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POSSESSED
Revelations Of Oblivion

Nuclear Blast (2019)
Rating: 8.5/10

I have to admit that I was rather nervous when I heard that death metal pioneers Possessed were going to be releasing a new album.

Way back in the 80s these San Francisco, California gods were responsible for a trio of releases that changed the lives of kids all over the world. I still remember the day in 1987, as a spotty teenager walking to the counter of my local record shop with The Eyes Of Horror EP tucked under my arm and a clan of unruly, and older drunken metalheads giving me the nod of approval before all stumbling into the racks of records they’d been looming over.

Possessed were like no other band and it’s because of their short life that their cult reputation remained intact. However, like a whole host of bands that blitzed us back in the 80s, Possessed has returned, albeit with only one original member, that being vocalist Jeff Becerra who gave up bass duties long ago after becoming paralyzed after a shooting. But damn, on this record Becerra sings like a man, er… possessed!

Faster, nastier and more pulverising than any previous effort of the band, Possessed Mark 2019 is very much a different beast; but one that has adapted to the uses of modern technology that were only dreamt of over three decades previous.

I didn’t really know what to expect with Revelations Of Oblivion, but I had major concerns. What if the album was watered down and generic? What if it sounded all too “new”? But have no fear, just slap on a track such as ‘Abandoned’ and you’ll feel as if you’re back in the 80s as the guitars shred your ears, the drums batter your skull, the bass lashes the flesh and Jeff Becerra’s vocals send tingles of excitement down the spine.

Of course it’s not the 80s, and so Possessed has at times succumbed and welcomed the modern dynamics in order to enable a fresh approach, but with a line-up of Claudeous Creamer and Daniel Gonzalez (guitars), Robert Cardenas (bass) and Emilio Marquez (drums) behind him, Becerra couldn’t really fail.

Admittedly, the album title appears rather un-Possessed like, as does the cover art, but the ten tracks sandwiched between two short instrumentals are sure to excite even the most hardened of old school thrash heads who may have had reservations.

‘No More Room In Hell’, ‘Dominion’, ‘Shadowcult’, ‘Ritual’ etc. storm by with great pace and offer up refreshingly simple lyrical approaches. ‘Demon’ boasts a fine melody, but it’s the general speed of the whole record which astounds and mesmerizes. I suggest then that you give the record at least a handful of spins in order to digest its clusters of pace.

I really love the general tone of Revelations Of Oblivion, the band still evoking shadows and spectres of times gone by when acts such as Master were plying their trade; just check out the sepulchral atmosphere and drama of instrumental ‘Chant Of Oblivion’ or the epic trauma of ‘Omen’. Through all the manic speed barrages, each instrument remains present, particularly Robert Cardenas’ fierce bass which rumbles efficiently, especially on ‘Demon’.

Of course, whatever Jeff Becerra conjured up here would still remain very much in the shadows of Possessed’s classic early works… and that’s okay. After all, there’s not many bands that can match the albums they vomited out during those halcyon days of metal. But in an era where the thrash and death metal scene has once again become crammed and so often generic, Revelations Of Oblivion is somewhat of a welcome kick to the sternum of those who started to become weary of the formulaic tirade.

At times, this album does mirror the energy and macabre ferocity of 1985’s Seven Churches and 1986’s Beyond The Gates; it doesn’t of course match it, but it gets somewhere close to that fire. But Revelations Of Oblivion is no mere mimic either. Instead, the musicians plough their own furrow, carving through the hordes of dull, faceless and humour-drenched thrash bands clogging up the scene. My only gripe is that this album is a tad too long at just over 50 minutes, but that’s the only sore point on what is a fine return from a band the scene so desperately needs.

Neil Arnold

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