Beyond the Gates (Possessed album)

This article is about the Possessed album. For the 1949 Franco-Italian film, see The Walls of Malapaga. For the 2005 film about the Rwandan Genocide, see Shooting Dogs. For the 1883 novel by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward, see The Gates Ajar.

Beyond the Gates
Studio album by Possessed
Released	October 31, 1986
Recorded	March 1986
Studio	Prairie Sun Recording Studios, Cotati, California
Genre	Death metal thrash metal
Length	36:46
Label	Combat (North America) Under One Flag (UK)
Producer	Carl Canedy
Possessed chronology
Seven Churches (1985) Beyond the Gates (1986) The Eyes of Horror (1987)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	5/10 [2]
Kerrang!	[3]

Beyond the Gates is the second album by death metal band Possessed. Taking a different direction from their debut, Seven Churches , Beyond the Gates has a more technical feeling and, due to poor production, a muddy sound.

Artwork

The vinyl release of the album featured an enhanced gatefold-style format: the "gates" of the front cover opened outward, exposing several flaps that opened further to reveal a large, nine-panel illustration of a line of demonic creatures approaching over a desert landscape. Lyrics were included on the inner sleeve.^{[ citation needed ]}

Legacy

Reception was mixed, with some critics and fans being very disappointed by the album for the sound and production, while others were satisfied with the new direction of the band. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic wrote: "Verily, in most every observer's eyes, Beyond the Gates represented an almost indefensible step backwards; transforming a sound previously distinguished for its inexorable power into a ragged, decidedly weaker-kneed replacement. [...] Taken as a whole, there was no denying that Beyond the Gates packed nowhere near the consistency, inventiveness and, most importantly, eventual influence of its predecessor, signaling the beginning of Possessed's inevitable decline." ^[4]

Beyond the Gates became a sign of Possessed's decline,^{[ citation needed ]} as they only released the EP The Eyes of Horror before they officially disbanded the following year. This became the band’s last full length album, up until the release of their third studio album Revelations of Oblivion , 33 years later.

Over the years, fans have slowly appreciated Beyond the Gates and have even considered it being an "underrated masterpiece" and "overlooked classic".^{[ citation needed ]}

Track listing

Published by Take Out Music.

All lyrics are written by Jeff Becerra; all music is composed by Mike Torrao, except where indicated.

Side one

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Intro" (instrumental)	Carl Canedy	1:23
2.	"The Heretic"		2:40
3.	"Tribulation"	Larry LaLonde	4:48
4.	"March to Die"		3:12
5.	"Phantasm"	LaLonde	4:23

Side two

No.	Title	Music	Length
6.	"No Will to Live"		6:47
7.	"Beyond the Gates"		2:55
8.	"The Beasts of the Apocalypse"		3:13
9.	"Seance"	LaLonde	3:03
10.	"Restless Dead"		2:59
11.	"Dog Fight" (instrumental)		1:23
Total length:			36:46

Personnel

Possessed

• Jeff Becerra – bass, vocals
• Mike Torrao – guitars
• Larry LaLonde – guitars
• Mike Sus – drums

Production

• Carl Canedy – producer
• John Cuniberti, Tom Size – engineers
• Tom Coyne – mastering
• Steve Sinclair – executive producer

References

1. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Possessed - Beyond the Gates review". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 2011-09-13.
2. Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 267. ISBN   978-1-894959-31-5.
3. Miller, Paul (30 October 1986). "One Step Beyond...". Kerrang! . No. 132. London, UK: United Magazines ltd. p. 23.
4. Beyond the Gates - Possessed | Album | AllMusic , retrieved 2025-05-04