Search - Possessed :: Beyond the Gates

Shhhh!!!!!! Don't Tell Anyone That Larry LaLonde Was In Pos

Metal_Is_King | White Plains, NY | 07/17/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It seems that Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde doesn't want anyone to know that he was in Possessed from the mid-to-late 1980's. Maybe Larry thinks Primus fans would be upset by that fact he used to dress up in black leather & wear inverted crosses around his neck. Or it could be that he believes Primus' music is so much more advanced than Possessed's. Whatever the reason, it's a shame because Possessed was - and still is - one of the most influential death/thrash bands of all time.



Released in late 1986, BEYOND THE GATES is a major step forward from Possessed's 1985 debut, SEVEN CHURCHES. The band is much more mature sounding. SEVEN CHURCHES was recorded while the band members were still in high school, and it shows. The songs flow much better on BEYOND THE GATES. There is some good, chunky metal riffing going on here. Just about every track is good, but some personal favorites include "The Heretic," "Tribulation," "No Will To Live" & "Seance." The only song I didn't really like is the album's title track. It has a clunky main guitar riff. Most of the songs were written by guitarist Mike Torrao & bassist/vocalist Jeff Becerra. Although the aforementioned Larry LaLonde did co-write three tracks. Both guitarists play some very good solos, with Torrao being the wilder of the two (check out his second solo on "Seance"). Jeff Becerra has a sandpaper-ish vocal style that is reminiscent of Lemmy from Motorhead.



I'm giving BEYOND THE GATES four stars because it does have a few flaws. First off, the production has a bone-dry feel to it, which I'm not a fan of. SEVEN CHURCHES has a much richer-sounding production style. Secondly, producer Carl Canedy could have done a better job of recording Mike Sus' drum tracks. They're a little flat-sounding. And finally, Possessed were still writing their silly satanic lyrics (ex. Tribulation/In Love With Satan/Desecration/Come To Salem). Still, it is clear that Possessed grew as a band between SEVEN CHURCHES & BEYOND THE GATES.



In June of 1987, Possessed put out their final release, a five-song EP called THE EYES OF HORROR. The band showed continued growth, both musically & lyrically. Sadly, they broke up just days after THE EYES OF HORROR came out. Larry Lalonde went on to play in a second-rate metal band called Blind Illusion, & then formed Primus with bassist/vocalist Les Claypool. It was around this time that Jeff Becerra was shot & paralyzed from the waist down during a drug deal that went bad. Mike Torrao continued to try to make music until the early-to-mid nineties, but now both he & Mike Sus are out of the business.



BEYOND THE GATES is definitely worth picking up. It is a document of a metal band coming into their own. Take your copy to a Primus show & see if you can get Larry LaLonde to autograph it for you!!!!"