Possessed

If you want to start a nice discussion with some metal fans, meanwhile consuming some beer and enjoying nice music of course, you need to ask the question: ‘Who was the first band playing Death Metal’? Was it Death, Obituary, Celtic Frost, Venom or Possessed? Well, I’m not going to tell you my answer to that question. What I know is that I surely enjoyed their debut album Seven Churches. Perhaps not death metal in the style of a Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse or Entombed, but dark and brutal for sure. Some might even call it thrash with grunting/harsh vocals. Well, I don’t give a shit how it is called, it is just good stuff. The same can be said about this new album, it sounds like a brutal thrash album instead of being brutal death metal, but it sounds like Possessed for sure.

33 years later this 3rd full-length album is being released. With this pace, it will take 66 years after their debut that their 6th album will see the light (or dark!), which can’t be a coincidence! The music has lots of elements of their first 2 albums, only with a better production and more modern sounding. Jeff his voice is as recognizable as always and rasps through all the songs in his typical style. The riffs are razor sharp and the old school thrash/death feeling is a feast for the ears. Sure there will still be people missing that old eighties sound, but we live in 2019 now and production methods are a lot more modern.

After the intro ‘No More Room in Hell’ starts, the song has been on Youtube for a while and will be known by now. Drummer Emilio sounds very tight and the use of the rototoms gives the songs that old school sound. I can’t give you songs that really stick out, just because every track is of a very high quality. ‘Omen’ starts with hell bells and gives me that Seven Churches feeling. If I have to choose a song as one of my favorite, I think I would pick  ‘Graven’ today and perhaps ‘Shadowcult’ tomorrow.

Possessed deserves to get the maximum score, and I know there is only one original member left, but who cares!