This mini-interview was advance press just after the release of "Beyond the Gates", dating this either November or December 1986. Photos from the article are also presented below.
DAVE REYNOLDS gets a news update from LARRY LALONDE of POSSESSED as their new album looks like breaking the world wide open
We're still getting quite a few letters from irate MF readers claiming that we're wimping out by covering non-metal acts such as POISON, DOKKEN, RATT, KEEL, etc. etc. That kinda gets me incensed because it just appears that so long as all this bickering amongst ourselves combines then the Heavy Metal genre will still remain a cult. I was recently offeren an Andy Taylor (of DURAN DURAN fame) interview by his record company but immediately said "No Way". Maybe I should've done it, just to give some people something to REALLY complain about!
Anyway, an editorial decision has been made to try to bring more heavier material into the magazine which is why this issue is probably full of the heaviest bands around more than any other issue of MF in the past, but it isn't gonna stop me doing another CRUE, RATT, or DOKKEN interviews in the future, they're good bands and, I believe, have every right to be in our pages, just as much as the subject of this piece - San Francisco's POSSESSED.
It wasn't so long ago that this band were featured in MF, but the reason for their appearance this time is because they've just released their dambusting second album Beyond the Gates (reviewed by yours truly in MF18) through Combat in the US and Under One Flag here in the UK. So to bring you all the gory, glorious details on the record I got in touch with guitarist Larry Lalonde again. So take it away Larry...
"We think this new record sounds pretty good, there's much better stuff on it and it's something we're proud of. There's some really weird stuff guitar-wise and pretty intricate. We just practice and practice to get things just right, and on this album I think we've really got it together."
The last time I spoke to you POSSESSED were planning on putting out an EP to follow the monumental Seven Churches release. What happened to that? "We weren't really sure what was happening around that time, the EP just turned out to be an album. Carl Canedy from THE RODS produced it and he knows a lot about working with bands like ours and he did a pretty good job and improved the drum sound a great deal!"
The thrash market seems to be getting bigger all the time doesn't it? "Oh yeah, it seems a little bigger than when I last spoke to you, more people are getting into it because of METALLICA". Do you think there's plenty of bands just jumping on the bandwagon though? "Yeah, definitely. All thsoe bands just don't know what the hell they're doing."
I notice that you've become a little faster on your new album but not to the point where it's all just a hard-core blur. "Yeah, we've tried to get a little faster, but we've also learned to play slower things too." It's a nice mixture - shades of METALLICA??
By the way, Larry, what kind of audience do you attract? "We've got every kind at our shows, not just thrash people. The audiences are pretty cool at our shows, there's never any fights and the fans just have a good time." That's nice to know bear that in mind because if you want heavy metal to survive then everybody has gotta support the music they believe in and not act like mindless idiots at shows and then start screaming when teh powers that be close things down.
I can see POSSESSED really breaking it big in the next few months. As I said in my article on the band previously, they have youth on their side and the musical ability to match any in their field. Oh, and that Beyond the Gates album is fucking HEAVY! Get it!
- Dave Reynolds
