Possessed frontman Jeff Becerra has provided a new update regarding the band’s highly anticipated follow-up to their 2019 comeback album, Revelations Of Oblivion. Taking to his Instagram, the death metal pioneer revealed that the songwriting process is steadily advancing, though he acknowledged the new material might challenge some listeners.
“I’m working on song nine for the new album. It’s a huge undertaking, and I know not everyone will enjoy my work—but it’s not about that. I write from the heart, and while I don’t need everyone’s approval, I truly hope those who listen will enjoy it.”
This sentiment echoes comments Becerra made during an October 2025 interview with Australia’s “Devil’s Horns Zine.” Discussing the final stages of the record, he noted the album’s distinct direction:
”I’m working on the last three sets of lyrics, and then the album is finished. And it’s a trip. It’s a whole different animal. I don’t know if people will love it or hate it. I hope they love it. It’s different. It’s definitely different.”
In a previous interview with Alex Stojanovic of MetalMasterKingdom.com, Becerra offered insight into the musicality of the new tracks, describing the sound as:
“very cool, very heavy. But a lot more tempo switching. And it’s cool.”
He also firmly dismissed any notion that the band is softening their extreme metal roots:
“Possessed will never sell out,” he said at the time. “I’d rather die. But it’s still very, very heavy. It’s probably gonna be one of our darkest albums. And also something that you don’t have to grit your teeth to get through the whole thing.”
While Becerra remains the primary driving force behind Possessed, he highlighted the collaborative nature of the current lineup.
“We all write. I think I wrote 63 or 64 percent of the last album, so 50 percent and that extra music. 50 percent would be lyrics, if we’re doing it at 100. Even though it’s not really broken down that way, it’s easier to explain that way. So I’ll write riffs, definitely, I’ll send them to Dan [guitarist Daniel Gonzalez]. Me and Dan are kind of the main guys, but more and more, on this one you’re seeing Claudeous [Creamer, Possessed guitarist] and Robert [Cardenas, Possessed bassist] coming out and showing off the riffs.”
This modern lineup of the band has proven to be the most stable in their history, fostering a healthy, constructive writing environment:
“This [version of] Possessed has been around more than three times as long as the first one, so, yeah, we work well together,” he explained. “And they’re not afraid to say, ‘Hey, no, this is not good’ to me and vice versa. But we’re looking for what’s good or what is mendable or what is perfect as is. And so I think we’re all super picky about what we do.”
Possessed originally disbanded in 1987, leaving behind a monumental legacy cemented by their 1985 debut album, Seven Churches. Internal fractures following the 1987 EP The Eyes Of Horror led to the group’s dissolution. Guitarist Larry Lalonde subsequently joined Blind Illusion and later Primus, while Becerra, guitarist Mike Torrao, and drummer Mike Sus went their separate ways.
Tragedy struck two years after the split when Becerra was shot during a failed armed robbery, leaving him partially paralyzed and navigating a difficult period of substance abuse. While Torrao briefly revived Possessed in the early 1990s, the band truly returned to form when Becerra assembled a new lineup in 2007. This triumphant return culminated in 2019’s Revelations Of Oblivion, the band’s first full-length studio album in over three decades.
