Year: 2019
Total Time: 53:54
Label: Nuclear Blast

Life is full of surprises after all. After 30 years, here we are once again doing a review to a new album of the legendary POSSESSED. For those of you (younger ones) unfamiliar with the band, when VENOM invented Black Metal, POSSESSED from the US, with their first classic album “7 Churches” in 1985, in fact created the term Death Metal. If this is not enough, as a small trivia learn that the late Chuck Schuldiner was so impressed that he asked them to use the term “Death Metal” for his music as well.

After one more album and one EP that were not so well accepted, the band split up and if this wasn’t enough, the leader Jeff Becerra was shot in the spine during a drive by shooting resulting in a life in pain on a wheelchair for the rest of his years.

Of course, like many other bands from the 80’s which had a bitter or inglorious end, the spark remained alive somewhere in the depths waiting patiently for the time to come and shine again. In the case of POSSESSED, this happened in 2007 when Jeff reformed the band with new members and started playing live and festival shows around with an excellent feedback, resulting in a deal with Nuclear Blast and a new album now, 11 years after that “reunion”.

So, what are we supposed to expect from POSSESSED in 2019 ? Well, exactly what they are offering us. A top quality death/ thrash metal record with many elements from the glorious past but also the modern touch that is needed to stand equally and even better next to the many new releases from younger band that followed POSSESSED’s past ! After a classic retro 80’s style intro, the mayhem starts with “No More Room In Hell» and continues with top high speed songs like “Dominion”, “Abandonded”, Ritual” or the more thrashy “The World”, Graven” and so on.

The vocals come straight from the dark abyss of the past and the rest of the musicians give 100% of their powers to sound amazing and maybe even better even if some old members were back in the band.

All music and lyrics are (obviously) arranged by Jeff with the guitarist Daniel Gonzalez (Gruesome) and the flawless production is aPeter Tagtgren‘s work.

So, all old faithful fans are still here, plus the new ones that are in the likes of quality death and thrash metal should definitely get this amazing record, one of the best releases of the year. Its not a retro record, its 2019 anyway, but POSSESSED (Ok, one of the old guys only) are back and ready to teach us how death metal would be if it was played in Champions League levels !

Rating: 9/10
Editor: Antonis Livanios
Related Link: POSSESSED – Official Page