In the same year that Slayer unleashed the abyssic milestone that was ‘Hell Awaits‘, San Francisco’s occult warriors Possessed unleashed this pioneering work. This was 1985. Opening to a keyboard introduction that is a rendition of Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells‘, opening track ‘The Exorcist’ gives way to whiplashed executions and instrumentalism that of course resembles the speed metal of it’s day, with more than an obvious nod in style to the sounds of Venom and early Slayer, but a more definably neo-classicist approach to their songwriting. This structural foundation is more or less enough to give this American act, along with Master and Deathstrike the quality of being the earliest examples of death metal on their continent, taking the anti-rock phrasings of hardcore punk and welding it together with the tonal extremes of speed metal and the progressive leanings of heavy metal.
The latter is prevalent in the lead guitar work, a series of instrumental blitzkriegs that resemble the playing heard on Judas Priest or Mercyful Fate‘s classic works, with the influence of blues music marginalized and the neo-classicist element retained in the execution, put through an industrial noise filter. The distinction on first hearing would not be too far off from when one hears the guitar work from Slayer’s axemen Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, though pertaining more towards a dissonance that Morbid Angel would use as a basis for Trey Azagthoth’s technically dazzling leadwork. As this is the most distinct feature of the musical work on this album, there is honestly little for me to say of the bass and drum work, which work as an excellent anchor for the sonic fury conveyed here. A fearsome bark by Jeff Becerra is similar to Paul Speckmann of Deathstrike/Master, with a less hoarse and guttural delivery, occasionally pertaining to a cry that anticipates the vocal work of Chuck Schuldiner (Death) and John Tardy (Obituary).
The dark atmosphere conveyed by the production is well balanced, and like Slayer’s ‘Hell Awaits’ from the same year is given the same control of quality that allows the music to breath it’s sulphuric air, and spread it’s blasphemous wings. In the history of death metal, an absolutely essential pillar and in the eyes of the reviewer, the best metal album to be released in it’s year.
Filed under: Death Metal Album of the Week — Tags: Bay Area Death Metal, Death Metal, History, Thrash — Pearson @ May 9, 2010 23:59 — Comments (6)