Possessed [Import]

Venom | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 17, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Castle Music UK
• ASIN: B00005V4UX
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,786 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Powerdrive

2. Flytrap

3. Satanachrist

4. Burn This Place to the Ground

5. Harmony Dies

6. Possessed

7. Hellchild

8. Moonshine

9. Wing and a Prayer

10. Suffer Not the Children

11. Voyeur

12. Mystique

13. Too Loud (For the Crowd)

14. Nightmare [12" Mix][*]

15. F.O.A.D. [12" B Side][*]

16. Warhead [12" B Side][*]

17. Possessed [Remix][*]

18. Witching Hour [Live][*]

19. Teachers Pet/Poison/Teachers Pet [Live][*]

Editorial Reviews

UK reissue of the British heavy metal act's 1985 album for Neat Records. Includes 6 bonus tracks, 'Nightmare' (12 inch mix), 'F.O.A.D.' (12 inch b side), 'Warhead' (12 inch b side), 'Possessed' (remix), 'Witching Hour' (Live) & 'Teachers Pet/Poison/Teachers Pet' (Live).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Music But Weak Mix, June 17, 2004

By 

Rob Michaels "axe7734" (portage, mi. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Possessed (Audio CD)

This is by no means a bad album. In fact, it's pretty damn good. It's massively heavy, has great riffs & really well-written lyrics, but it's still not quite as "groundbreaking" as the previous three. Mostly, the poor mixing is what gives this only a four star rating (at least that's what I think). The whole album is just a little bass-heavy, with the vocals, especially on "Possessed", too far in the background. But that's really the only true negative thing about it. But it is raw, sleazy, heavy & just plain evil. It's pure Venom. The best tracks are "Flytrap", which has just an immensly heavy bass riff; "Satanachist", which has a creepy beginning and some of the coolest lyrics Cronos ever wrote; "Possessed", possibly Venom's most outright blasphemous song (and also concludes the "story" that Venom started with the quote on the back of "Welcome to Hell"); an awesome instrumental called "Wing and a Prayer" which really smokes; and the really rowdy concert-opener, "Too Loud (For the Crowd)", which ends with a little "preview" of a Venom live show. Of the bonus tracks the best are "Nightmare", also a song with powerful riffs & lyrics and opens, believe it or not, with Mantas playing ACOUSTIC! Cronos' bass riffs in the middle are also pretty inspired. Few bands can even begin to compare to these guys. Also, part of Venom's live show is featured here with the extremely rare "Witching Hour" and "Teacher's Pet/Poison" taken from the limited "Hell at Hammersmith" ep. Venom has always been a little sloppy live, but who cares?! Their live shows are always totally over the top, insane & heavy as Hell! What they lack in skill, they more than make up for in pure POWER! "Witching Hour" is, in fact, a thrashers dream come true. Turn it up extremely loud and break all your windows when you play this one. This whole album usually gets poor reviews, but it still sounds like nothing on earth.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Venom's "Possessed" Will Possess You!!!, May 10, 2004

By 

Edward J. Holmes (Hobart, indiana united states) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Possessed (Audio CD)

1985 saw the release of Venom's 4th album entitled "Possessed". This was the last record by the original band, (Cronos, Mantas, Abbadon). In my opinion, it is just as good as thier 1st 3 albums. Venom wrote some real classics on this cd and it is sadly one of thier most underrated albums. On "Possessed", Venom we're in a somewhat different songwriting mode and they have changed just a little bit. I think the songs are very good. With tracks like "Powerdrive, Satanachist, Harmony Dies, Hellchild, Moonshine and Mystique", Venom's songwriting grew to be more complex and intricate. Although I say that, the band did not lose any of thier fire and none of the diabolical themes they are so known for. Some of thier best songs are on this cd. I like it just as much as "Welcome To Hell, Black Metal" and "At War With Satan." "Possessed is a definite must have if you travel the long and lonley road to hell. In closing, this is a classic NWOBHM release.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't dictate to us; we were the first!, April 17, 2005

By 

Heavy Metal Hero (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Possessed (Audio CD)

Make no mistake, this is a great album, but the crusade to get "Possessed" crammed alongside the first trilogy of Venom albums in terms of recognition is futile and really not necessary--it's the lack of memorable musical factors, not the lack of quality, that keeps it the underdog of Venom albums. "Welcome to Hell" will always remain the seminal foundation for extreme metal, and perhaps even challenges "Stained Class" in terms of being the most influencial heavy metal release of all time. "Black Metal" is still unparalleled when it comes to simplistic quality in metal, and of course the epic title track of "At War With Satan" was innovative at the time. But "Possessed" was released in '85, when the floodgates of extreme metal had already been opened by Venom themselves.

It's actually a logical successor to the first 3 albums, and in my opinion, actually blows away "At War With Satan," which in my opinion was mostly saved by the length gimmick of the title track...I consider the other songs on that album except "Rip Ride" (and to a lesser extent "Stand Up (And Be Counted)" to be mediocre filler. The reason why "Possessed" works for me is that Venom does dip back into the tried and true formulas for the previous albums, and very blatantly so. The strong chorus of "Satanachist" wouldn't seem too out of place on BM, right? "Too Loud (For the Crowd)" is the same sort of metal anthem Venom sought with "Stand Up (And Be Counted)" on AWwS, but it betters that tenfold, with plenty of hubris in the lyrics to boot. "Voyeur" is a fun and fast tune in the best "WtH" tradition, and even manages to out-pervert "Teacher's Pet." While none of the other tracks are particular favorites of mine, they remain at a very comfortable quality level; well below even the worst moments of BM, but above the worst moments of "WtH" and some of the accompanying early singles.

The bonus tracks follow the usual pattern of the Venom remasters in that most of them were available on CD either on the Japanese imports or on the singles compilation albums, so they're not quite as desirable as perhaps some of the Assault series or some non-US/UK live tracks would have been as bonuses. Still, the "Nightmare" single really helps the album, as it's probably Venom's best song overall when considering the lyrics, music, and performance. And I think this may be the first time "F.O.A.D." has been on CD, unless I'm forgetting some comp. CD or import I've never seen. The remix of the title track is an obvious bonus track choice, but I'd have preffered to see the live versions of "Witching Hour" and the "Teacher's Pet/Poison" medley from the Hell At Hammersmith EP joined back with the rest of the '85 Hammersmith set on the "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" CD or one one of the first two albums. There's nothing wrong with these tracks, but as raw and primitive as they are, they sort of feel weird coupled with '85 studio stuff.

So to the supporters of this album, you're in good company. And to the detractors? To the detractors, I only have one question: there's no "Manitou" or Tony Dolan to be found here...How bad can it be?!?!?!?