Possessed

Amazon.com
Klezmatics mix jazz, folk, rock and Jewish music into a unique and powerful new sound. This album is one of the more challeging of their many works, leaping from genre to genre with seeming abandon. A core element of the record is the songwriting of playwright Tony Kushner, a self-described "half-baked, half-former, re-formed, dummermann kind of Jew." His lyrics for "Undoing World" are powerful phrases of love, loss and exile played against a traditional tune. Klezmatics can break into a frenzied dance here or a heart-rending fiddle tune there; the beauty of Possessed is its complete unpredictability. This is klezmer music of a high order. --Louis Gibson

Tracks:

The Exorcist
Pentagram
Burning In Hell
Evil Warriors
Seven Churches
Satan's Curse
Holy Hell
Twisted Minds
Fallen Angel
Death Metal

Customer Reviews:

Death metal?.......2007-01-04

No, not really. Seven Churches falls squarely in the realm of thrash in my opinion. However there are some elements in the music that clearly point in the direction of death metal. On the whole this is a very good thrash record with some excellent riffs. The lyrics on the other hand are so utterly ridiculous that I could barely read them in the lyrics sleeve. Now I know nobody really cares what metal lyrics are about but they could have at least tried. Recommended for serious fans of thrash, old school death metal or anyone who has an interest in classic and important metal albums.

4.5 Still does the trick after 20 years!.......2006-12-20

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!

These guys are to death metal as breathing is to us........2006-10-22

If it wasn't for this album, we would have never been blessed (it's actually more like a good curse) with death metal. They took thrash metal, made it even louder and heavier, downtuned the instruments, and singlehandedly invented the death metal growl. Yes, it's rather primative and doesn't sound that harsh, but death metal vocals did evolve out of this. There's guitarwork that is both skillful and catchy(how can you not love the riff to The Exorcist?!) There's even a premature form of the blastbeat on some songs. Though it is argued, I do believe that this is the first death metal album. All death metal fans should have this in their CD collection.

DEATH METAL IS NO JOKE!.......2006-10-13

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!

Not funny enough.......2006-08-26

I love death metal because of how ridiculously-extreme it is, and how none of the bands take themselves seriously. All DM bands know it's a big joke, and they just try to one-up one another in the brutality/gore department. And the end result is ALWAYS big laughs!

So I was expecting a lot when I bought this. I really expected to laugh a lot. But in the end, it just wasn't as funny as I thought it would be.

This band seems to actually be taking DM seriously! Big mistake there, fellas. Nobody else does, so why should you?

Anyways, I'm highly disappointed with this garbage.

Average customer rating:

Possessed
Out of the Ordinary
Clever!
Be possessed and have fun with Kraftwerk fans
Highly enjoyable

Possessed
Balanescu Quartet
Manufacturer: Mute U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Luminitza
Maria T
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Waking Life - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

ASIN: B000003Z5X
Release Date: 1992-11-10

Tracks:

Robots
Model
Autobahn
Computer Love
Pocket Calculator
Possessed
Want Me
No Time Before Time
Hanging Upside Down

Customer Reviews:

Possessed.......2007-05-21

This is one of the most stunning pieces of music I've ever heard. Alexander Balanescu's violin work is superbly expressive. To me it combines Eastern European violin expression with modern music form. I originally heard Model on NPR's All Music considered several years ago and it was an instant favorite. I purchased this and other of the quartet's albums and this is the best with Maria T being a close second. In addition to Model, the three pieces written by Balanescu's are superb: Possessed, Want Me and to me the best is No Time Before Time. They only have a few phrases but they vary and intertwine wonderfully. The theme builds to wonderful heights. They are so intense, I missed my exit on the way to work. Be careful if you listen to these while driving alone at night - you might not make it home! After this intense trio of songs, the light Hanging Upside Down is necessary.

Out of the Ordinary.......2006-01-10

My encounter with the music of the Balanescu Quartet came via an amazon recommendation for Possessed I got after I reviewed a Glover Gill album. I was never into Kraftwerk, and was only somewhat into the Talking Heads, so I was unfamiliar with everything on the CD except for Kraftwerk's once-ubiquitous Autobahn.
It took a few listens to get into this CD. There were a couple of cuts I liked right off, but I admit to shelving it until recently. After listening several more times with new ears, I found more to like than originally. The music of the Balanescu Quartet reminds me somewhat of that of Darryl Way's old band Wolf, particularly on the hypnotic title cut.
Possessed, clocking in at nearly 17 minutes, is clearly the class of the album. I could listen to that time and again. But I also really enjoy Robots, Model, No Time Before Time, and the David Byrne song that closes out the CD, Hanging Upside Down.
If you are looking for something interesting and out of the ordinary, Possessed definitely qualifies on both counts. Do your ears a favor and check it out!

Clever!.......2003-08-30

The most clever CD I have ever listened to!

A Classical Quartet doing covers of Kraftwerk & David Byrne. Wonderful renditions of 'Model', 'Autobahn', and 'Computer Love'. So focused is the music, you may wonder who is real!

Alexander Balanescu does a wonderful job of giving (then) pop music and classical taste. This music is incredible!

Be possessed and have fun with Kraftwerk fans.......2000-10-07

a good friend, who is into lots of very different music, introduced me to ths one. I have played it for a lot of my friends and they all like it and some have also bought it. Once upon a time I also owned the original Kraftwerk LPs, but I got totally fed up with it and sold it to get money to go on vacation.

The Balanescu Quartet version is much better for me. The music is very soothing, its good music for closing the eyes and drift a way. Its also moving, developing and it is definately catchy.

This cd has also given me a lot of fun. I have brough it with me on my travels and played it for Kraftwerk fans, mostly germans, and it is so fun to see them trying to figure out what the music is! They wrinkle their foreheads, they start humming to the music, exclaiming " I know this song!" and then after a few more bars or while the next song starts up. "I even think have it at home, I am sure I have it, what the f... is it?" There is actually some who manage to find out who it is, but most have to listen for a while and I usually have to drop some really strong hints.

This is also the kind of music that is great fun to introduce to people, because it is so special and quite different. I am shocked to see only 2 reviews though, it deserves so much more. So become possessed you also. Give it a chance and listen to it here.

Highly enjoyable.......2000-01-31

I found this CD accidentally at the library, not knowing what it would sound like. I went home and was pleasantly surprised. The complexity of "Computer Love" was incredible to me, even before I learned the song was originally done with synthesizers. "The Model" is beautiful with the strings, and "Autobahn" and "Pocket Calculator" couldn't be more fun to listen to!

I also enjoyed "No Time Before Time" (now one of my favorites on the CD), and "Want Me" -- which I found annoying at first, but eventually learned to love. This whole album is relaxing and pleasing to listen to when you want something different.

Tracks:

POWERDRIVE
FLYTRAP
SATANACHIST
BURN THIS PLACE TO THE GROUND
HARMONY DIES
POSSESSED
HELLCHILD
MOONSHINE
WING AND A PRAYER
SUFFER NOT THE CHILDREN
VOYEUR
MYSTIQUE
TOO LOUD (FOR THE CROWD)
NIGHTMARE (12' MIX)
FOAD (12' B SIDE)
WARHEAD (12' B SIDE)
POSSESSED (REMIX)
WITCHING HOUR (LIVE)
TEACHERS PET/ POISON/ TEACHERS PET (LIVE)

Average customer rating:

Shhhh!!!!!! Don't Tell Anyone That Larry LaLonde Was In Possessed.........
My Favorite from Possessed.
really good but not quite great.
I like it.
ugghh

Beyond the Gates
Possessed
Manufacturer: Relativity
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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Agent Orange
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The Force

ASIN: B00000ICO3
Release Date: 1999-03-30

Tracks:

Intro
The Heretic
Tribulation
March To Die
Phantasm
No Will To Live
Beyond The Gates
The Beasts Of The Apocalypse
Seance
Restless Dead
Dog Fight

Customer Reviews:

Shhhh!!!!!! Don't Tell Anyone That Larry LaLonde Was In Possessed................2007-07-18

It seems that Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde doesn't want anyone to know that he was in Possessed from the mid-to-late 1980's. Maybe Larry thinks Primus fans would be upset by that fact he used to dress up in black leather & wear inverted crosses around his neck. Or it could be that he believes Primus' music is so much more advanced than Possessed's. Whatever the reason, it's a shame because Possessed was - and still is - one of the most influential death/thrash bands of all time.

Released in late 1986, BEYOND THE GATES is a major step forward from Possessed's 1985 debut, SEVEN CHURCHES. The band is much more mature sounding. SEVEN CHURCHES was recorded while the band members were still in high school, and it shows. The songs flow much better on BEYOND THE GATES. There is some good, chunky metal riffing going on here. Just about every track is good, but some personal favorites include "The Heretic," "Tribulation," "No Will To Live" & "Seance." The only song I didn't really like is the album's title track. It has a clunky main guitar riff. Most of the songs were written by guitarist Mike Torrao & bassist/vocalist Jeff Becerra. Although the aforementioned Larry LaLonde did co-write three tracks. Both guitarists play some very good solos, with Torrao being the wilder of the two (check out his second solo on "Seance"). Jeff Becerra has a sandpaper-ish vocal style that is reminiscent of Lemmy from Motorhead.

I'm giving BEYOND THE GATES four stars because it does have a few flaws. First off, the production has a bone-dry feel to it, which I'm not a fan of. SEVEN CHURCHES has a much richer-sounding production style. Secondly, producer Carl Canedy could have done a better job of recording Mike Sus' drum tracks. They're a little flat-sounding. And finally, Possessed were still writing their silly satanic lyrics (ex. Tribulation/In Love With Satan/Desecration/Come To Salem). Still, it is clear that Possessed grew as a band between SEVEN CHURCHES & BEYOND THE GATES.

In June of 1987, Possessed put out their final release, a five-song EP called THE EYES OF HORROR. The band showed continued growth, both musically & lyrically. Sadly, they broke up just days after THE EYES OF HORROR came out. Larry Lalonde went on to play in a second-rate metal band called Blind Illusion, & then formed Primus with bassist/vocalist Les Claypool. It was around this time that Jeff Becerra was shot & paralyzed from the waist down during a drug deal that went bad. Mike Torrao continued to try to make music until the early-to-mid nineties, but now both he & Mike Sus are out of the business.

BEYOND THE GATES is definitely worth picking up. It is a document of a metal band coming into their own. Take your copy to a Primus show & see if you can get Larry LaLonde to autograph it for you!!!!

My Favorite from Possessed........2007-01-01

This is my favorite release from Possessed, this one is epicalegically deviant compared to their first ...Death Metal. This sounds more like, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Entombed, And Terrorizer. Buy it, Must Own!!

really good but not quite great........2006-07-07

This album in my opinion is a B+. It is not as good as churches or eyes, but it's worth buying. The production was on the weak side with this recording. Carl Candedy produced instead of Randy Burns, who was on another project at the time. No knock against Canedy, but the production prevented this from being an A+. It has got some really heavy stuff nonetheless. Most of the songs are strong with the exception of a couple weak ones. The guitar riffs are cool as well as the drumming. As far as vocals go, NOBODY in death/black metal does it like Jeff Becerra. He has an awesome guttaral grunting style. All in all a must buy for metal fans.

I like it........2006-02-04

The production isn't as bad on this as it is on Seven Churches to me, but it's not as good as on Eyes of Horror, either.

What they needed was Joe Satriani producing all three albums. That would have been awesome. (YES, HE DID PRODUCE "Eyes of Horror"). If anyone remembers from the 80's, alot of the best Metal music had crappy recordings. Didn't hurt the music any, unless you were anal and just HAD to have pristine recordings.

I love this album. Brings back great memories.

ugghh.......2005-12-02

how can a band follow up the greatest death metal album ever recorded with this? personally, since I am in a band, I will tell you how. Being in a band gets old, boring, and bland. Listen to this album, and you will see what I mean. The unlistenable production is not just hype...its reeeeallllly bad. Worse than 'and justice for all', or 'st. anger'. dont mean to throw in metallica, but lets just say, you can have the greatest home stereo in the world, and this CD will sound like crap. just buy '7 churches' and make that the only possessed you ever hear. next.

Average customer rating:

Great bonus tracks with Roger McGuinn

I Feel Possessed
Crowded House , Roger McGuinn , and ByrdHouse
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000DDX6
Release Date: 1989-10-10

Tracks:

I Feel Possessed
Mr. Tambourine Man
Eight Miles High
So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star

Customer Reviews:

Great bonus tracks with Roger McGuinn.......2005-04-28

"I Feel Possessed" is an OK song. But this CD EP is mainly worth buying for the other three tracks, performed by "Byrdhouse," a.k.a. Crowded House with Roger McGuinn). They are "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Eight Miles High," and "So You Want to Be a Rock'n'Roll Star," recorded at the Pantages Theater in L.A. on April 7, 1989. Great stuff.

Seven Gates Of Horror: A Tribute To Possessed

Average customer rating:

Seven Gates Of Horror: A Tribute To Possessed
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Karmageddon Media
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Compilations | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000E39NB
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Tracks:

Exorcist - Sadistic Intent
Fallen Angel - Impious
Confessions - Cannibal Corpse
Beasts of Apocalypse
Death Metal - Vader
No Will to Live - Diabolic
Satans Curse - God Dethroned
Swing of the Axe - Absu
Storm in My Mind - Sinister
Burning in Hell - Angel Corpse
Evil Warriors - Krabathor
March to Die
Eyes of Horror - Amon Amarth

Album Description

Those who are familiar with the history of metal will agree that Possessed changed the extreme metal scene in 1985 with their album 'Seven Churches', being an over-the-top album in speed & image when it was released. The album more or less led to the birth of death metal (this being the name of a Possessed song, covered here by Vader) & influenced bands such as Morbid Angel & Death. This record is a tribute to Possessed, with some of the most respected names in the scene paying tribute to this legendary act! & those old songs have not lost any of their glory...so much is for sure! 13 Possessed tracks covered by the likes of Cannibal Corpse, God Dethroned, Angel Corpse, Amon Amarth & more, packaged in a digipak. Karmageddon Media. 2004.

Average customer rating:

Another feast for Handelians
Excellent music

Handel: Saul
John Eliot Gardiner , Ruth Holton , Lynne Dawson , John Mark Ainsley , Donna Brown , Derek Lee Ragin , English Baroque Soloists , Philip Salmon , and Neil Mackie
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000412J
Release Date: 1991-09-12

Customer Reviews:

Another feast for Handelians.......2003-12-25

Here's another astonishing piece for all Handelians. Many of Handel's great pieces have sadly been neglected - just like many of Richard Strauss' operas which have only recently received attention from people like Botstein, Korsten and Sinopoli (deceased). Thankfully, Gardiner and his team took the trouble to record this astonishing masterpiece. I simply love this piece - Saul!! The Monteverdi choir is the best in the world - listen to their stunning virtuosity here. Thank you, Gardiner!!

Excellent music.......2003-09-14

Saul is one of those lesser known works by Handel. I certainly prefer Solomon, the Messiah or Israel in Egypt. Nevertheless, there is plenty of glorious music in Saul. The Monteverdi sings with their customary virtuosity. Casting of solo parts is superb. A bit on the pricey side but this is an investment that will yield rich dividends over a long period of time. Instead of listening to the Messiah all the time, or Solomon or Jephtha, why not be more daring and explore this lesser known work by Handel?

Average customer rating:

The Dishes

Manufacturer: No. 89 Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Rock | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000083GGN
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Tracks:

Burnin' Up
Dirty Highway
Punch Drunk
Ohio
Remote Control
French Kissing
Can't Explain
Lonely Nation
She's #1
Mt. Mama
Bad
I'm a Bug
Restless Leg

Album Description

First album by Chicago's first ladies of garage punk.

Average customer rating:

Where Venom missed the mark
Don't dictate to us; we were the first!
4.5 STARS- A criminally overlooked album by Venom
Powerful Music But Weak Mix
STILL GOOD ENOUGH !!

Possessed
Venom
Manufacturer: Castle Music UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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Thrash & Speed Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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Welcome to Hell
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Metal Black

ASIN: B00005V4UX
Release Date: 2002-06-17

Tracks:

Powerdrive
Flytrap
Satanachrist
Burn This Place to the Ground
Harmony Dies
Possessed
Hellchild
Moonshine
Wing and a Prayer
Suffer Not the Children
Voyeur
Mystique
Too Loud (For the Crowd)
Nightmare [12" Mix][*]
F.O.A.D. [12" B Side][*]
Warhead [12" B Side][*]
Possessed [Remix][*]
Witching Hour [Live][*]
Teachers Pet/Poison/Teachers Pet [Live][*]

Album Description

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:

Where Venom missed the mark.......2005-05-25

Many people think Calm Before the Storm is where Venom screwed up. Actually where Venom tripped up is two years before with the 1985 release of Possessed, the bands fourth album.

Everybody knows Venoms legendary first two albums Welcome To Hell and Black Metal. Though Primative sounding with limited production, there were excellent early thrash/black metal records. The band would make a step forward with the release of At War With Satan. That album featured better production and the band even toyed with progressive song writing. It was a little different than their previous two albums but none-the-less, it was the step in the right direction.

Then came Possessed....

After showing a promising future with At War With Satan, the band missed their mark with their next release. Possessed emerged as de-evolution of the band and was a marginal step down from AWWS. The production was again ruduced to poor methods with Cronos's vocals taking the blunt of it. The songs themselves seemed to suffer and they just lacked punch. Part of the blame could be the internal struggles the band was going through at the time. Guitarst Jeff "Mantas" Dunn has even described his disappointment with the album in interviews. He was so upset with the album at the time that actually departed from Venom to pursue a solo career.

Possessed also wasn't well recieved by fans and the bands Venom inspired were passing them on by. Slayer, Metallica, and Megadeth were all releasing excellent ablums at the time such as Hell Awaits, Ride the Lightning, and Killing Is My Business, all of which are miles ahead of Possessed.

I think this was a pivital time for Venom. If they were able to release a killer album, they might have became as big as the above mentioned bands. With the lackluster release of Possessed, its no wonder they faded into oblivion in the late 80's...

Even with all the negatives surrounding the album, its still will be among interest to metal fans as it really was the last album of the classic era of Venom and the last album to feature the original line-up until the 1996 reunion album Cast in Stone

Don't dictate to us; we were the first!.......2005-04-17

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?!?!?!?

4.5 STARS- A criminally overlooked album by Venom.......2005-03-14

This album POSSESED me! It seems to be the black sheep of Venom's catalog for some reason. I could certainly see why in some ways though, it came out right after Venom's most famous three albums WELCOME TO HELL-BLACK METAL and AT WAR WITH SATAN (the un-holy trinity known to some) and by this time(1985) Venom was becoming written off in favor of groups like Slayer,Metallica and others.However i thought this album could easily hold it's own against their previous efforts.POSSESED has a really dark, haunting feel to it (sound wise) that i really liked, the song SATANARCIST points that out perfectly with its spooky intro.Another thing is that they really turned up the punk/hardcore influence here, so it is a bit faster then their earlier works. This gets 4.5 STARS for me,even though it can get a little sloppy and the prodution is basment quality, this is their most solid and accesable album Cronos and the gang ever put out. Sure, WELCOME TO HELL and BLACK METAL are the records Venom will be remembered by and rightly so but this is still my favorite from them.

Powerful Music But Weak Mix.......2004-06-18

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.

STILL GOOD ENOUGH !!.......2004-05-29

This album is clearly inferior to the first 3 ones,but has a certain hardcore punk air to it,especially the drumming and the guitar riffing.Nice,racous thrash-death metal,of a very elementary kind,but that's precisely where its charm resides.The instrumental track is so primitively executed that I can't help but LOVE it ! Only thing keeping me from giving this one 5 stars is the EXTREMELY uneven tonal and dinamic balance,sounding way worse than previous records,with the exception of the first one,which is purposely lo-fi for effect.My advice,this isworth the bucks if you have the appropiate amount of signal processing at home,like I do.

Average customer rating:

Tony Kushner Is Poison To Jews
Textured and beautiful
Not instantly gratifying, but impressive
A Wonderful Mix
Mixed, but excellent overall.

Possessed
The Klezmatics , and Klezmatics
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Jewish & Yiddish Music | Folk | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005Y23D
Release Date: 2002-02-12

Tracks:

Shprayz Ikh Mir
Kolomeyke
Moroccan Game
An Undoing World
Mizmor Shir Lehanef (Reefer Song)
Shvarts Un Vays (Black And White)
Lomir Heybn Dem Bekher
Sirba Matey Matey
Mipney Ma
Beggars' Dance
Shnaps-Nign
Interlude
Dybbuk Shers
Fradde's Song
Der Shvartser Mi Adir
Hinokh Yafo
Mipney Ma
Eyn Mol

Amazon.com

Klezmatics mix jazz, folk, rock and Jewish music into a unique and powerful new sound. This album is one of the more challeging of their many works, leaping from genre to genre with seeming abandon. A core element of the record is the songwriting of playwright Tony Kushner, a self-described "half-baked, half-former, re-formed, dummermann kind of Jew." His lyrics for "Undoing World" are powerful phrases of love, loss and exile played against a traditional tune. Klezmatics can break into a frenzied dance here or a heart-rending fiddle tune there; the beauty of Possessed is its complete unpredictability. This is klezmer music of a high order. --Louis Gibson

Customer Reviews:

Tony Kushner Is Poison To Jews.......2006-01-27

Tony Kushner's liner notes are a chilling foretaste of his Jew-hatred-soaked script for the film "Munich." A paragon of self-regard, he sneers at the historicity and compelling morality of the Jewish people's attachment through the millenia to its eternal homeland. Rather, Kushner makes a point of elevating the moral stature of the Islamofascists who have unhesitatingly and unceasingly for a century prosecuted a campaign of genocidal slaughter against any and all Jews who sought to reclaim their stolen patrimony (through aboveboard land-purchase and settlement, prior to wars of justifiable self-defense). Like his evil Arab idols, Kushner cannot abide the concept of a restored Jewish commonwealth, secured on a foundation of existential legitimacy, political independence, and territorial sovereignty. Zionism, and its morally necessary outcome the State of Israel, enabled and is continuing to enable the very effloresence of Jewish culture in the US in the post-1948 and certainly post-1967 vineyards where the Klezmatics have been frolicking and where Kushner has gained his fame and fortune. But Kushner hates the very thought of being liberated, and seeks to sow that hatred throughout world Jewry. The Klezmatics should feel ashamed for linking themselves to this cruel purveyor of assisted suicide.

Textured and beautiful.......2005-04-21

I'm mainly writing this review because I was surprised to read some of the others, and thought I would offer forth something of a different opinion. I've discovered Klezmer music over the last two years or so, and this is definitely one of my favorite albums. The Klezmatics really shine here. I personally find the English-language ballads, with lyrics by Tony Kushner, to be heartbreaking and beautiful. "Dispossession by attrition/is the permanent condition/that the wretched modern world endures", from An Undoing World, is just one of the lines that resonates with me. The fiddle playing of Alicia Svigals is, as always, mesmerizing (though as far as I know, she is no longer with the Klezmatics). The instrumental tracks range from frentic to melancholy, and the whole of the album is a joyful listen. The liner notes by Tony Kushner are also worth the read. I would recommend this album to someone familiar with Klezmer, to someone who has never heard Klezmer, and to anyone who likes a well-written song. Some of the slower songs may take awhile to grow on ya', but in the end, I believe you'll find that they do, and that the power they possess (no pun intended, a-ha, ha-ha) make it well worth the time spent listening.

Not instantly gratifying, but impressive.......2004-04-29

Though I was impressed by "Possessed" upon listening in a record store, it really takes a lot of listening to understand the point behind this postmodern Jewish folk.

On first listens it can seem soft and aimless, and lacking in any feeling on the surface and seemingly just soft pop music. The slowness and delicacy of the music adds to that impression, especially when the woodwinds and brass dominate the proceedings as on the opening of "Mizmor Shir Lehanef".

However, this record does have merit as a postmodern folk record owing to the subtle, but gorgeous vocals of Lorin Sklamberg and its sheer beauty - the touching melody of the above-mentioned "Mizmor Shir Lehanef" has to be herd to be believed. "Mipney-Ma" by contrast was frantic in tone over a soaring vocal, and the opener "Shprayz Ikh Mir" showed remarkable simplicity and was the most "traditional" piece here because of its sparseness, despite the pesence of backing vocals from Moxy Früvious.

The musicians' almost classical virtuosity turns out in the end to be less pretensious than one might expect: they improvise extensively, notably on the opening of "Hinokh Yafo" and the complexity and subtlety of the songs certainly sets this apart from earlier Klezmatics works.

"Possessed" avoids the traps of "world muzak" with ecstatic power, but you have to wait to see this.

A Wonderful Mix.......2003-07-26

I really loved this CD, it was one of the best I had heard in a long time. I'll admit, I'm not Jewish, so maybe I'm not really qualified to write a review as I do not completely understand the material on this CD. But I really loved this stuff anyway. Shprayz Ikh Mir and Shvarts Un Vays were my favorites, the Klezmatics do an excellent job of working their instruments into a rampant frenzy and it's impossible not to dance listening to their music. The songs in English are defiantly the low point here, although it seems a heart-felt effort, An Undoing World is a big flop. It just seems too clichéd in English, but I'll bet it could be beautiful in Yiddish. Overall this CD was an excellent hodgepodge of Jazz and traditional Jewish music & other elements.

Mixed, but excellent overall........2003-06-25

Like all their albums, the Klezmatics' work on "Possessed" ranges from staggeringly brilliant to markedly less than special, but overall, the album is excellent. High points include "Hinokh Yafo," a really lovely little piece taken from Song of Songs; "Lo Mir Heybn Dem Bekher," an intoxicatingly heady song in the classic Yiddische Arbeiters tradition; and "Mizmor Shir Le-Hanef," to my knowledge the only Yiddish song about pot smoking: a delightful slow song filled with clever wordplay and jazz/reefer in-jokes (in Yiddish, yet). Not so great are the two songs in English, "An Undoing World" and "Fradde's Song." Klezmer ballads just don't seem to work if they're not in Yiddish: English just isn't nuanced for them, and the Klezmatics really should learn that at some point. The rest of the album ranges mostly from good to better, and the whole is entirely worth owning. One of the band's best efforts.

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