Morrisound Recording (also Morrisound Studios) is an audio recording facility in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, United States, owned and operated by brothers Jim and Tom Morris. Since its opening in 1981, Morrisound has been responsible for the popularization of

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

, but caters to other genres.

History

Producer Scott Burns recalled thinking the production on albums of

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

bands such as Dark Angel,

Kreator Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current line-up consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mille Petrozza, Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen Reil, Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli- ...

Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss metal music, heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal,Bukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal' ...

"sounded like shit". He said, "There was this general consensus that nobody who produced stuff like

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera.Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. They were a major force in the groove metal, thrash met ...

gave a shit about it ..no one ever tried to make them sound good. And at the time, Jim and Tom really were pioneers as far as doing drum triggering. And they invested money in PC electronics and figured uthow to use that to make high really good recordings." Scott joined them and learned how to record and produce from

trial and error Trial and error is a fundamental method of problem-solving characterized by repeated, varied attempts which are continued until success, or until the practicer stops trying. According to W.H. Thorpe, the term was devised by C. Lloyd Morgan ( ...

. Morris and Burns spent countless hours attempting to achieve the heaviest possible drum sounds. Morris stated, " ..you gotta have a drum kit that can cut through a wall of blasting guitars. So it was extremely important to have a good acoustic space and solid engineering technique, and that was something we passed on to Scott and a few other guys we worked with. And eventually, Scott wound up doing a bunch of wall-to-wall death metal sessions."

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive i ...

wrote "With high-quality production that differentiated one band from another, artists in

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

could carve and cultivate their own identities. Sure, there were similarities ..to the untrained ear, it was a mess, but that just made it a more exclusive form of music for those who could separate one cacophonic tone from another." In May of 2025, the studio was awarded a Historical Marker by Hillsborough County.

Influence and legacy

Suffocation guitarist Terrance Hobbs referred to Morrisound as the "

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

for death metal and heavy metal" during the 1990s. Former

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based in Tampa, Florida. The band has released sixteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio ...

vocalist Chris Barnes said "Scott

urns An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...

knew what to do with fast and brutal bands, and not a lot of guys did at the time ..It really drew people from the death metal scene down here. That was a big factor in Tampa becoming a haven here. They wanted to be close to the studio". Notable albums recorded at Morrisound include works by bands such as Steve Morse,

Savatage Savatage () is an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album '' Sirens'' (1983), they changed t ...

, Morbid Angel,

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

, Control Denied,

Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, in 1981. None of the band's original members have been in the group since 1986, but since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mi ...

Obituary An obituary (wikt:obit#Etymology 2, obit for short) is an Article (publishing), article about a recently death, deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as Article (publishing), news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on p ...

Incubus An Incubus () is a demon, male demon in human form in folklore that seeks to have Sexuality in Christian demonology, sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many c ...

Demolition Hammer Demolition Hammer is an American thrash metal band from the Bronx, New York (state), New York, active from 1986 to 1995 and again since 2016. To date, the band has released three full-length studio albums: ''Tortured Existence'' (1990), ''Epid ...

, Deicide,

Malevolent Creation Malevolent Creation is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1986 and later based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band's original members were guitarists Phil Fasciana and Jim Nickles and vocalist Bret Hoffmann, who were ...

Iced Earth Iced Earth is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band currently composed of only Jon Schaffer, formed in Tampa, Florida, and based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist, ma ...

, Six Feet Under, End-Time Illusion,

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill (producer), Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-pr ...

Atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, Kamelot, Seven Mary Three, Transmetal and Demons and Wizards.

Selected albums recorded

* Agent Steel - '' Unstoppable Force'' (1987) * Atrocity - ''

Hallucinations A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...

'' (1990) *

- '' Piece of Time'' (1990) *Atheist - '' Unquestionable Presence'' (1991) * Brooke Hogan - '' About Us'' ft.

Paul Wall Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, or the Ice Man, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse, and has released several albums under the label and ...

(2006) *

Cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

- '' Death Shall Rise'' (1991) *

- '' Eaten Back to Life'' (1990) *Cannibal Corpse - '' Butchered at Birth'' (1991) *Cannibal Corpse - '' Tomb of the Mutilated'' (1992) *Cannibal Corpse - '' The Bleeding'' (1994) *Cannibal Corpse - '' Vile'' (1996) *Cannibal Corpse - '' Gallery of Suicide'' (1998) * Control Denied - '' The Fragile Art of Existence'' (1999) * Crimson Glory - '' Transcendence'' (1988) * Cynic - ''

Focus Focus (: foci or focuses) may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in East Australia Film *Focus (2001 film), ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based on the Arthur Miller novel *Focus (2015 ...

'' (1993) *

- ''

Leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

'' (1988) *Death - ''

Spiritual Healing Energy medicine is a branch of alternative medicine based on a pseudo-scientific belief that healers can channel "healing energy" into patients and effect positive results. The field is defined by shared beliefs and practices relating to m ...

'' (1990) *Death - ''

Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

'' (1991) *Death - '' Individual Thought Patterns'' (1993) *Death - '' Symbolic'' (1995) *Death - '' The Sound of Perseverance'' (1998) * Deicide - ''Sacrificial'' demo *Deicide - '' Deicide'' (1990) *Deicide - '' Legion'' (1992) *Deicide - '' Once upon the Cross'' (1995) *Deicide - '' Serpents of the Light'' (1997) *Deicide - '' In Torment in Hell'' (2001) *

- '' Tortured Existence'' (1991) * Demons & Wizards - '' Demons and Wizards'' (2000) *Demons & Wizards - '' Touched by the Crimson King'' (2005) *Doctor Butcher - '' Doctor Butcher'' (1994) * Exhorder - '' Slaughter in the Vatican'' (1990) *

- ''

'' (1990) *Iced Earth - '' Night of the Stormrider'' (1991) *Iced Earth - '' Burnt Offerings'' (1995) *Iced Earth - '' The Dark Saga'' (1996) *Iced Earth - '' Days of Purgatory'' (1997) *Iced Earth - '' Something Wicked This Way Comes'' (1998) *Iced Earth - '' The Glorious Burden'' (2004) *Iced Earth - ''

Dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...

'' (2011) * Kamelot - ''

Eternity Eternity, in common parlance, is an Infinity, infinite amount of time that never ends or the quality, condition or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside tim ...

'' (1995) *Kamelot - ''

Dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

'' (1997) *Kamelot - '' Siége Perilous'' (1998) *

- '' Renewal'' (1992) *

- '' The Ten Commandments'' (1991) *Malevolent Creation - '' In Cold Blood'' (1997) * Master - ''Master'' (1990) * Morbid Angel - '' Altars of Madness'' (1989) *Morbid Angel - '' Blessed Are the Sick'' (1991) *Morbid Angel - '' Covenant'' (1993) *Morbid Angel - '' Formulas Fatal to the Flesh'' (1998) *Morbid Angel - '' Gateways to Annihilation'' (2000) *

- '' Harmony Corruption'' (1990) * Nocturnus - '' The Key'' (1990) * Nocturnus - '' Thresholds'' (1992) *

- '' Slowly We Rot'' (1989) *Obituary - ''

Cause of Death In law, medicine, and statistics, cause of death is an official determination of the conditions resulting in a human's death, which may be recorded on a death certificate. A cause of death is determined by a medical examiner. In rare cases, an ...

'' (1990) *Obituary - '' The End Complete'' (1992) *Obituary - '' World Demise'' (1994) *

- '' Sirens'' (1983) *Savatage - '' Edge of Thorns'' (1993) *Savatage - '' Handful of Rain'' (1994) * Seven Mary Three - '' American Standard'' (1995) *Seven Mary Three - '' Orange Ave.'' (1998) *Seven Mary Three - '' The Economy of Sound'' (2001) *

- '' Arise'' (1991) *

Saigon Kick Saigon Kick is an American hard rock band from Coral Springs, FL, that formed in 1988. When they recorded their debut album and second album the band consisted of lead vocalist Matt Kramer, lead guitarist Jason Bieler, bassist Tom Defile, ...

- ''

Water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

'' (1993) *

- '' Devil in the Details'' (1995) * Six Feet Under - '' Haunted'' (1995) *Six Feet Under - '' Bringer of Blood'' (2003) *Six Feet Under - '' Death Rituals'' (2008) * Steve Morse - '' The Introduction'' (1984) * Toxik - '' World Circus'' (1987) * Terrorizer - ''

World Downfall ''World Downfall'' is the debut studio album by American grindcore band Terrorizer, released on November 13, 1989, through Earache Records. It was produced by David Vincent (musician), David Vincent of Morbid Angel, who also performed bass on the a ...

'' (1989) * Warrant - '' Dog Eat Dog'' (1992) * Transmetal - '' El Infierno de Dante '' (1993)

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 28, 03, 28, N, 82, 23, 36, W, region:US-FL_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Recording studios in the United States Hillsborough County, Florida Culture of Tampa, Florida 1981 establishments in Florida Music of Florida

History

Influence and legacy

Selected albums recorded

See also

References

External links