BIOGRAPHY
Like the extreme music they created, San Francisco's Possessed seemed cursed by dark and evil forces throughout their troubled career. Formed by guitarist Mike Torrao and drummer Mike Sus in 1983, the group would lose first singer Barry Fisk to suicide before even graduating out of their garage band status. They persisted though, and after recruiting vocalist/bassist Jeff Becerra and guitarist Brian Montana, the band was offered a slot on Brian Slagel's Metal Massacre 6 compilation. Possessed's savage sound immediately stood out from their competition and drew the attention of Combat Records, with whom they signed in 1985 after replacing Montana with guitarist Larry LaLonde. Issued later that year, the brutal Seven Churches was arguably the first true death metal album and set the stage for the genre's breakaway from thrash. Their second effort, Beyond the Gates, was released, fittingly enough, on Halloween 1986, but didn't have the same impact as its predecessor. After recording the five-track EP The Eyes of Horror the following year (produced by LaLonde's guitar teacher Joe Satriani), the band decided to call it quits. Two years later, frontman Becerra was shot during a mugging and left paralyzed from the waist down. LaLonde would go on to a long career with quirky trio Primus and Torrao went as far as recording some demos with a new Possessed lineup before dismantling the group once again. A compilation called Victims of Death was released in 1992.
| CURRENT MEMBERS: | |||
| Jeff Becerra - Bass, Vocals (1983-1988, 2006) (Side Effect, Blizzard) Emilio Marquez - Drums (Sadistic Intent, Asesino, Engrave, Brainstorm, Nokturnal Fear, Coffin Texts, Brujeria) Ernesto Bueno - Guitars (Sadistic Intent) | |||
|
FORMER MEMBERS: | |||
Barry Fisk (R.I.P, suicide) - Vocals (1983) Brian Montana - Guitar (1983-1984) Larry Lalonde - Guitar (1984-1988) (Blind Illusion, Blizzard (US), Primus) Mark Strausberg- Guitar Dave Couch - Guitar (1990) (Thanatopsis, Mudslinger, Lethal Conception) Mike Sus - Drums (1983-1988) (Desecration) Chris Stolle - Drums (1990) (Diabolicus, Thanatopsis, Somnus, Lethal Conception, Dark Arena) Geoff Andrews - Bass (1983) (Exodus) Bob Yost - Bass (1991-1992) (Desecration) Mike Torrao - Vocals/Guitar (1983-1993) (Desecration) Mike Hollman - Guitars (1993) (Bizarro, Pro-Pain) Paul Perry - Bass (1993) Walter Ryan - Drums (1991-1993) (Machine Head) The most well-known lineup (both LPs) was Becerra, Lalonde, Torrao, and Sus. |
DISCOGRAPHY
NO COVER ART
Death Metal (Demo 1984)
1.)Death Metal
2.)Evil Warriors
3.)Burning In Hell
Notes: "Fallen Angel" was recorded during the same session, but did not make the demo. Although it was just as heavily bootlegged. It was a one take track recorded fast at the end of the session.
Rehearsal (Aka Fallen Angels) (1984)
1.)Pentagram
2.)Swing Of The Axe
3.)Twisted Minds
4.)Fallen Angel
Notes: Released as the 7" bootleg "Fallen Angels" in 1989 on Death Metal records (picture is of this release).
Demo (1985)
1.)Fallen Angel
2.)Swing Of The Axe
3.)Death Metal
NO COVER ART
Pre-Production Demo (1985)
1.)The Exorcist
2.)Pentagram
3.)Burning In Hell
Notes: Taken from the "Seven Churches" recording sessions.
NO COVER ART
Seven Churches Demo (1985)
1.)The Exorcist
2.)Pentagram
3.)Burning In Hell
4.)Evil Warriors
5.)Seven Churches
6.)Fallen Angel
7.)Twisted Minds
8.)Death Metal
9.)Satan's Curse
Notes: Demo cotnaining all of the tracks from "Seven Churches" except "Holy Hell".
Seven Churches (1985)
1.)The Exorcist
2.)Pentagram
3.)Burning In Hell
4.)Evil Warriors
5.)Seven Churches
6.)Satan's Curse
7.)Holy Hell
8.)Twisted Minds
9.)Fallen Angel
10.)Death Metal
Beyond The Gates (1986)
1.)Intro
2.)The Heretic
3.)Tribulation
4.)March To Die
5.)Phantasm
6.)No Will To Live
7.)Beyond The Gates
8.)The Beasts Of The Apocalypse
9.)Seance
10.)Restless Dead
11.)Dogfight
Note: There's a version of this album with the Eyes Of Horror EP on the same CD.
The Eyes Of Horror (1987)
1.)Confessions
2.)My Belief
3.)The Eyes Of Horror
4.)Swing Of The Axe
5.)Storm In My Mind
NO COVER ART
Rehearsal (1991)
1.)March To Die
2.)Holy Hell
3.)Swing Of The Axe
4.)March To Die
5.)Holy Hell
6.)The Seventh Sign
Notes: All tracks are instrumental.
Demo (1991)
1.)The Martyr's Wake
2.)The Seventh Sign
Victims Of Death (Compilation 1992)
1.)The Exorcist
2.)Pentagram
3.)Swing Of The Axe
4.)March To Die
5.)Death Metal
6.)The Eyes Of Horror
7.)Fallen Angel
8.)Burning In Hell
9.)Beyond The Gates
10.)Seven Churches
Demo (1993)
1.)The Seventh Sign
2.)Last Ritual
3.)Human Extermination
Resurrection ( Split 2003)
1.)Death Metal
2.)Evil Warriors
3.)Burning In Hell
4.)Twisted Minds
5.)Fallen Angel
6.)Pentagram
7.)Swing Of The Axe
8.)Hemorrhage
Notes: Contains Possessed's Death Metal demo and a 1984 rehearsal (Tracks 1-7), plus one track from Jeff Becerra's new band, Side Effect (Track 8).
Agony In Paradise (Live 2004)
1.)March To Die
2.)Pentagram
3.)Beast Of The Apocalypse
4.)Holy Hell
5.)Swing Of The Axe
6.)Burning In Hell
7.)Heretic
8.)Phantasm
9.)The Exorcist
10.)Fallen Angel
11.)Seance
12.)Twisted Minds
13.)Death Metal
Notes: Offical live album taken from a sound board recording of a performance of a live show in Parma, Ohio on January 26th 1987. Although it wasn't originally intended to be a live album, the recording was dug up in recent years and released as it sounded fine.
Ashes From Hell (EP 2006)
1.)The Exorcist (Ashes edit)
2.)Confessions (Rough Mix)
3.)Death Metal (Live)
4.)Burning In Hell (Live)
Notes: 7 inch vinyl only release of rare demos and live material from Possessed. Made especially for the date 6/6/06. This was limited to 1,000 copies, the first 100 came with a guitar pick with the Possessed logo on it, and Jeff's signature on the back. "Death Metal" and "Burning In Hell" were recorded on September 7th 1985 at Ruthies Inn, Berkeley, CA.