UMUR
"In Dark Purity" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Monstrosity. The album was released through Conquest Music in May 1999. It´s the successor to "Millennium" from 1996 and features two lineup changes since the predecessor as lead vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher has left to join Cannibal Corpse and has been replaced by Jason Avery and guitarist Jason Morgan has been replaced by Tony Norman. Drummer and band founder Lee Harrison and bassist Kelly Conlon remain from the lineup who recorded "Millennium (1996)".
Stylistically the material on "In Dark Purity" continue in the same brutal and technically well played death metal style of "Millennium (1996)". Think Cannibal Corpse meets Brutality or something in that vein. 100% pure US, Florida death metal. Losing a frontman like Fisher could have been a problem, but Avery proves to be a decent replacement. In fact I wouldn´t even have noticed there was a new singer on board, had I not known it. The two singers have a very similar growling style.
"In Dark Purity" features a dark, brutal, and raw sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly. Definitely an upgrade from the sound production of the precessor, which isn´t up to par with the production values of this album. Monstrosity are a well playing unit and they perform their music with both great conviction and passion. So on most parameters "In Dark Purity" is a good quality death metal release. I have to talk about the songwriting though, as I think most tracks lack memorable moments/riffs and vocal hooklines.
This is not vers/chorus structured pop music, but a few more catchy parts and more variation between tracks wouldn´t have hurt. Monstrosity have all the right tools, but the shed they´ve built still feels a bit empty. If I have to mention a few standout tracks it would be "Perpetual War" (because of the heavy mid-paced main riff), the instrumental "The Pillars of Drear", and the Slayer cover "Angel of Death" (which is decent although nothing too special). A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.