deliver. He keeps the music rich and deep, while at the same time making the sound clear and sharp. No instrument is ignored on this album. On most albums, the bass is nothing more than a low rumbling in the background, but here, it stands out quite well and gives the music a great amount of depth. It's even given some standalone parts on songs such as "Awaiting Armageddon" and "Wave of Annihilation". The guitar duo of Sam Molina and Tony Norman is a wondrous exhibition of well-structured, catchy riffs and solo tradeoffs, especially on the last song. The drumming is fantastically played, but one may not like how the double bass sounded like a typewriter. Luckily, one is able to look past that thanks to the other instruments. The vocals sound almost exactly like George Fisher, but Jason Avery's growls flow with the rhythm the song more than George. Together, these elements create an album that is aggressive and memorable.
When looking back at 2003, don't see it as a year of monumental band breakups and horrible music polluting the airwaves. Instead, see it as the year that Monstrosity rose to power and proved to the world that they were far from dead.
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 8
Production: 10"
Production
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Monstrosity
Monstrosity (band)
Monstrosity is a death metal band originating from Fort Lauderdale, Florida during the death metal scene of the early 1990s. Vocalist, George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher and drummer, Lee Harrison, were the founders of Monstrosity. Harrison had just left the band Malevolent Creation and George Fisher...
. The album was recorded at Audio Hammer studios in Sanford, Florida
Sanford, Florida
Sanford is a city in, and the county seat of, Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 38,291 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 50,998...
, with engineer Jason Suecof
Jason Suecof
-Career:Jason is best known for his production and song-writing with the band Trivium. He produces most of his albums at his own Orlando, Florida based studio, Audio Hammer...
and was released on September 23, 2003, through Conquest Music.
During the tour in promotion of Rise to Power, Monstrosity headlined the Rock Al Parque festival in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, and performed in front of 80,000 people.
Background
Following an unsuccessful planned Mexican tour, which was initially scheduled for early December 2001 and rescheduled for early 2002 as a result of SepulturaSepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
's Mexican dates coinciding with the original trek, Monstrosity began to record their fourth studio album at Morrisound Studios in early 2002. However, due to the band's heavy touring schedule, the recording of the follow-up to the compilation album Enslaving the Masses was pushed back to April 2002.
Critical reception
Metal-ObserverRating 9/10
Ralf
"It's doubtless an almost perfect Death Metal record. Everything is well-done, commenced with the enormously dynamic killer production, which shows off all subtleties. Then comes the super tight musicianship of the members, which sounds nearly perfect. It proves that it's no way that Death Metal is shredding for idiots from idiots... these are really first-class musicians, which could also easily play any other music style. But why should they? They are die-hard Death Metal lunatics and this is what they do best. Although that the style of MONSTROSITY is pretty technical and they use a lot of breaks, I feel never overcharged or overrun. The songs are pretty catchy and they could be seen as a straighter type of MORBID ANGEL. This is how I would have wished their new record...
MONSTROSITY have realized that less is sometimes more and they easily surpass the former Death Metal Gods with this new record. It's not useful to comment on single songs. You got to discover this album for yourself. What I can say is, that it is fast, heavy and the vocalist grunts!!! (Online February 7, 2004)."
Teufels Tomb
Album rated Essential
"A lot of people believed that when George Fisher left MONSTROSITY for the greener pastures ofCANNIBAL CORPSE that the band had, in essence, died. 2003′s RISE TO POWER proves that this simply isn’t the case. RISE TO POWER is 11 tracks and nearly 50 minutes of old school death metal at it’s absolute finest. Imagine, if you will, early MALEVOLENT CREATION mixed with DEATH mixed with the already solid MONSTROSITY sound and what you get is one of the best pure death metal albums in years. The riff trade-offs between Sam Molina and Tony Norman are un-fucking-real and their contributions to this album instantly launch them into the upper echelons of guitar duos in metal. The bass lines are great with Mike Poggione proving his performance on the amazing CAPHARNAUM debut. The drumming, it’s Lee Harrison, honestly, what more needs to be said? Its solid, pummeling and blends with every other element. Jason Avery’s performance on RISE TO POWER simply leaves Corpsegrinder in his wake, as he actually sings WITH the music, rather than just shouting randomly hoping it fits. IN DARK PURITY may not have been the album everyone had hoped it would be, but listening to RISE TO POWER more than makes up for it. Kelly Conlon, George Fisher, Jason Gobel, Jon Rubin, Jason Morgan, Patrick Hall and Mark Van Erp all left for "bigger and better" things, to which all I can say is "Good riddance!" Death metal hasn’t sounded this good since Mr. Schuldiner, Mr. Masvidal, Mr. DiGiorgio and Mr. Reinert entered Morrisound Studios many moons ago with producer Scott Burns and recorded HUMAN. Seriously."
Metal Crypt
Christian Renner
Rating 5/5
"I had forgotten just how damn good this album was until someone on the forums asked to see a review. So me being the really swell guy I am I decided to oblige. To be completely honest not reviewing this album earlier was a gross lack of judgment on my part…I blame all that damn power/traditional metal I listen to. Hailing from Florida, USA the band has been around for quite some time in different incarnations. This is their fifth album and if I am not mistaken their fifth different lineup.
With all these changes you would think there is a real lack of cohesiveness to this band but if there is it certainly doesn't show in their musicianship or songwriting. This band plays a brand of old school death metal but at such a high level you cant understand why they are not at the top of the death metal heap. The main problem I have always had with death metal is not the music but simply the lack of variety. Monstrosity certainly doesn't have that problem. This band defines variety in the death metal genre with tons of tempo changes and absolutely killer guitar work. This is some of the best guitar playing I have heard on a death metal album this side of Chuck Shuldiner and trust me that is saying a lot. Even with all the excellent musicianship by far the stand out feature of this album is simply the overall songwriting. You never find yourself thinking you have heard the same song twice and believe it or not the songs actually become very memorable from the very first listen.
Overall Monstrosity has created exactly what a death metal album should sound like. If you have any interest in this genre at all you should really do yourself a favor and pick this one up. Highly Recommended"
Metal Storm
"For the most part, 2003 was not a very good year for metal. Nu-metal was still all the rage, Imortal broke up, and Metallica released St. Anger. However, among this sea of filth and broken souls, there was one shining island of greatness. In 2003, the Florida death metal band Monstrosity went from being a rather sub-par death metal act to releasing Rise to Power, one of the greatest metal albums of 2003, and possibly one of the greatest metal albums of the decade. This album proved that the best works can be found during the worst times.
The album was produced by the legendary Jason Suecof, who knows how to create an album that has an incredibly high production value but still retains the impact that the music was meant to deliver. He keeps the music rich and deep, while at the same time making the sound clear and sharp. No instrument is ignored on this album. On most albums, the bass is nothing more than a low rumbling in the background, but here, it stands out quite well and gives the music a great amount of depth. It's even given some standalone parts on songs such as "Awaiting Armageddon" and "Wave of Annihilation". The guitar duo of Sam Molina and Tony Norman is a wondrous exhibition of well-structured, catchy riffs and solo tradeoffs, especially on the last song. The drumming is fantastically played, but one may not like how the double bass sounded like a typewriter. Luckily, one is able to look past that thanks to the other instruments. The vocals sound almost exactly like George Fisher, but Jason Avery's growls flow with the rhythm the song more than George. Together, these elements create an album that is aggressive and memorable.
When looking back at 2003, don't see it as a year of monumental band breakups and horrible music polluting the airwaves. Instead, see it as the year that Monstrosity rose to power and proved to the world that they were far from dead.
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 8
Production: 10"
Track listing
Personnel
Monstrosity- Tony Norman – guitar, assistant engineer
- Jason Avery – vocals
- Sam Molina – guitar, backing vocals on "Rise to Power"
- Mark English – guitar solo on "Rise to Power"
- Lee Harrison – drums, producer, graphic design, assistant engineer
Production
- Scott Matthews – photography
- Kelly Milliman – photography
- Montrosity – producer
- Jason SuecofJason Suecof-Career:Jason is best known for his production and song-writing with the band Trivium. He produces most of his albums at his own Orlando, Florida based studio, Audio Hammer...
– engineer, guitar solo on "A Casket for the Soul" - Tom Morris – mastering
- Mike Poggione – bass guitar
- John Snead – drum technician
- Jacek Wisniewski – cover art