Possessed

Possessed were formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1983 by Mike Torrao and Mike Sus. After the death of original singer Barry Fisk, Jeff Becerra joined on bass and vocals, and Larry LaLonde joined on guitar, replacing Brian Montana.

Their debut album, Seven Churches, was released by Combat Records in 1985, and its speed and growled vocals have led to Possessed often being cited as the first death metal band. Beyond the Gates appeared in 1986, but the band broke up in 1987; LaLonde later joined Primus. Torrao led a different version of Possessed from 1990 to 1993.

Becerra was later shot during a robbery and left paralysed, and he has performed from a wheelchair since. In 2007 he revived Possessed with members of Sadistic Intent and played Wacken Open Air, and he has led the band with new musicians ever since.

Revelations of Oblivion, the band’s first full-length album since 1986, was released by Nuclear Blast on 10 May 2019. Becerra was executive producer, guitarist Daniel Gonzalez co-produced, and Peter Tägtgren mixed and mastered the record.

In 2025 Possessed marked the 40th anniversary of Seven Churches with shows that included dates in South America and Australia. A follow-up to Revelations of Oblivion has been in the works since 2024, and in mid-2026 Becerra said the band hoped to record it in September 2026, with Nuclear Blast still their label.

Current line-up: Jeff Becerra (vocals), Daniel Gonzalez (guitar), Claudeous Creamer (guitar), Robert Cardenas (bass), Chris Aguirre (drums)