Originally published in ‘zine issue #6, 1993
Monstrosity is a technical death metal band that recorded the Horror Infinity demo and soon after put out an album on Nuclear Blast Records called Imperial Doom. Write Lee and ask about all the Monstrosity goodies the band has available. The band has been busy with mail and so on, but Lee answered the following interview for R. Mason.
D.U.: Is the album doing well?
Lee: Yes, so far, and we’re waiting to get the year-end figures. It’s amazing that sales have been good, since our tour with Pestilence was cut short in Europe and we haven’t toured at all in the U.S. It’s been totally the underground which has supported us with sales.
Why do you think so many bands go to Scott Burns at Morrisound?
Scott is just a cool dude, period. Fuck all that “whiz kid producer” crap. Scott is a cool dude who is good at what he does. If you walk into another studio, you’ll spend all your time trying to tell the guy what you want. Scott knows.
How do you feel about the whole controversy of sexism in the scene?
I haven’t given it much thought, to tell the truth.
How do you feel about homophobia?
My philosophy is, “live and let live.” I figure homophobia is sorta like hysteria—the extreme.
Do you think death metal/grind is being somewhat exploited now that labels like Earache and Nuclear Blast are much larger than they were earlier?
The answer is “yes.” A lot of mediocre bands are being signed just because the band can tune their guitars down to C, do death growls, and blast.
Is the whole “stay underground” mentality dead?
I’d have to say “no.” I think that attitude is alive and well.
Judging by the demos we get, there’s a whole flock of death metal bands trying to cash in on the current trend. What do you think will happen to the scene when the labels find a new genre to exploit?
I think you’re right about the market being saturated, and it just leads to scene overkill. Labels should really be more selective when signing bands. It would be more competitive, but it would make the mediocre bands work that much harder. It would definitely improve the scene. Right now, there’s so many bands on the market that people have to weed through it all to find what’s good.
Do you think there’s any true validity to death metal lyrics, or do you not give a fuck about validating them?
Since I write the lyrics for our songs, I feel like I have something valid to say. I do use a lot of metaphors to get my message across, and I think I’m dealing with valid concerns. I’m not into the hacking and slashing lyrics which is common to the genre.
What do you think about the grind/noise scene that looks to be emerging?
Everyone should play the music that they’re comfortable with. I think we’ll be expanding quite a bit with our second LP, but that doesn’t mean commercialize.
Do you feel competition among other Floridian bands?
I’d say friendly competition. We really try to help each other for the most part.
Do you feel it’s a hinderance to be associated with the Florida death metal scene?
It does get a little old to be continually referred to as another death metal band coming out of Florida. On the other hand, the competition makes Florida bands work that much harder trying to get signed.
Last words?
Thanks for the interview, Mason. I hope people will buy Imperial Doom and check us out. Stay brutal. ■
Photo: Monstrosity (courtesy Lee Harrison)
