Customer Reviews

Seven Churches

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

After an initial run on cd back in the late 80's, that eventually went out of print, Possessed's "7 Churches" has arrived! With Relativity Records finally rereleasing this ground breaking mid 80's metal cd, thrash fans of a new generation can hear what true thrash was all about. Featuring an all out, face ripping attack and strange syncopated drumming, this cd was copied far and wide after its original release in '86. "Burning In Hell", "The Exorcist (with the cool Tubular Bells intro)" and "Death Metal" are a few of the shredding songs that are available remastered and with full lyrics. Acidic vocals and weird tremolo bar soloing are other features to listen for on this awesome metal classic.

I first saw Possessed in 1984 before Seven Churches was released when they opened for Slayer and Venom at the Stone in SF. They played a 4 song set which included 'Swing of the Axe' that only appeared on one of the early Metal Massacre records. They were...unbeleivable then and when Seven Churches came out it killed everything. Nobody had their power. I still beleive 'Hell Awaits' is the greatest hardcore metal album ever but it is not Death Metal. Seven Churches spawned the new genre. They predated, Death, Napalm Death, Morbid; everybody and they all sounded like Possessed afterwards. I agree with most reviewers about the poor sound quality but you have to take it into context. Compare this album with anything else at the time and you'll understand just how GREAT this CD does sound given the times. This band is a one-hit wonder 'cause 'Beyond the Gates' sucks and they had no more time to regroup. Larry Lalonde jumped ship to Primus (an obvious good move for him) and Possessed was no more. If you dig today's death metal then you MUST buy this cd for it's the root.

for me this is the roots of death metal...this was the first album that i remember buying when i was a kid that i thought had gone too far. i realize now that i was comparing this to slayer and such at the time and it was the vocals that had put me off, but fortunately it has now been re-released for me to give it a proper listen...

and i thank the gods that it has happened. this is really great and i do not think that these guys get enough credit for being one of, if not the, godfathers of death. granted the lyrics are a bit childish, but this was a long time ago and that was pretty much par for the course, but it is the music that sets this apart...very heavy, very fast thrash with a twist that helps set this apart from the other bands by which they were surrounded.

the only problem here is that the album still sounds like it did on tape 15 years ago...this should simply be called a "re-issue" instead of a "re-master" regardless of the work that may have been done with the tapes...but then again, that may be part of the charm that this album holds. perhaps it would lose a lot if it sounded as clean as does a lot of the metal produced now...anyway, this is a great album, and a necessity for anyone who is now a fan of death(or metal in general) that was not around in the mid-eighties when this style was in its infancy...

drop your $15 on it...you will not be dissappointed...

This is really a death-thrash album, but it's death metal enough to be considered the first DM album ever. However, I can't really say how influential this album was. 'Scream Bloody Gore' is much better known, of course, and thus is more directly influential, but I don't really know how much influence this album had on Death's debut, as Death had been around for as long as Possessed had been, and at least some of the material from that album had been written prior to this one's release.(Evil Dead, for example. Probably others) Whatever the case may be, serious metal fans will likely wanna pick this up for due to historical significance alone.

This album is unbelievably ahead of it's time, as it's death metal from even before thrash metal had truly matured. It's also incredibly heavy for the time, and would not be topped for another 2 years. (Well, 'Darkness Descends' might be heavier. It's a tough call) Stylistically, this album is basically 'Fight Fire With Fire' with a deeper guitar tone and death vox played ten times in a row. The vox aren't quite as gruff as your average DM band, but they're DM vox, no question. The guys in this band were a bunch of high school kids, so it isn't as sophistacated as lots of other albums, but it's not really amateurish or simplistic either. The exception to this is the drumming, which is kinda weak, and rather holds the album back. An overproduced sound, weak fills etc. Still, the vicious guitars and twisted vox carry the day. There are some decent solos as well. Nothing too complex, of course, but actually reasonably clean and melodic. Most of the songs have a reasonably catchy chorus, but it has no real variety. The opener, 'The Exorcist' and 'Seven Churches' are probably the two best tracks, with the title track being the better of the two.(Beccera's howling 'YOU WILL DIE!!!!' jumps out at you everytime you listen to this album. It's definitely the best, and the defining moment of the album) It's all solid enough, of course, but not much really stands out. Still, sounds good while you're listening to it, which is good enough.

Yeah, that's it. Good, not great, but worth checking out.

This album is great. The lyrics are great and so is the music. This could be Possessed greatest album they have realesed.And for all those retards saying that death metal should be funny and that they dont know how to sing and play and that their lyrics suck, what kind of music are you listening to?? (Poison, Cinderella, Faster Pussycat). This is a true DEATH METAL album and I recommend this album to anyone who loves great riffs, vocals, and satanic lyrics.BUY THIS ALBUM!!!

To all those who read these reviews DON'T listen to the dumbass before me! Death metal isn't supossed to be funny! It's to be taken seriuosly and the musicions who play it do to! Where he got that idea is beyond me and he should have his ears cut off! Seven Churches is an influential, important, and mind blowing album that'll make youre ears bleed! Anyone who doesn't have it should buy it now!

Hard to believe that Primus guitarist/screwball Larry Lalonde, who has dented the collective sanity of all guitar players with cuts like "Eleven" and "Hamburger Train" had a hand in this thrash/death classic. Possessed was the most patentedly Satanic band in the Bay Area - while Slayer used Satanic references strictly for shock value, three of the four members of Possessed walked the walk, with the exception of Lalonde.
But what makes "Seven Churches" a historical document is the music. It's said that this CD may very well be the first true death metal album, and based on the barking dog vocals and over-the-top lyrical content, it may be true, or at least be one of the very first. Possessed were not a slow sludgy outfit like their Floridian kin Obituary or the legendary Morbid Angel. "Seven Churches" cruises along at high speed, reminding one of other early thrash greats like Exodus' debut "Bonded By Blood" and Kreator's "Pleasure To Kill", another historically important thrash/death hybrid.
People put off by the overdone Satanic shtick should just ignore the vocals since they're hard to understand anyway, but relish the power and energy this band had in its short life span. Maybe Possessed were too heavy too soon, but the fact is that "Seven Churches" is a must have for extreme metal fans, and important for its historical value. A rather poor production, but still a vicious piece of work.

though most people touched on this cds relevence and its influence, most dont realize that these guys were like 16 and 17 when it was recorded! In fact, some couldnt tour because they had SCHOOL! funny when i think about it.
The cd itself is just great. Dark, rifs are monstrous and production "in your face". The remaster sounds better than the original..
Lyrically, its a little simplistic, but remember, at the time not many bands were doing this sort of thing, and they were in high school for gods sake!'
Great cd for a great time in metal music history! Buy if you like thrash/death metal 80's style. Too bad they didnt record more dark music, as the cds after this were more streamlined. Enjoy!

This album is one of the best death metal record's ever made, the guitars are like razor cutting into your ears, it's awesome, The Exorcist and Death Meatal are my favorites songs in this production, All Hail Possessed!

Possessed were one of the most dark and furious thrash bands of all time. Mixing Metallica and Slayer with dark creepy riffs and satanic lyrics, this album gave birth to Death Metal and gave a career to guitarist Larry LaLonde of Primus.

This album is dark, fast and heavy as a house with songs that could bring one down. With a dark and depressed vocalist and a drummer on the brink to insanity, this album is rich with gloom and darkness. The evil lyrics of songs like "Exorchist", "Pentagram", and "Satan's Curse" give this album an edge like no other.

So, buy this album. Highly recommended and definately a must hear, this is the album that all should hear.