THE // POSSESSED Begins A New Era With Toxins EP

2 days ago

5 min read

Written by: Annie Schlottman Photo credit: Eric Taylor Parker/SeventhSide Productions; Mary Baker; Ian Mimnall/icmvisuals; Tristan Seifert/TrisInThePit

There are times when I stumble upon a band I wasn’t familiar with in an unexpected situation, and it's always an interesting story. Back in May 2025, I went to a show in Allentown, Pennsylvania, fifteen minutes from where I live, featuring one of my favorite bands, The Almas, and a band I was just starting to follow, Reign Of Z. At that show, I met some new people, including Jordan Sartor. I remember it was mentioned to me that he had a band, so I checked out their music and thought it was really good! I would describe the style as metalcore with an edge.

Fast forward a few months to August 2025, and I got to see Jordan’s band, which at the time still went by the name Jordan Sartor And The Possessed. The show was also in Allentown, at Inkwell, and included Time Is Infinity, The Almas, and RUINESS. It gave me my first live experience with the band, and I thought their performance was fun and energetic. This band was definitely on my radar as one to watch.

Recently renamed THE // POSSESSED for reasons I’ll explain later in this story, the band has not only been through a rebranding, but also dropped a new EP called Toxins August 21st. I reached out to Jordan about doing a story about the band and the EP, and he agreed. He told me a lot of the band’s history and what’s behind their music. It was a great interview!

Band members of THE // POSSESSED are: Jordan (lead vocals); Jake Dell’Oso (lead guitar/producer); Austin Zechman (rhythm guitar/backing vocals); and Brad Sweitzer (drums). The band considers their home turf to be Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the state capital. Most of the band members are from different parts of rhe Central Pennsylvania region, other than Jake, who’s from Wilmington, Delaware.

Jordan Sartor and Jake Dell’Oso

Jordan started the band as a solo project in 2018. He recorded all the instruments and vocals for the debut album, C.O.M.A., and Jake produced the album. It all happened in their college apartment. The purpose was for Jordan to have an outlet to write and say whatever he wanted without anyone putting limitations on his creativity and the stories he wanted to tell.

Eventually, after releasing the debut album, it morphed into a live band. The only member of the band who wasn’t in the lineup originally is Austin, but Jordan said having him join fulfilled the overall chemistry they were seeking. They finally felt like a “real band” despite having been together for a little over a year prior to that.

Brad Sweitzer and Austin Zechman

I asked Jordan about the band’s name. He told me movies he saw and video games he played led him to become fascinated with the idea of demonic possession. It was something he could identify with as a musician, because the second he goes on stage, the adrenaline rush he gets turns him into somebody else. He told me that sometimes, it doesn’t even feel like he’s the one performing the songs.

As mentioned above, the band has had a bit of a rebranding recently, going from being “Jordan Sarter And The Possessed” to simply being “THE // POSSESSED”. I asked Jordan about this.

He shared, “With this current lineup, this band started to become a collaborative effort. I felt like I was surrounded by the right people. The happier I was with that, the idea of this being MY band no longer sat well with me. So I nixed my name out of the band with the idea that this is OUR band.”

Regarding the band’s songwriting process, for the C.O.M.A. album, Jordan was the brains behind everything, including instruments and vocals. Jake wrote a couple parts here and there, and also enhanced a lot of the songs with his production.

For the recently-released Toxins EP, Jordan still wrote the skeleton of most of the instrumentals and all of the lyrics, but he also wanted each band member of THE // POSSESSED to add his own creative input to the EP. Austin and Jake actually began writing two of the songs from the new EP, which became a collaborative effort between all four band members. It allowed Jordan to sit back and just focus on the lyrics as the vocalist.

All of the production for THE // POSSESSED songs is done in-house by the band. Both their debut album C.O.M.A. and the new EP Toxins were produced, mixed, and mastered by Jake, and the songs were recorded in the comfort of their homes. This hands-on process allows the band to be specific and experimental with their sound.

I asked Jordan what topics THE // POSSESSED songs are usually centered around. He told me, “Anger, betrayal, mental struggles, grief, toxic relationships. These dark feelings fuel the sound and lyrics and allow us to conquer them in real time.”

Jordan also shared with me that the new Toxins EP was “a happy accident”. It was never the band’s intent to even write an EP, but the more they worked together on music, the more it became a reality.

Jordan said Toxins covers recent toxic situations he’s experienced or has been put through and the toll it has taken on him. By the end of the EP, while his feelings towards those situations are still valid, he comes to the realization that the worst toxic situation of them all is HIMSELF for letting it affect him in the first place. While it's very specific to Jordan, the rest of the band members were also able to relate to this topic.

I was really impressed with the Toxins EP right from the first time I listened to it. There seems to be a more refined, fresh element to the band’s sound from their previous work. I think the collaboration by all of THE // POSSESSED band members, bringing together different perspectives, is a great thing. I have the utmost respect for Jordan for embracing the talents of his bandmates and using them to create the band's music. There is a realness and rawness in the Toxins EP. You can feel the emotions in the songs as Jordan tells his story.

THE // POSSESSED had an EP release show at Capital City Music Hall in Harrisburg August 28th, with support from Bedroom Floor, Ego Death, Unwithered, and FallBright. From the photos and videos I saw, it looked like a really great night! There are no other shows currently scheduled for THE // POSSESSED, but be on the lookout for announcements on their socials if any are booked.

Regarding future new music by THE // POSSESSED, Jordan told me they’re ALWAYS writing, so there will definitely be more released at some point. But right now, the band is super proud of the Toxins EP and that’s their primary focus.

I asked Jordan if he had any final thoughts. He said he just really hopes everyone will listen to the Toxins EP and share it with their friends. He also encouraged everyone to follow THE // POSSESSED on social media. You can follow the band on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, as well as any platform you use to listen to music.