01. Banished To The Skies
02. The Colossal Rage
03. The Atrophied
04. Spiral
05. Fortunes Engraved In Blood
06. Vapors
07. The Thorns
08. Blood Works
09. The Dark Aura
10. Veil Of Disillusion

Why the rush?

Ah, Monstrosity, a band oft referred to as merely being the band Corpsegrinder was in before joining Cannibal Corpse, thus relegating them to a footnote in metal rather than a quality outfit in their own right. Those more familiar with the band will be aware that Monstrosity have several quality slabs of death metal to their name, and are more than just Corpsegrinder's stepping stone to bigger things. While 2026's Screams From Beneath The Surface won't rank amongst the band's best work, it is an enjoyable dose of old school death metal for those seeking a fix.

The saying 'good things come to those who wait' is something Monstrosity unfortunately like to test. Unless you are using Axl Rose's scale to measure time, one thing Florida's Monstrosity can't be accused of is rushing, as 2026's Screams From Beneath The Surface is the band's first new album in eight years (the preceding album was itself the product of a eleven-year wait). Indeed, much like Axl Rose and his penchant for swapping band mates like Pogs, in this time frame Monstrosity look much different from the last time they put out an album, with Matt Barnes and Lee Harrison the only remaining holdovers from 2018's The Passage Of Existence, though the return of Mark Van Erp means not all these new faces are unfamiliar to the band.

Still, despite time and member rotation, Monstrosity retain their familiar sound on Screams From Beneath The Surface, namely old school death metal that leans slightly on the technical side. Fans of the genre who just want an instant death metal bludgeoning need only hit play on "The Colossal Rage" and "Blood Works" to get an instant fix of the good stuff. While some maybe quick to reach for the label 'generic' in short order, tracks like "Dark Aura" demonstrate the band shaking up expectations and branching out their style... admittedly in the case of "Dark Aura", it's not done particularly well, but the will was there even if the execution is not so much.

It comes as a surprise to the band fail the execution in this regard, as Screams From Beneath The Surface highlights the evident talents amongst their ranks, from Barnes's guitar work on "The Atrophied" to Van Erp's ever-present thundering bass adding a solid and satisfying element on tracks like "The Thorns". The weakest link would be Webb, who isn't a bad vocalist by any means, but it's clear he's modelling his performance on Corpsegrinder (not exactly a rare thing in death metal to be fair), only giving credence to the argument that Monstrosity are living in the large shadow cast by their old singer. While he does well with songs like "Covered In Blood", you can't help the feeling of it being less than, rather than being different or better than.

With the band's penchant for taking their time between releases, you certainly don't have an excuse not to re-listen to Screams From Beneath The Surface several times before the band decide to follow it up: a good thing, then, that the band give you plenty to sink your teeth into.

Performance:	7
Songwriting:	6
Originality:	5
Production:	8