Beneath the Surface: Lee Harrison on Monstrosity’s Evolution and the Fury of Their New Album

Beneath the Surface: Lee Harrison on Monstrosity’s Evolution and the Fury of Their New Album

Few bands in death metal have carved a path as enduring—or as uncompromising—as Monstrosity. For 35 years, drummer, songwriter, and founding force Lee Harrison has steered the Florida legends through shifting lineups, changing eras, and the relentless evolution of extreme music. Now, with the release of Screams from Beneath the Surface on Metal Blade Records, Monstrosity enters a new chapter—one marked by sharpened songwriting, renewed energy, and the arrival of vocalist Ed Webb, whose performance signals a powerful new era for the band.

In this in‑depth conversation, Harrison reflects on the making of the new album, the return of longtime bassist Mark Van Erp, the cult legacy of Millennium three decades later, and what keeps him driven after more than three decades in the trenches. From creative reinvention to the realities of touring, Harrison pulls back the curtain on Monstrosity’s past, present, and future—and why the band’s fire is burning hotter than ever.

We’re here with Lee Harrison from Monstrosity, and we’ve got a new album to talk about. First of all, is there any story or concept behind the title Screams from Beneath the Surface?
The way I’ve been approaching that title is really about digging a little deeper with these songs—going beneath the surface, so to speak. I’ve always felt that with new music, the secret is exposure. The more time you spend with an album, the more it opens up. Instead of giving it one or two listens, this one rewards you for diving in and exploring.

It wasn’t originally conceived as some big concept; a lot of times I’m just putting words together and seeing what resonates. But as the album came together, that idea of digging deeper felt like the right interpretation.

Let’s talk about some of the songs on the new album. “The Atrophied”—tell me about that one and the inspiration behind it.
I’m not sure if it was the first or second song written for the album, but it was one of the four we worked on during the mixing sessions for the last record back in 2018. The idea was to create something that captured the more brutal end of what we do—something extreme, but also something that wrapped all the core elements of Monstrosity into one track.

We didn’t want it to be a straightforward verse‑chorus‑verse structure, even though those elements are there. The arrangement wanders a bit. There’s a crazy section in the middle, then a halftime part that’s more melodic, and then plenty of brutal moments throughout. We definitely spent time shaping that one, tightening the arrangement, and making sure it represented the full spectrum of what Monstrosity is known for.

Tell me about “The Colossal Rage.” This colossal rage will end your life—what’s the story behind that one?
That one’s just a fast rager. Tempo‑wise it’s a little quicker than “The Atrophied,” and it’s full of those fast, notey parts. The idea was to deliver a brutal punch in the face right out of the gate. Since it was the first single, we wanted to come out swinging.

It’s short, it’s to the point, and we’re really happy with how it turned out. The reaction so far has been great. And we actually did a real video for it—our first proper video ever, believe it or not. We had one years ago for “Final Cremation,” but it was so poorly done we don’t even count it.

Let’s go to the final track, “Veil of Disillusion.” Tell me about that one and how it closes the album.
Lee: That one is similar in spirit to a song like “Vapors,” which has a more traditional structure—verse, pre‑chorus, chorus, middle section, and so on. But with “Veil of Disillusion,” we wanted to let go of that formula and just let the song go wherever it wanted.

We basically had two main sections: the faster, more chaotic opening, and then the middle where it breaks down and shifts into something different. Instead of trying to circle back to the beginning and tie everything together like a typical song, we decided to let it wander.

We did something similar on “Fatal Millennium” from our second album—just abandoning the usual structure and letting the parts take you where they want to go. That was the mindset with “Veil of Disillusion.”

Ed Webb is the new vocalist in the band, known from Massacre and Diabolic. How did he become involved with Monstrosity, and what’s it like working with a new vocalist after all this time?
Our previous vocalist reached a point where he just didn’t want to tour anymore. We tried to make it work—especially when the pandemic hit, we thought maybe the touring schedule would slow down and he’d stick around for the next record. But he was pretty set on stepping away from the full‑time band life. He still has some projects he works on, but being in a touring band like Monstrosity just wasn’t something he wanted to continue.

We auditioned a few local guys. We were going to shows, checking out who was around, and we found a couple of promising singers. The issue was that they didn’t have the high screams that are part of the Monstrosity sound. Not that they couldn’t learn them—our second singer, Jason Avery, didn’t have the highs when he joined either, and within a year he was nailing them. But it would’ve taken time.

Around then, I was on tour filling in on drums for Inhuman Condition. Terry Butler from Obituary was on that run, and backstage one night I was telling him about our situation. He suggested Ed Webb. I’ve known Ed forever through Diabolic and other bands, but for some reason he wasn’t on my radar—I always thought of him more as a bass player, even though he sang in Massacre.

Once Terry mentioned him, it clicked immediately. When I got home from that tour, I called Ed, and we got into the rehearsal room right away. It’s been great ever since. He does the old material justice, and he absolutely nailed the new album. We’re really happy with how it all turned out.

Mark Van Erp is back in the band. How did that come about?
Mark was on the first album and wrote on the second, but right before we started recording that second record he had to move back to New York for personal reasons, so he left the band. We always stayed friends, though. He even came out on tour with us in ’99 during the Dark Purity cycle—he and Rob Barrett both hung out and helped us on the road.

Around 2010, we played Metal in the Forest in Mexico City, and Mark ended up playing bass for that show. There were a couple of other shows after that where he filled in, including 70,000 Tons of Metal.

Then around 2014 or 2015, our bassist Mike Poggione moved to Ukraine to be with his girlfriend. He could still make the European tours, which was fine, but when we got offered one‑off shows in the U.S.—like California Deathfest—it didn’t make sense for him to fly all the way back for a single gig. So we started calling Mark for those shows.

Eventually it just made sense to stick with him. Things were going great, we’ve always loved his playing, and he’s genuinely excited to be part of the band again. He missed a lot of years, so I think he really enjoys being out there doing this. And the fans love having an original Imperial Doom member back. We’re happy with how everything’s working out.

What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming Screams Across Europe tour?
Right now we’re in the headache stage—sorting out logistics, details, all the behind‑the‑scenes stuff. But once we get over there and knock out that first show, I think we’ll feel a lot better. We’re just excited to be back and especially excited that this tour actually lines up with the album release.

That’s been a recurring problem for us: the album comes out, and then two years later we finally make it to Europe. We tried to fix that with the last record, but some issues came up and it didn’t happen. This time, though, we finally have a tour synced with the release. We’ll be playing new material, and the plan is to keep the momentum going.

Is there any chance of Monstrosity doing a U.S. tour or maybe playing out here in the Los Angeles area?
Yes. We’ve got Maryland Deathfest booked, and we just announced Milwaukee Metal Fest. The plan right now is to do a U.S. run in the fall. We’re talking with our booking agent about different package ideas, and the goal is to hit the States in late summer or early fall. So absolutely—U.S. dates are coming.

We’ll talk about a few Monstrosity anniversaries. First, the 30‑year anniversary of Millennium, which featured George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. Looking back now, what do you think of that album three decades later?
We’re proud of all our albums, of course, but Millennium is an interesting one. I think it flew under the radar at first. It was a little more technical, and at the time George was getting all the attention because of Cannibal Corpse.

But when Cannibal released the Centuries of Torment DVD, a lot of people were exposed to Millennium again, and it kind of got a second life. For some fans, that’s their favorite Monstrosity album. For others, it’s the first record. But Millennium definitely developed a cult status over time—kind of like a movie that doesn’t take off right away but later becomes a fan favorite. That’s how I see it.

Last year you celebrated another milestone: the 35th anniversary of Monstrosity. What are your thoughts on doing this for 35 years, and what’s kept you passionate about metal all this time?
Honestly, it feels like a blink of an eye. It doesn’t seem like 35 years at all. But when I stop and think about everything we’ve been through, yeah, it makes sense. It’s gone by fast, and it’s been interesting, to say the least.

Music has been in my soul since I was seven years old. This is what I’ve always wanted to do, and I never gave up on it. I don’t plan on giving up anytime soon—though you never know what life brings. Right now, we’re just happy to still be here, putting out a new album we’re proud of. Being able to do that this far into the game is something we don’t take for granted.

Are you currently involved with any other bands or projects outside of Monstrosity?
Back in 2007 through 2009, I worked with Midnight from Crimson Glory and recorded a lot of material with him. It was a really creative period. Crimson Glory started as a progressive/power metal band in the ’80s, but Midnight’s solo material became more folky—almost Neil Young‑ish, with touches of old Led Zeppelin.

We’d take his acoustic ideas and build full arrangements around them. Sometimes I’d play all the instruments; other times my partner in the project, Matt LaPorte, would. We mixed it up—one song I’d be on drums, another on guitar, another on bass, keys, whatever. It was wide‑open creatively.

Midnight passed away in 2009, but we’ve continued releasing the material we recorded. In 2014 we put out a three‑CD set of his originals on my label, Conquest Music. Then in 2021 or 2022 we released a covers album from that era. It’s not an “active” project in the traditional sense, but I still work on it and make sure his fans get to hear the music.

I also have my solo rock project, Lavoizen, where I play everything. I’m not as active with it because Monstrosity keeps me busy, but I’ve been working on the first album for years. I’ve demoed it many times, but I’ve never been satisfied with the production. I love the songs—I just want to get them sounding right before I release anything. I feel like I need to finish that album before I can move on to writing the next one.

We’re no longer doing the Terrorizer thing with Pete Sandoval. That ran its course between 2013 and 2020. He ended up going back with David Vincent, and everything worked out fine—no hard feelings. But that project was a blast. I was playing guitar, which was a fun challenge, and I think Caustic Attack is one of Pete’s best performances ever. I’m really proud of that record.

There’s also another project I’ve been working on with a friend who plays keyboards. We recorded some material not long ago, and there are some bigger players involved. It’s still under wraps, so I’ll let him announce it when the time comes.

But right now, Monstrosity and the new record are my main focus.

Last question before we do a radio ID. Do you have any messages for Monstrosity fans here in the Los Angeles area who are reading this?
I hope we get back out there soon. I’ve always loved L.A. and Hollywood. I’ll even go on Google Earth sometimes and “walk” through neighborhoods out there—I just love California in general. I know some people complain about it, but I’ve always had a great time every time we’ve played there.

We’ve always had strong shows in California and L.A., and we’re really looking forward to getting back and playing for everyone again. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

In Conclusion

As Monstrosity enters their thirty‑fifth year, Lee Harrison remains as driven and creatively sharp as ever. Screams from Beneath the Surface isn’t just another chapter in the band’s history—it’s a reaffirmation of their place in the lineage of Florida death metal, a reminder that evolution and intensity can coexist, and a testament to the fire that still fuels Harrison after decades behind the kit. With a revitalized lineup, long‑awaited tours on the horizon, and a renewed sense of purpose, Monstrosity stands poised to carve deeper than ever before. For fans old and new, the message is clear: the screams from beneath the surface are only getting louder.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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