MONSTROSITY– Rise To Power Digi-CD

Four years after their successful "In Dark Purity," Monstrosity hit the books once again to write their fourth full-length. This time around, they have a whole new lineup. Keeping original member Lee Harrison and recruitee Jason Avery, they hired Tony Norman and Sam Molina (both of Terrorizer) to replace guitarist Jason Morgan.  They also got Michael Poggione (Capharnaum, Lecherous Nocturne) on board, replacing bassist Kelly Conlon. Despite all of the changes, Monstrosity kept their sound ferociously technical.

However, they lost the part of their music that kept up its vitality: the harmonization. Sure, this album still has some really good riffs and sequences, but there is nothing on here quite like what was on "In Dark Purity." With a new lineup comes a new style, but this is not to say that their new sound is bad. In fact, it's very reminiscent of "Millennium," so it's isn't an entirely new sound. Also, the technical stamina of this new lineup, while not as as good as their lineup in 1996, is still more proficient than their previous album.