This interview was taken from Power Metal Magazine, Vol. 2 No. 3 (April 1988). Like the intro paragraph says, it was conducted just days before Possessed announced that they were breaking up.
Recently it was announced that Possessed have temporarily disbanded. Whether they soon settle their differences and reform or fall prey to the pressures of the rock lifestyle remains to be seen. What follows may be the last interview Possessed ever gave, occurring only days before their breakup. Ironically, little indication of their festering problems are reflected in this conversation
Sometimes, it's not easy being a power metal band. There are detractors who call you "satanic," radio stations who ignore your product, and record labels who turn their noses up in disgust at the mere notion of signing you to a contract. Though the members of Possessed met with their fair share of abuse, over the last three years they swear they enjoyed every aspect of their job. So what if major labels turned their back on the band? Who cares if radio treated records like Beyond the Gates or The Eyes of Horror as if they were carriers of the black plague? Certainly not bassist/vocalist Jeff Becerra, drummer Mike Sus, and guitarists Larry Lalonde and Mike Torrao. These Bay Area bashers fought the good fight as long as they could, emerging as one of the most potent and popular bands on the power metal scene. We hooked up with Sus and Lalonde to discuss Possessed's battle for survival only days before the back shockingly broke apart.
Power Metal: It seems like Possessed is on the verge of mass
success. Have you thought about softening your approach or turning to a
medium like video to put you over the top?
Larry Lalonde: What's the point of doing that? We have no interest
in going off in a more commercial direction with our music. We may want to
expand our musical scope a bit on the next album - the way bands like Metallica
and Megadeth have already done - but we're never gonna become commercial. As
far as video goes, that would be a waste of our time and money. Bands like ours
never get their videos played. Oh, maybe MTV will play it once in a while during
their metal show, but we figure the people watching those shows are already
our fans.
Mike Sus: We know bands like Megadeth and Anthrax have done
videos recently, and they've got a real good response with them. But we don't
think it's our style to do one. Maybe if we had a lot of label money to put
behind one, we'd consider it, but not now.
PM: You mention the major labels. Why have they failed to sign
Possessed as of yet?
LL: I don't know. The best we can figure is that some of our lyrics
have scared them off. We certainly would like to be on a major label someday,
but we'll never sell out our musical principles to do that. They will have
to accept us on our own terms, and for some of those labels - especially the
ones more used to dealing with pop bands - that's asking a lot. They want to
sign bands that they know will make them lots of money. We think Possessed
has the potential to sell a lot of records in the near future, so if one
of the majors wants to play it smart, they'll give us a deal before we put
out the next record.
PM: Speaking of your next album, it's been almost a year now since
Beyond the Gates was released. You put out the Eyes of Horror
EP in the interim, but can we expect a new album soon?
MS: We're looking to make this record the record for us. By
that, I mean we all realize that Possessed is ready to take off and make
a great album. We've become known as a speed metal band, but we want to
change that. There's room for bringing in some other elements into the
music without losing our basic style. I think our fans are ready to grow
with us. If things go the way we want them to, I think we can have the next
record out by spring.
LL: One of the reasons we released the Eyes of Horror EP
was because we wanted to show everyone the kind of stuff Possessed was capable
of playing. Some people thought we were crazy to release an EP only four
months after an album, but the musical growth we showed on the EP justified
putting it out. Now we want to take that kind of advancement and continue it
over an entire LP. We've got some great new ideas already worked up, and
while they're a lot different from the kind of stuff we've played in the past,
I think our fans will love it.
PM: Has it been frustrating for Possessed to be labeled as merely
a thrash band?
LL: I guess we're as guilty as anyone in that respect. People
classify you where you belong. A lot of the things we've put on our albums
have been thrash in their approach - especially the lyrics. That's why
we're trying to change that. If we show people we can still play with speed
yet have a bit more diversity in our music, they'll stop lumping us in with
all the so-called thrash bands. It's really up to us.
MS: Sometimes we really get angry about the things people say
about us. Why do they think we're just a thrash band? Why do some writers
insist on comparing us to Slayer? I think it's kind of silly.
PM: Have there been any "feelers" from arena bands about having you
tour with them next year?
LL: Nah, it hasn't happened yet, but maybe it will after we get
the next record out. I think we still scare a lot of big groups. They'd rather
go out with a "safe" band that's not gonna get too many people angry at
them. Possessed isn't exactly that type of band. Metallica got lucky a few
years back when they landed the Ozzy Osbourne tour, and maybe that'll happen
to us too, but we're not counting on it.
MS: We don't mind playing the clubs. We know we're getting the real
fans in there. I'm not saying we wouldn't like to play the arenas soon, but it's
not like our lives are over if we don't. Right now, all we can do is get this
record finished, make sure it's the best album we can do, then let the chips
fall where they may. If we get signed to a major, or if we get a big tour -
hey, we can't worry about that. All we can do is make Possessed the best band
we can. But if our hard work leads us to big success, you know we'll be ready
for it.
- Rick Evans