I purchased this record in front of a group of metalheads and thought I was the coolest thrasher in town as they stood amazed that someone from a local town could waltz in and pick up such a fierce record. I got home, played it on the wrong speed (slow) and still thought it was ultra-fast, and then realised it had to be played faster! It blew my mind. 'The Eyes Of Horror' is great on vinyl but did get a re-issue with 'Beyond The Gates', another fine Possessed record, but 'The Eyes...' takes thrash onto new levels, with this being produced by guitar wizard Joe Satriani and displaying some wonderful intricate playing and more of a technical understanding.
The band veer slightly away from horror and the black metal fury of the earlier efforts, and this time concentrate on the torment of the human psyche, ripping out five tracks (it was a mini-album) of brilliant intricate thrash.
The vocals are clear, yet dark, spitting out seemingly simple lyrics of self-horror and insanity. This is clever yet super-charged thrash/death metal that only Death came close to matching. Although Possessed were reasonably short lived as an act there is no denying their influence within the genre, and they are sadly missed. Indeed, this album played a great part of my youth and the memories are strong.
8/10
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