POSSESSED To Play Mexico In March

Reactivated California death metal pioneers POSSESSED have scheduled two dates in Mexico in March:

March 14 - Monterrey, MEX @ Ibex Rock Bar
March 15 - Mexico City, MEX @ Circo Volador

As has been the case with all of POSSESSED's recent appearances, the group's lineup for the Mexican shows will consist of sole original member Jeff Becerra (vocals) backed by members of California's SADISTIC INTENT.

In a recent interview with Metal-Rules.com, Becerra explained when he actually decided to bring POSSESSED back to life.

"When I got together with SADISTIC INTENT and did 'The Exorcist' for the POSSESSED tribute album, we really got along well and became friends. A few years after we recorded that song, Rick asked me to do the song live in Hollywood, California, and it was my first time back on stage in like 17 years. In my mind I never planned on reforming POSSESSED, but between the studio and the Hollywood show, the crowd response and the quality musicianship of SADISTIC INTENT, it was just too good of a thing to pass up. Eventually we decided to do more POSSESSED songs and it just was an organic thing to bring POSSESSED back."

Some time after POSSESSED's last release in 1989, Jeff Becerra was left paralyzed from the waist down in a shooting incident. In a 2002 interview with Battle Helm, Becerra was asked about the many different reports that had circulated about what happened to him — ranging from punishment from God to a carjacking. "That's all bullshit," he replied. "Firstly I don't believe in God. What happened is that a couple of crackheads robbed me when I was coming home from work and they shot me with a 9mm in the chest and a 21 in the hand. In some ways it was kinda stupid because I could've given them the money but it was the way they asked me and I told 'em to get fucked. They were caught that night and at their trial one of them said that the only reason they didn't finish me off was because they ran outta bullets. They went to prison but one of them somehow got released later and he managed to kill five more people..."

A limited-edition POSSESSED seven-inch single on multi-colored vinyl was released in 2006 on Boneless Records in association with B.A.D.M./N.Y.D.M. Entitled "Ashes from Hell", the first 100 copies of the single came with a collector's pick.

Formed in the early '80s, POSSESSED released "Seven Churches" via Combat Records in 1985. They would follow with "Beyond the Gates" and the five-song EP "The Eyes of Horror" before disbanding several years later. A "best-of" collection, "Victims of Death", was released in 1993.

Professionally filmed video footage of POSSESSED's performance at last year's Wacken Open Air festival, which took place August 2-4, 2007 in Wacken, Germany, can be viewed below.

(Thanks: Abraham Díaz)