Possessed - Beyond The Gates/The Eyes Of Horror (1986/87)



Year & Label: 1987, Under One Flag | CD#: CD FLAG 3
Flac (image) | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps | Artwork (JPG, 300 dpi) | File-hosts: Uploaded.net
Death/THrash Metal | FLAC: 360 MB | Artwork: 30 MB | MP3: 130 MB | 5% WinRAR Recovery

EAC Secure-rip with LOG+CUE+COVERS | Source: torrents
Non-remastered 1st Press CD, included mini-album 'The Eyes Of Horror'
This is no Seven Churches. That is a basic fact, and is not meant as a knock
against the album, as there are very few albums that are Seven Churches,
or at least of comparable levels of quality, influence, and downright
awesomeness. This one does not have the influence, or quite as much
compositional quality. However, it does have the downright awesomeness.
This is not the seminal death-metal release that the one before it was;
instead, this is pretty much a standard thrash LP. The previous was a
hallmark for 1985, the year of Hell Awaits and Bonded by Blood. This one
is a thrash LP for a year of oh-so-many thrash albums, where the genre
started to splinter horribly - Kreator, Slayer, Dark Angel being the
vanguard that exploded the genre further and further away from the
Piranhas and the Chemical Warfares of the world... newer levels of
brutality that echoed the previous Possessed, and also the works of
Sepultura, Bathory, Hellhammer, Slaughter, and other extreme metal.

On the other end, thrash was starting to come up lame, as everyone and
his grandmother decided that they too could write simple basher riffs
and get away with it. I can't really think offhand of an also-ran thrash
LP from '85, but I can think of plenty from '86... Cyclone, anyone? I
won't even get into the bastardisation of the genre, and of metal as a
whole, that arrived with Metallica - I'll just note that by 1986, thrash
was done as an artform with three releases, and anything that came out
during or after that year was at best a real fucking banger. This one is
a real FUCKING banger!! And thus, I will stop comparing it to its
predecessor, and evaluate it as it is. A vicious, completely out-there
guitar tone, reminiscent of the first Coroner demo at times, combined
with extremely crisp and tight riffage... these guys have taken
palm-muting to levels even Anthrax could only dream about, throwing
together single-note midpaced mosh riffs to rival any other band out
there for sheer headbangability.

Highlights... the Heretic starts with the little opener, and then goes
into a riff-set that is fundamentally based on one five-note riff, with
the other instrument providing the occasional expansion to this one
theme. A simple and effective song. No Will to Live starts off as the
fastest song, reminiscent most of Venom for sheer speed, but Slayer for
tightness of riffage, before turning in the middle into an excellent
top-speed "bang your head against the stage" single-note all-downstroke
brutal onslaught. Seance contains a classic thrash middle break, as does
Tribulation, which also has a very nifty solo. Possessed's solos are a
bit cleaner on here than on the previous album, though both have that
subtle melodic sensibility to them. It's more the tone that
differentiates better between lead and rhythm, as opposed to the
blurring of the two so prevalent on the previous LP. Becerra still
sounds evil, though maybe a bit less overtly demonic, and returning a
bit more to his Cronos roots. Phantasm has probably the most memorable
intro riff here. This album is overall more catchy than the first one,
and certainly more easily accessible. Is this album to be framed on the
wall as the be-all end-all of extreme music? Nope. But is it to be
purchased and enjoyed repeatedly? FUCK YES. The only thing I can hold
against this album is the shadow of its predecessor - you'd expect
Possessed to not take such a step back, but even as they do, they are
still within the second-ranks, right behind the big three extreme thrash
LPs of the year, and far the fuck ahead of your average Living Death or
whatnot.

www.metal-archives.com
Musicians:

Vocals, bass : Jeff Becerra
Guitars : Larry LaLonde
Guitars : Mike Torrao
Drums : Mike Sus

Produced by Carl Canedy
Recorded at Prairie Sun Recording Studios, CA
Mastered at Frankford Wayne

Track List:

01. Intro [1:23]
02. The Heretic [2:40]
03. Tribulation [4:48]
04. March To Die [3:13]
05. Phantasm [4:23]
06. No Will To Live [6:47]
07. Beyond The Gates [2:55]
08. The Beasts Of The Apocalypse [3:13]
09. Seance [3:03]
10. Restless Dead [2:59]
11. Dog Fight [1:23]

The Eyes Of Horror EP:

12. Confessions [2:53]
13. My Belief [3:34]
14. The Eyes Of Horror [3:16]
15. Swing Of The Axe [4:00]
16. Storm In My Mind [4:22]

Disponible sólo a los usuarios