Country of origin: United States Location: San Francisco, California Status: Active Formed in: 1983 Genre: Death/Thrash Metal Themes: Satanism, Occultism, Anti-Christianity, Murder, Death Current label: Nuclear Blast Years active: 1983-1987, 1990-1993, 2007-present Often considered to be the first death metal band, Possessed are hailed as godfathers of the genre. The band was formed by guitarist Mike Torrao and drummer Mike Sus. Jeff Becerra from Blizzard and second guitarist Brian Montana came into the band soon after. This lineup recorded the 1984 "Death Metal" demo, and the song "Swing of the Axe" for the Metal Massacre VI compilation on Metal Blade Records. Brian then separated from the band, and Jeff's former Blizzard bandmate Larry LaLonde was brought in. After some gigs with the likes of Exodus, Possessed signed to Combat Records, and the legendary "Seven Churches" album was recorded. Some tours through the US with Slayer, Venom and others followed, as did a second album, "Beyond the Gates". This led to a European tour with Voivod and Deathrow, and the legendary US Gates of Darkness tour with Dark Angel, who were supporting their then-new album "Darkness Descends". "The Eyes of Horror" EP came next, which was produced by Larry's guitar teacher, Joe Satriani. At the time of its' release, however, tensions among the members were rising. After two more gigs with Megadeth, Mike Torrao put the band on hold. Larry then joined Blind Illusion, and played on their debut album, "The Sane Asylum" before starting Primus with their bassist Les Claypool. Jeff Becerra was shot in a robbery around this time, and was paralyzed from the chest down, but has gone on to have a successful career since. In 1991, Torrao recruited Bob Yost on bass, Walter Ryan on drums, and Mark Strassburg on guitar. They recorded a demo tape and played three gigs. Yost then left and was replaced by Paul Perry. A second demo was recorded in 1993, followed by another break in activity. In 2007, Possessed was reformed by vocalist Jeff Becerra,