Possessed (Venom album)

Last updated

Possessed
VenomPossessed.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 1985 (UK) [1]
April 8, 1985 (US) [2]
RecordedEarly 1985
StudioMoorhall in Sussex, England by the Manor Mobile
Genre
Length42:57
Label Neat
Producer Venom, Keith Nichol
Venom chronology
At War with Satan
(1984)
Possessed
(1985)
Eine kleine Nachtmusik
(1986)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 5/10 [4]
Metal Forces 8/10 [5]

Possessed is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Venom, released in April 1985. It is the band's last studio album to feature guitarist Jeffrey Dunn before his first departure from the band in 1986. At the time of its release, it received mixed reviews, even from critics who had liked Venom's earlier albums; Possessed was thought to be in another league as compared to the band's earlier works, even though much of the material on Possessed was written before the release of its predecessor, At War with Satan . It was the first Venom album recorded outside of Impulse Studios. The song "Possessed" is ranked No. 14 on the Parents Music Resource Center's "Filthy Fifteen", a list of the 15 songs the group found to be most objectionable.

Contents

The boy on the cover is the son of the band's drummer, Abaddon. The girl is the niece of producer Keith Nichol.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Cronos and Mantas, except for where noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Powerdrive"3:14
2."Flytrap"3:50
3."Satanachist"2:43
4."Burn This Place (To the Ground)"2:42
5."Harmony Dies"2:42
6."Possessed"4:52
Side two
No.TitleLength
7."Hellchild"2:40
8."Moonshine"3:19
9."Wing and a Prayer"2:47
10."Suffer Not the Children"3:07
11."Voyeur"3:01
12."Mystique"4:58
13."Too Loud (For the Crowd)"3:02
2002 Castle Music/Sanctuary Records Group bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."Nightmare (12" mix)"3:54
15."F.O.A.D. (12" B-side)"3:05
16."Warhead (12" B-side)"3:41
17."Possessed (remix)"5:14
18."Witching Hour (live)"4:17
19."Teacher's Pet/Poison/Teacher's Pet (live)"7:59

Personnel

Venom
Production

Charts

Chart (1985)Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC) [6] 99

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References

  1. "Possessed".
  2. "New Releases" (PDF). FMQB . 29 March 1985. p. 31. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  3. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Venom - Possessed review". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  4. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 396. ISBN   978-1894959315.
  5. Doe, Bernard (1985). "Venom - Possessed". Metal Forces (10). Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  6. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company .