Gelap Pekat

Reactivated California death metal pioneers POSSESSED — featuring sole original member Jeff Becerra (vocals) backed by members of California's SADISTIC INTENT — will play a special one-off show on December 13, 2009 at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California.

Tickets are on sale now exclusively through EnterTheVault.com until July 5, at which point they will be made available through all normal ticketing systems.

In the October 2008 issue of Guitar World magazine, 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 photos of Jeff at this location.

Jeff Becerra interviewed at last year's edition of the Jalometalli festival, which was held August 15-16, 2008 at Club Teatria in Oulu, Finland: