POSSESSED Pulls Out Of Norway's HOLE IN THE SKY Festival

August 28, 2008

Reactivated California death metal pioneers POSSESSED — featuring sole original member Jeff Becerra (vocals) backed by members of California's SADISTIC INTENT — have cancelled their appearance at the Hole in the Sky festival, set to take place August 27-30 in Bergen, Norway. The festival organizers explain in a statement, "Jeff Becerra is hospitalized with a blood infection. As much as they wanted to make it, the doctor insisted that he stay in hospital for a few more days." The statement adds, "The SADISTIC INTENT gig will proceed as planned. Furthermore we have added the fantastic avant garde metallers NACHTMYSTIUM from the windy city Chicago to the Saturday bill."

For more information, visit www.holeinthesky.no.

In the October 2008 issue of Guitar World magazine, POSSESSED frontman Jeff Becerra talked candidly about the 1989 shooting that left him paralyzed from the chest down, his battle with drugs and alcohol, the early days of the Bay Area thrash metal scene and his future as a wheelchair-bound frontman for the death metal legends.

Regarding the robbery that left him paralyzed, Becerra said: "The first bullet went into my chest about six inches above the nipple, went through the lung and stuck on the inside of my spine. I put my hand up as I was going down, and the second bullet clipped the top of my ring finger off. But at least it didn't hit me in the head. So I was on the ground, and the first guy put the gun to my head and pulled the trigger, and the gun jammed — luckily for me, some criminals don't know how to clean their automatic weapons."

On performing at the 2007 Wacken Open Air festival in Germany, Becerra told Guitar World: "The show was amazing, and it was a great way for me to get back into the scene — but I was terrified, just shaking onstage in front of like 60,000 people. It was really emotional for me to be back out there, and I was really hoping that people wouldn't look at the chair and see 'poor Jeff.' I just didn't want to make a fool of myself and of the POSSESSED name — I didn't want to lose the only thing I ever was, you know?"

Guitar World has posted exclusive interview outtakes and new photos of Jeff at this location.

Fan-filmed video footage of POSSESSED performing the song "Tribulation" live at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City in 2007 can be viewed below (courtesy of AngryPit.com).

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