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Well here we have the second and final Possessed album. After this they produced only the EP "Eyes Of Horror" and then zip. No more from Possessed except some lame demo tapes. The truth is that "Seven Churches" was their masterpiece, and after that there was only one way to go, and it wasn't up.

"Beyond The Gates" is generally entertaining, but it lacks that certain awesome something that made "Seven Churches" so cool. Part of it is the production, which is both clearer, so it lacks that 'subterranean' feel, and mushier, so the guitars sound kind of weak. Jeff Becerra's vocals don't sound as good here either. On "Beyond The Gates" he has this tendency to trail his voice down on the last word of a line. I guess it was supposed to make him sound evil, but it really makes him sound bored, like he just can't get excited about the music. He just doesn't sound vicious or angry this time out.

Overall, the cleaner sound makes this sound less like Death Metal, and more like a standard Thrash album. It has a more mature sound, and some more complex songwriting, but that's not what I wanted from a Possessed album. When Venom learned to play their instruments, they just weren't as much fun, were they? So a more 'mature' Possessed is not something I wanted. Overall "Beyond The Gates" is fun, but it just withers under comparison with its predecessor.