Possessed (band)


































Possessed

Possessed - Wacken Open Air 2017 01.jpg
Possessed performing live in 2017.

Background information
Origin
San Francisco Bay Area, California
Genres
Death metal, thrash metal
Years active 1983–1987, 1990–1993, 2007–present
Labels
Combat, Relativity, Under One Flag, Agonia, Roadrunner, Nuclear Blast
Members Jeff Becerra
Daniel Gonzalez
Emilio Márquez
Robert Cardenas
Claudeous Creamer
Past members See: former members

Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are often called the first band in the death metal genre.[1]


After breaking up in 1987, and briefly reforming from 1990 to 1993, the band reformed under original bassist and vocalist Jeff Becerra in 2007. To date, the band has released two studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums and two EPs.




Contents






  • 1 History


    • 1.1 Formation (1983)


    • 1.2 Rise (1983–1987)


    • 1.3 Disbandings, reformations and new-line-ups (1987–2011)


    • 1.4 New album (2012–present)




  • 2 Influences


  • 3 Legacy


  • 4 Original line-up today


  • 5 Discography


    • 5.1 Studio albums


    • 5.2 Live albums


    • 5.3 Compilation albums


    • 5.4 Extended plays


    • 5.5 Music videos




  • 6 Line-up


    • 6.1 Timeline




  • 7 References


  • 8 External links





History



Formation (1983)


The band originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1983, when San Pablo and El Sobrante residents Mike Torrao (guitar) and Mike Sus (drums) started a garage band with vocalist Barry Fisk and bassist Jeff Andrews under the name Possessed. While the quartet had written some music together, the line-up would be cut short when Fisk committed suicide by gunshot in front of his girlfriend's house in Tara Hills, San Pablo, CA, and Andrews subsequently opted not to participate in the group any longer.




Pinole Valley High School, the alma mater of Jeff Becerra, Larry LaLonde, Danny Boland and Michael Miner (Class of 1986_1, 2 3). Miner and LaLonde would join Blind Illusion after Possessed's first disbanding. After Blind Illusion disbanded, LaLonde would replace Todd Huth (Class of 1981) on guitar in Primus.


At about the same time, a band called Blizzard had formed in the neighboring city of Pinole. This band had Jeff Becerra on vocals, Larry LaLonde and Danny Boland on guitars and Michael Miner on drums, all of whom were high school students in the same graduating class. Blizzard was influenced by the early work of Metallica and Exodus, both of whom were gaining a stronghold in the local heavy metal scene and amassing a following abroad. Becerra would leave Blizzard and replace Possessed's Andrews (who had played on Exodus' 1982 Demo) on bass, and also took over vocal duties;[2] Brian Montana was recruited on guitar, and the second incarnation of Possessed was created.



Rise (1983–1987)


The 1983-1984 year was spent practicing and working on their sound by performing at local venues and eventually releasing the 3-song demo, "Death Metal". After live shows with Metallica and Exodus, the latter group brought the band's demo recording to the attention of Brian Slagel, head of Metal Blade Records.[3][4] Slagel showed interest in the band and offered to put one of their songs on an upcoming compilation, Metal Massacre 6. The track included was titled "Swing of the Axe." Following the release of the compilation, guitarist Brian Montana left the band due to creative differences and was replaced by Blizzard guitarist Larry Lalonde. Although Metal Blade did not offer to sign the band, the compilation drew the attention of Combat Records. Possessed signed with the label and released the album Seven Churches in 1985,[3][5] with Roadrunner Records handling European distribution. Mechanics Bank heiress Debbie Abono (nee Downer), mother of LaLonde's then-girlfriend, Julie, would manage the band.


In November of the same year, the band flew to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, for the WWIII Weekend Festival in support of the Seven Churches release, playing alongside Celtic Frost, Destruction, Voivod and Nasty Savage; the concert was Possessed's first and largest arena appearance, with nearly 7,000 in attendance.[6]


Possessed followed the release with a supporting tour which included a performance with Slayer and Venom at San Francisco's Kabuki in 1986.[7] On Halloween, 1986, Possessed released their second album, Beyond the Gates. The following May, the band issued a five-song EP titled The Eyes of Horror which marked a change in direction for the band. The Satanic themes they had become noted for were almost completely absent, and the songs had more of a thrash metal style than their earlier death metal. The EP was produced by guitarist Joe Satriani, and Storm in My Mind was written by Lalonde, the rest by Torrao who had written most of the band's earlier material too with Becerra writing all but three songs of the lyrics.



Disbandings, reformations and new-line-ups (1987–2011)


Shortly after the release of the Eyes of Horror EP, the band disbanded. In 1989, Jeff Becerra was paralyzed from the chest down following a shooting in a robbery.[8][9]




In 2007, it was announced Jeff Becerra would be performing under the "Possessed" name at the Wacken Open Air festival and would be backed by all members of Sadistic Intent, one of the bands featured on the Possessed tribute, and would also headline the Gathering of the Bestial Legions III festival in Los Angeles. This same lineup also performed at Maryland Deathfest VIII in May 2010. After a U.S. tour with Danzig and Marduk, Rick and Bay Cortez along with Ernesto Bueno left the band.



New album (2012–present)


By late 2012, Possessed had begun writing new material for their first full-length studio album since 1986's Beyond the Gates.[10] They have aired several new songs live in recent years, which are expected to be featured on the new album.


On May 11, 2017, it was announced that the band had signed to Nuclear Blast Records, and that their first studio album in 32 years is set to be released in 2018.[11] However, by the end of 2018 it still had no official release date. On January 20, 2019 the band confirmed their next album will be released in spring 2019, their first new album in 33 years.



Influences


At least three Possessed members who had written and recorded with the band at some point (vocalist/bassist Becerra, guitarist Torrao and guitarist Montana) cite early Exodus and Venom as their main influences, in addition to NWOBHM acts like Motörhead, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest.[12][13]
Although Allmusic attributed Slayer as being a musical influence for 1985's Seven Churches,[14] the first Slayer album Show No Mercy had not been released until December 1983, shortly after members of Possessed were already writing material for their demo and debut album. Lyrically, most of Possessed's songs focused on Satanism and death.



Legacy




Jeff Becerra at Finland's 2008 Jalometalli.


Possessed are often cited as the first death metal band, largely because of the early use of grunted vocals, ultra-fast drumming and guitar tremolo picking as previously noted. In the 2004 book, "Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore", Jeff Becerra staked claim to creating the "death metal" nomenclature in 1983.[15] The band's efforts on Seven Churches have been called an influence by groups like Death, Pestilence, Sepultura, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Sinister, Vader, God Dethroned and Amon Amarth, the latter five bands having appeared on a 2004 Possessed tribute album.[16][17][18] Possessed's "The Exorcist" had been covered earlier by Cannibal Corpse on the 1993 Hammer Smashed Face EP.


Even while the band had played only a handful of gigs in the Bay Area, they earned a huge capital of popularity in Europe's metal scene.[19] Members of Napalm Death were influenced by Possessed and credit the band for their musical shift from grindcore to a more death metal direction after Scum.[20] In addition to their impression on overseas death metal, the group would also inspire black metal acts like Germany's Falkenbach,[21] Greece's Rotting Christ,[22] Switzerland's Samael[23] and Norway's Dimmu Borgir.[24]


Chuck Schuldiner, who had relocated his band Death to the Bay Area to write Scream Bloody Gore with Chris Reifert, in tandem with Possessed's rise, told magazine Metal Maniacs:







In the book Choosing Death, Mantas/Death drummer Kam Lee called Possessed the first death metal band, and added:







Author Daniel Ekeroth expanded on Lee's assessment of the 1984 Death Metal demo in his book, Swedish Death Metal:








Possessed's association with Debbie Abono would be a "first" for both sides: Abono would be the band's first manager, and Possessed were Abono's first managed signed band. A grandmother in her mid-fifties at that time,[28][29] Abono had no previous connection to heavy metal music other than as a concert designated driver for her daughters, one of whom was a girlfriend of guitarist Larry LaLonde.[29] Due to generation gap, Abono also had limited awareness of the sometimes blasphemous themes of heavy metal, and was allegedly offended upon reading the lyric sheet of Seven Churches.[19] Nevertheless, she agreed to manage and represent Possessed as long as Becerra and LaLonde finished high school commitments.[19] Although the group's relationship amongst themselves and their first manager would reach points of discord and eventual termination, Abono would go on to manage additional bands in the Bay Area metal scene like Exodus, Vio-Lence and Forbidden Evil, as well as death metal bands like Chicago's Broken Hope and Florida's Cynic and Obituary.[30]




Jeff Becerra 2008 at Jalometalli


While Possessed's first album, Seven Churches, was praised for its speed and the brutality of the vocals, the second album, Beyond the Gates, disappointed both fans and critics alike. Released on Halloween of 1986, the album wasn't as powerful and as influential as its predecessor, and the band's popularity suffered because of it.[31][32] Because of Possessed's earlier material being more popular than their later work, they are most often remembered for their first album, Seven Churches.



Original line-up today


Vocalist/bassist Jeff Becerra continues to play a role in the death, black, and thrash metal scenes. He received a degree in labor studies and plans to pursue a law degree. He revamped the band in 2007.


In 1993, drummer Mike Sus retired from music to pursue other careers, going on to get a degree in psychology and is helping injured people to live a normal everyday life. He is also a drug addiction counselor.[33]


Guitarist Larry LaLonde joined the Bay Area thrash metal band Blind Illusion which released The Sane Asylum in 1988, after which Lalonde with Blind Illusion bassist Les Claypool went on to form the influential funk metal band Primus in 1989.[3][34]


In 1995, guitarist Mike Torrao joined a new death metal band, Infanticide, but never released any songs to the public. Infanticide broke up in 1997. He has since worked as a landscaper and plays music only in his spare time. As of 2008, Mike Torrao is working with the band INaCAGE[35] in the San Francisco Bay Area.[33]



Discography



Studio albums























Year
Title
Label
1985

Seven Churches

Relativity/Combat
1986

Beyond the Gates
Relativity/Combat
2019

TBA

Nuclear Blast


Live albums













Year
Title
Label
2004

Agony in Paradise
Agonia


Compilation albums























Year
Title
Label
1992

Victims of Death
Relativity/Combat
2003

Resurrection
Agonia
2000

Metal Massacre 6
Metal Blade


Extended plays


















Year
Title
Label
1987

The Eyes of Horror
Combat
2006

Ashes from Hell
Boneless


Music videos













Year
Title
Label
1986

Beyond The Gates
Relativity/Combat


Line-up


Current members


  • Jeff Becerra – vocals (1983–1987, 2007–present), bass (1983–1987)


  • Emilio Márquez – drums (2007–present)

  • Daniel Gonzalez – guitar (2011–present)

  • Robert Cardenas – bass (2012–present)

  • Claudeous Creamer - guitar (2016–present)


Former members


  • Mike Pardi - guitar (2013–2016)

  • Barry Fisk – vocals (1983; died 1983)

  • Brian Montana – guitar (1983–1984)

  • Mike Sus – drums (1983–1987)

  • Mike Torrao – guitar (1983–1987, 1990–1993), vocals (1990–1993)


  • Larry LaLonde – guitar (1984–1987)

  • Duane Connley – guitar (1990)

  • Dave Alex Couch – guitar (1990)

  • Colin Carmichael – drums (1990)

  • Chris Stolle – drums (1990)

  • Bob Yost – bass (1990–1992; died 2010)

  • Mark Strausburg – guitar (1991–1993)

  • Walter Ryan – drums (1991–1993)

  • Mike Hollman – guitar (1993)

  • Paul Perry – bass (1991-1993)

  • Ernesto Bueno – guitar (2007–2010)

  • Rick Cortez – guitar (2007–2010)

  • Bay Cortez – bass (2007–2010)

  • Vanik Vartanian – drums (2008–2009)


  • Tony Campos – bass guitar (2011–2012)

  • Kelly Mclauchlin – guitar (2011–2013)



Timeline






References





  1. ^ Possessed band page, Eduardo Rivadavia, Allmusic: "The brutal Seven Churches was arguably the first true death metal album and set the stage for the genre's breakaway from thrash."


  2. ^ MusicMight :: Artists :: POSSESSED ))) Archived 2013-11-04 at the Wayback Machine


  3. ^ abc Possessed Bio @ The Gauntlet


  4. ^ Possessed: Biography, Discography Archived 2011-06-15 at the Wayback Machine


  5. ^ Twisted Minds, Possessed history


  6. ^ Christe, Ian (February 17, 2004). Sound of the beast: the complete headbanging history of heavy metal (page 142). It Books. ISBN 0-380-81127-8..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  7. ^ Metal-Rules.com - Possessed: Where Are They Now?


  8. ^ Frank Stöver interviews Jeff Becerra


  9. ^ POSSESSED's JEFF BECERRA Gives Revealing Interview, Blabbermouth.net, July 22, 2008


  10. ^ Possessed Working On New Music; 'Barge To Hell' Performance Footage Posted Online


  11. ^ "POSSESSED Signs With NUCLEAR BLAST". Blabbermouth.net. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.


  12. ^ POSSESSED interview - Jeff Becerra


  13. ^ POSSESSED interview - Brian Montana


  14. ^ allmusic(((Seven Churches > Overview)))


  15. ^ John Peel,, Albert Mudrian (2004). Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore. Feral House. ISBN 1-932595-04-X.


  16. ^ KARMA006 - Various - Seven Gates of Horror


  17. ^ PESTILENCE interview - Martin Van Drunen


  18. ^ PESTILENCE interview - Patrick Mameli


  19. ^ abc Konow, David (2002). Bang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal (page 234). Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-609-80732-3.


  20. ^ Mudrian, Albert (July 14, 2009). Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces (page 59). Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81806-X.


  21. ^ FALKENBACH interview - Vratyas Vakyas


  22. ^ ROTTING CHRIST interview - Sakis Tolis


  23. ^ SAMAEL interview - Michael Locher (Vorph)


  24. ^ McIver, Joel (2004). Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica (Silenoz: "The bands that had an immense impact on me were....Possessed..."). Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-84772-797-2.


  25. ^ Ian Christe (2004). Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal (page 115). Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0-380-81127-8.


  26. ^
    John Peel, Albert Mudrian (2004). Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore (page 70). Feral House. ISBN 1-932595-04-X.



  27. ^
    Ekeroth, Daniel (2008). Swedish Death Metal (page 12). Bazillion Points. ISBN 978-0-9796163-1-0.



  28. ^ Konow, David (2002). Bang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal (page 233). Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-609-80732-3.


  29. ^ ab Ian Christe (2004). Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal (page 113). Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0-380-81127-8.


  30. ^ OBITUARY interview - John Tardy


  31. ^ Eduardo Rivadavia, Review of Possessed, Beyond the Gates, Allmusic: "[The album] wound up coming as a disappointment to most critics and fans alike . . . transforming a sound previously distinguished for its inexorable power into a ragged, decidedly weaker-kneed replacement."


  32. ^ Eduardo Rivadavia, Possessed band page, Allmusic: "Their second effort, Beyond the Gates, was released, fittingly enough, on Halloween 1986, but didn't have the same impact as its predecessor."


  33. ^ ab Possessed - Where Are They Now?, on Metal Rules July 2001


  34. ^ Twisted Minds, Possessed - Where Are They Now?


  35. ^ The official INaCAGE website




External links







  • Official Facebook Page

  • Official Twitter









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