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Beyond The Gates (Vinyl)
"Possessed-the proclaimed inventors of the death metal genre had solidified their place in metal history with “Seven Churches”. Whether or not Possessed were solely responsible for death metal: partially responsible, or not at all is beside the point. What can be said without question, is the band made a mark that is still felt today. It was only a matter of time before the band would take its second plunge into the firestorm of critics. Enter-Beyond the Gates.
What must be understood about this album is that it is not an attempt to recreate “Seven Churches”. The band had taken a separate musical direction into the realm of more traditional thrash. While hints of the band’s style can still be found, Beyond the Gates is not meant to sound like “Seven Churches.” If a person is judging Beyond the Gates by the same standards as its predecessor, they will likely end up feeling disappointed, or betrayed. Instead, this album is to be compared to the likes of Exodus or Slayer. Truthfully, it stacks up quite well, though it does not reach the classic level of “Bonded by Blood” or “Reign in Blood.”
Possessed took a step up in the vocal department with Beyond the Gates. Jeff is much more controlled-a methodical approach that adds menace, where previously only chaotic evil was present. Likewise, the lyrics can actually be understood. Sometimes this is a bad thing, for some of the content is pedestrian, or downright funny (“in love with Satan”). Other times, the listener can actually sing along and appreciate the rebellious lyrical content. And this is very important-the ability to sing along.
Why? Possessed have not lost the ability for underlying melody. Their previous album made such an impact, partly because of the melodic overtones. Beyond the Gates follows the pattern, though slightly less efficiently. A gentle intro gives rise to “The Heretic,” a straightforward thrasher, with blistering riffs. It become obvious that Possessed has changed, but the catchy chorus makes clear that the band still has a melodic approach that a majority of thrash metal musicians lack.
Though different than “Seven Churches,” the same, basic concept remains on this album-aggression through melody. From “Tribulation” to “No Will to Live,” Possessed never lost the important skill. “Phantasm” is downright groovy in the beginning, followed by a hook-laden display of violent glee. Many bands can play heavy-many bands can play in a melodic fashion; however, very few bands can do both effectively.
It also should be noted that Possessed’s new style proves more flattering to Mike Sus. On “Seven Churches,” Sus always seemed on the edge of being outclassed by the music he was playing. With a greater variety of tempos, and some experimental drum patterns, Mike has found new life on Beyond the Gates. It is possible he simply improved as a drummer; but whatever the case may be, the drumming on this album fits better with Mike’s skill level. LaLonde remains the better of the two guitarists on the level of technical soloing, though Torrao wrote most of the riffs-all good riffs at that. The bass is again hard to distinguish, but Jeff’s vocals are top notch for the style of music.
One factor that clearly went downhill from the previous effort is the production. What a shame it is this album was produced so poorly, especially when you consider how much of the aggression was stifled by the muddy sound quality. Had this album been better produced, it is possible more people would have appreciated the new musical direction of the band. History cannot be altered; however, thus we can only appreciate the album for what it is-a melody infused thrash metal onslaught, that proved different than its predecessor, but nearly as good." - Metal Archives