Possessor

Possessor
Possessor
	; Possessor in 2021.
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Stoner Metal, Sludge Metal, Thrash Metal
Years active	2013 - 2021
Labels	Graven Earth, APF Records
Associated acts	Capricorns, 11 Paranoias, Satan's Wrath, Labrat, Fuckjar
Website	Possessor Facebook

Possessor was a heavy metal band based out of London, England. Forming in 2013, Possessor's sound is deviated into a stoner/sludge tone but with more of a general up-tempo, thrash elements and frequent samples from horror and vintage films to create a generally frenetic and chaotic atmosphere.

Initially forming as a solo project but quickly turning into a power trio, Possessor would release four studio albums amid a slew of EPs and live releases. The band is currently signed to Graven Earth Records (North America) and APF Records (England).

History[]

Possessor would be founded on 1 December 2013 by Graham Bywater, initially playing all of the instruments and singing in what was essentially a solo project. Recording a slew of songs on a broken 8-track, releasing the fourteen minute deomo Wings of Fire on 18 January 2014. Further recording would take place at Hill House between March and May 2014, leading to the release of Possessor's debut album Electric Hell on digital circa 22 June 2014 (Later November 2014 via Occult Whispers and Reverb Worship.).

Bywater would recruit a rhythm section in Marc Brereton and Matthew Radford for their first live shows, their earliest known on 13 February 2015.^[1] Performing regular shows in the England area the band would sign with American label Graven Earth as Bywater and Radford would record a second album at Hill House. Dead by Dawn would see release on 17 July 2016, gaining buzz with several publications.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] The band would perform more shows to support the album, including an appearance at SonicBlast Moledo in Portugal, the band's first show outside of England.^[7]

Gaining momentum the band would be quick to comprise a follow-up, recording in October 2017. The Ripper would see a release a month later on 24 November 2017 to further critical acclaim.^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]

In early 2019 with a new bassist in Ellie Mathews the band would confirm signing with Manchester, England label APF Records.^[13]^[14] A fourth album would be announced circa June 2019.^[15] Recording at Bear Bites Horns with Wayne Adams, Gravelands would see release on 26 July 2019 to their biggest praise to date.^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]^[21] The band would attain a new drummer in Nathan Perrier and were intended to perform at marquee events in 2020 such as Desertfest London and the Riffolution Festival^[22] but both would be canceled. The band would announce in April an appearance at The Sophie Lancaster Festival.^[23]

Despite the pandemic, the band would find a new bassist and release a fifth album in Damn The Light on 30 October 2020. Original bassist Marc Brereton would return to the band in 2021.^[24] On 21 December 2021 Possessor would announce that their next EP entitled The Speed of Death would be set for a Spring 2022 release. Notably, the band would also announce that The Speed of Death would be their final release and that they have disbanded.^[25]

Discography[]

Studio Albums[]

Electric Hell (2014, Occult Whispers; Reverb Worship)
Dead by Dawn (2016, Graven Earth Records)
The Ripper (2017, Graven Earth Records)
Gravelands (2019, APF Records)
Damn The Light (2020, APF Records)

Other Releases[]

Wings of Fire (Demo) (2014, Self-Released)
Stay Dead (EP) (2015, Creepy Crawl Records)
Live at the Windmill (Live EP) (2015, Self-Released)
Live at the 12 Bar (Live EP) (2015, Self-Released)
Revenge (Single) (2016, Self-Released)
The Speed of Death (Extended Play) (2022, APF Records)

Members[]

Graham Bywater - Guitar, Vocals (2013 - 2021)
Marc Brereton - Bass (2014 - 2016, 2021)
Matthew Radford - Drums (2015 - 2019)
Tom Fowler - Live Bass (2017)
Ellie Mathews - Live Bass (2018 - 2020)
Nathan Perrier - Drums (2019 - 2021)
Ollie Isaac - Live Bass (2020 - 2021)

External Links[]

References[]

V·T·E APF Records
Current Roster	A Horse Called War • Barbarian Hermit • Battalions • Beggar • BongCauldron • Desert Storm • Diesel King • Gandalf the Green • Mastiff • Nomad • Pist • Possessor • RedEye Revival • The Grand Mal • The Hyena Kill • Tides of Sulfur • Trevor's Head • Trippy Wicked & the Cosmic Children of the Knight • Tronald • Under • Video Nasties • Widows
Past Roster	Ba'al • Blind Haze • The Wizards of Delight
Events	APF Records Showcase
Related Articles	Andrew Field

[1] Possessor Facebook

[2] Prog Metal Madness

[3] Stranger Aeons

[4] Ringmaster Reviews

[5] The Riff Dealer

[6] Metal Forces Magazine

[7] Possessor Facebook

[8] Grizzly Butts

[9] Metal Observer

[10] Prog Metal Madness

[11] Downtuned Magazine

[12] Echoes and Dust

[13] Possessor Facebook

[14] Possessor Facebook

[15] Distorted Sound Magazine

[16] Grizzly Butts

[17] The Sound Not The Word

[18] Heavy Blog Is Heavy

[19] Astral Noize UK

[20] Metal Forces Magazine

[21] CVLT Nation

[22] Possessor Facebook

[23] Possessor Facebook

[24] Possessor Instagram

[25] Possessor Facebook

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