Tag Archives: Possessed
Death ’til Death – Day 2: Possessed
Yesterday Death were my first pick in our Death Metal week. When someone’s talking about archetypal Death Metal and mentions Death, you’ve also got to acknowledge Possessed’s legacy. Arguably the very first band to play the genre, known as Death Metal nowadays, Possessed influenced countless bands.
Possessed, just like Death, were formed in 1983. Their first lineup included Barry Fisk on vocals, but his time in the band was cut short when he committed suicide by gunshot in front of his girlfriend. Shortly after that Jeff Becerra joined the band handling vocal and bass duties.
Yesterday in my post about Death, I argued that the term “death metal” was coined by Death, or rather people referring to them. That was just one theory though. There are a bunch of theories about who came up with the term. In 1984, for example, Possessed recorded a demo called Death Metal. Jeff Becerra himself claimed to have come up with the term. After all, it’s up to debate, and it’s not really that important either way.
What’s important though, is the music Possessed created. Their debut album Seven Churches, released in 1985, further pushed Slayer-esque Thrash Metal into a heavier direction and remains a classic of the scene. Their second album Beyond The Gates couldn’t match the overwhelming reaction Churches received, mostly due to poor production and a change in direction. The band only released one EP after that, The Eyes Of Horror — which was produced by none other than guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani. Shortly after that, the band disbanded.
Even though Possessed only released two studio albums and one EP, the band had left a huge mark on the early Death Metal scene. Seven Churches remains one of the most important releases of the genre, and Possessed remain one of the most important bands of the genre.
Possessed – The Exorcist
Death ’til Death introduction – Day 1: Death – Day 2: Possessed – Day 3: Morbid Angel
Day 4: Cannibal Corpse – Day 5: Nile – Day 6: Hypocrisy – Day 7: Obituary
Friday Top 10: Best Death Metal songs
People always ask me “Hey, you awesome metal journalist you, what are the best songs of <insert genre>,” so I figured I’d write a list about the greatest Death Metal songs of all time.
There are just a couple of rules I’m limiting myself to. #1 Only one song per band, #2 Must be Death Metal; not Melodic Death, Deathgrind or Blackened Death.
Sounds simple? Well, it is, isn’t it? So make the jump now for this week’s Friday Top 10.
Interview: Tony Campos (Prong, Possessed, Asesino)
Tony Campos looks like a mean guy but he’s actually really nice, not to forget that he’s a great bassist and vocalist.
Tony plays (and played) in lots of bands, including Ministry, Dia de Los Muertos, Attika, Possessed, Asesino, Otep, Buck Satan & the 666 Shooters, Prong and the band he started his career with: Static-X.
Check out my interview with him, where we talked about Asesino, his involvement with Possessed and his epic beard after the jump.
Possessed unveil new lineup
What you see up there, is the new lineup of Possessed. Recognize anyone in the picture? The guy on the left, with the epic beard, is Tony Campos, former bassist of Static-X and vocalist of Asesino. The guy at the bottom is Jeff Becerra, the legendary vocalist of Possessed who is bound to a wheelchair since 1989 when he was robbed and shot by two drug addicts. Honestly, I’ve never seen the other three guys, which doesn’t mean that they’re not capable, I just don’t know them.
Jeff Becerra – Vocals
Emilio Marquez (Sadistic Intent) – Drums
Tony Campos (Static-X, Prong, Asesino) – Bass
Kelly Mclauchlin (Diabolic, Unholy Ghost, Pessimist) – Guitar
Daniel Gonzalez (Nailshitter, Occisas) – Guitar
With this lineup, Possessed are writing new material, maybe for a new album? It would be Possessed’s third album after ‘Seven Churches’ from 1985 and ‘Beyond the Gates’ from 1986.
