The most well-known lineup (both LPs & the EP) was Becerra, Lalonde, Torrao, and Sus. Possessed are hailed as the godfathers of the death metal genre (not to be confused with the 70’s psychedelic rock band from the UK.) They’re considered the first death metal group with the name coming from their first demo entitled, “Death Metal.” After the album “Beyond the Gates” was released, Larry Lalonde started to have guitar lessons with Joe Satriani, who ended up producing the “The Eyes of Horror” EP. Possessed was formed by guitarist Mike Torrao and drummer Mike Sus (both around age 14 at this time). Jeff Becerra from Blizzard (US) came into the band, and soon was joined by second guitarist Brian Montana. This lineup recorded the 1984 demo “Death Metal”, and also an appearance on Metal Massacre VI with the song “Swing of the Axe”. At this time, Brian Montana was let go due to his subpar guitar playing, and also because he did not fit in well with the band’s image. Larry Lalonde, previously in Blizzard with Jeff, was brought in, and after some gigs with Exodus and other bands, the band was signed by Combat records, and the legendary “Seven Churches” was recorded. After some US touring with Slayer (US), Venom, and others, a second album was released, “Beyond the Gates”. This album led to a European tour with Voivod and Deathrow, and a US tour with Dark Angel (US), the legendary Gates of Darkness tour, as Dark Angel (US) was touring in support of “Darkness Descends”. Tensions were … Video Rating: 5 / 5