Seven churches --- Possessed --- 1985 (Relativity)
Normally a band with a name like Possessed would have me running in the opposite direction, but I'm reliably, I think, informed this band is not Black Metal but Death Metal. Oh joy! Thank Satan for small mercies, eh? But since I've already heard a few Death Metal records this can join them. It's also said to be one of the most influential on the genre, and the band are credited with, whether intentionally or not, coining the very phrase "death metal", perhaps in the same way that Venom unleashed the idea of "black metal" some years prior.
It's comforting, and yet not, to have the album open with the famous Mike Oldfield theme to my most hated of all movies, this time on the guitar, then all hell breaks loose as "The Exorcist" punches its way out of the album, and remarkably, I hate Jeff Becerra's vocals even more than those of Steve Tucker! Whereas the latter was a slow, grindy, growly voice, ths guy is all about speed AND growl, which makes it even less possible to make out what he's singing. The guitars are fast too, more in speed metal territory than death I would have thought, but what the hell does this girl know?
I envisage settling back and doing other things while I try to pick out any good points about this album, of which I venture to predict there will be few if any. Ten tracks, most of them around the three minute mark, equals around half an hour of pure misery for me. Oh well, all in the cause, all in the cause... And a big satanic growl introduces us to the delight (!) that is "Pentagram". Sigh. I've heard punk music that's more melodic than this, though no doubt I'll be told that death metal is not about melody, which would generally seem to be true. If then it's all about noise, power, speed and aggression, then this album has it in spades.
Good guitar solo there, but the fretwork in general seems to fly off into kind of confused territory. There are certainly enough song titles that would make me think this was a black metal album --- "Satan's curse", "Holy Hell", "Fallen angel", the title track of course and "Burn in Hell", which is up next, all seem to point to a fascination with the occult. Though maybe it's a tongue-in-cheek thing? I could make a guess if I could understand any of the lyrics. I can't. This one's a little slower, though not much. Touches of Sabbath or Dio around it, but more a nineteenth-cousin twice removed sort of relationship than anything really solid. Okay well it just picked up ten gears and headed off at supersonic speed again, so I guess they can't stay "slow" for very long.
"Evil warriors" (see what I mean?) showcases the talents of guitarists Larry LaLonde and Mike Torrao, the latter of whom seems to write the lion's share of the songs here: nine out of ten are his solo compositions with the other one being a collaboration with his fellow axeman. No wonder the songs are all so guitar-centric! A blazing fast solo from one or the other of the guitarists as the song heads into its final minute, and we're at the title track, and mercifully for my girly ears, halfway through the album. You know, now that I listen to his style, Becerra sounds like a much faster, more insane and less decipherable version of heavy metal god Lemmy. I see the similarities in the gruff growl. But I can usually tell what Lemmy's singing, whereas here? Could be anything.
"Seven churches" doesn't add anything new to the mix. It's the same nuclear assault of guitars and drums with Becerra belching fire and smoke over everything vocally, like some fiery demon risen from the Pit, intent on revenge. His footsoldiers, the two axemen, fire off riff after riff in his honour as he swoops and dives, bringing death and destruction to all he touches, and revelling in the carnage he creates. "Satan's curse" takes off like a rocket and doesn't come down, probably deemed safer to explode somewhere outside Earth's atmosphere, while "Holy Hell" almost has some melody in it, and is so restrained in comparison to the rest of the album that I can actually make out some of the words Jeff Becerra is singing! Not all of them, of course, but a line here, a phrase there, more than I could up to now.
Well, we've only got three tracks to go, and so far I'm still alive, though you can be sure the volume knob is down quite low; couldn't take this on high volume. What? Yes my new bra fits very well, thank you Batlord! Oh no! "Twisted minds" is
five minutes long! I may just have to nip to the Ladies... No letup in the speed or power, and we're back to completely roared and unintelligible vocals, so normal service has been resumed. Actually, this seems to have almost a kind of boogie beat, if such a thing is possible in Death Metal? At times the odd melody leaks through, though the guys are quick to catch it, throttle it and toss it in the river before it can grow. Can't have that!
Look out! There it is again! Catch it quick before --- ah! Thought we had a problem there for about thirty seconds, but we're back on track now. But what's this? "Fallen angel" opens on pealing bells, which do add to the atmosphere of the song, but take away from the general speed and anger of Possessed's music I would have thought. They do work well though here, so well done to the guys for utilising them. Oh and look: the album closer is called ... "Death metal". So they
did coin the phrase. And I suppose they'd want the track to live up to that description. And it does. Unfortunately.
TRACKLISTING
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
What a surprise that I didn't like this album. My ears feel like they're bleeding, my brain has I think been shook loose from its moorings and my whole head feels like it's just undergone some rabid, rampant, brutal sex attack. No doubt Batlord would say these are all signs of having just listened to a "bitchin'" death metal album. Yeah well, girly as it may make me seem, I'm just glad it's over and I think I can safely say I won't be listening to any more Possessed!
Read more here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possessed_%28band%29