DARK ANGEL HAS ARISEN AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!!
Besides Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, Anthrax, and Megadeth, one of my very favorite thrash metal bands is the equally heavy Dark Angel, (making them part of the BIG 7 in my opinion, with Exodus, Death Angel and Dark Angel added in deservedly.)
Dark Angel (Ron Rinehart-vocals, Jimmy Durkin-guitar, Eric Meyer-guitar, Michael Gonzalez-Bass, and the "Atomic Clock" Gene Hoglan-drums,) are one of the best metal bands of all time. Period.
Dark Angel (Ron Rinehart-vocals, Jimmy Durkin-guitar, Eric Meyer-guitar, Michael Gonzalez-Bass, and the "Atomic Clock" Gene Hoglan-drums,) are one of the best metal bands of all time. Period.
Growing up as a speed metal freak in the 1980's, it was a magical time for us denim and patch-clad headbangers. There were no "itunes", "Internet", or any of these "Blade Runner-like" science fiction mediums in 1983 we take for granted and have today at the click of a "mouse."
What we "old school" headbangers had to do was do our own research through our metal brethren "tape trading" of killer bands, or reading Kerrang! magazine.
OR, the ultimate personal metal afternoon or nocturnal pilgrimage delight, going to a cool independent record store and spending HOURS looking through the imported records or new heavy metal releases. It was on one of those ventures I discovered Iron Maiden's Killers in 1981, and I was an instant heavy metal addict for life with no cure in sight. The NWOBHM movement was born and arrived at our shores.
Shortly after in 1983, four young lads named Cliff, Lars, Jaymz, and Kirk started a teeth gnashing hybrid of Punk/and NWOBHM on amphetamines, called "speed metal." Mercyful Fate, Slayer, and Metallica were the only bands on my record player with Melissa, Show No Mercy, and Kill 'Em All respectively in 1983.
"Holy Heavy Metal, Batman!", 1984 was a gem of a year, with Metallica's Ride The Lightening, (my #1 Heavy Metal Album Of All Time,) Mercyful Fate's Don't Break The Oath, and Slayer's EP Haunting the Chapel. (Lars Ulrich, the cocky Dane is STILL the very first drummer to EVER play a double bass beat as fast as he did on Fight Fire With Fire on vinyl. He is, at least to me, along with Gene and Dave, one of the the Godfathers of Double Bass and will always be one of my heroes.)
What we "old school" headbangers had to do was do our own research through our metal brethren "tape trading" of killer bands, or reading Kerrang! magazine.
OR, the ultimate personal metal afternoon or nocturnal pilgrimage delight, going to a cool independent record store and spending HOURS looking through the imported records or new heavy metal releases. It was on one of those ventures I discovered Iron Maiden's Killers in 1981, and I was an instant heavy metal addict for life with no cure in sight. The NWOBHM movement was born and arrived at our shores.
Shortly after in 1983, four young lads named Cliff, Lars, Jaymz, and Kirk started a teeth gnashing hybrid of Punk/and NWOBHM on amphetamines, called "speed metal." Mercyful Fate, Slayer, and Metallica were the only bands on my record player with Melissa, Show No Mercy, and Kill 'Em All respectively in 1983.
"Holy Heavy Metal, Batman!", 1984 was a gem of a year, with Metallica's Ride The Lightening, (my #1 Heavy Metal Album Of All Time,) Mercyful Fate's Don't Break The Oath, and Slayer's EP Haunting the Chapel. (Lars Ulrich, the cocky Dane is STILL the very first drummer to EVER play a double bass beat as fast as he did on Fight Fire With Fire on vinyl. He is, at least to me, along with Gene and Dave, one of the the Godfathers of Double Bass and will always be one of my heroes.)
In 1985, my drummer friend Norm Leggio of Psychotic Waltz/Nukem fame turned me on to Exodus's Bonded By Blood, Slayer's Hell Awaits, and Anthrax's Spreading the Disease. 1986 was also a great year, as I was already familiar with Metallica and Slayer with their epic 1986 releases Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood.
But one release of 1986 was my VERY favorite of all, and that was Dark Angel's Darkness Descends. I bought it at Blue Meannie Records on Combat Records a month after Reign in Blood was released and was not disappointed in the least. (Buying records back then was a HUGE risk, as there were no 30 second "try before you buy" like you have on itunes today.) I bought many records that I used as angry frisbees after 5 minutes of hearing bands that turned out to be poseurs, but every once in a while, you will make a discovery that is an absolute gem that assaults your cranium for decades.
But one release of 1986 was my VERY favorite of all, and that was Dark Angel's Darkness Descends. I bought it at Blue Meannie Records on Combat Records a month after Reign in Blood was released and was not disappointed in the least. (Buying records back then was a HUGE risk, as there were no 30 second "try before you buy" like you have on itunes today.) I bought many records that I used as angry frisbees after 5 minutes of hearing bands that turned out to be poseurs, but every once in a while, you will make a discovery that is an absolute gem that assaults your cranium for decades.
Dark Angel's Darkness Descends is one of those rare gems, especially after Reign In Blood .
I will never forget going home and putting on my headphones, turning it up to "11" as Nigel Tuffnell once said, and listening to Dark Angel for the first time.
The opening track "Darkness Descends" had these faded in squealing, hellish sounds of the guitars fading in, and then that classic heavy trilling opening riff that starts out with Jimmy Durkin and then Eric Meyer answers just gave me metal chills. I had the chorus almost memorized after the first spin and then listened to the speedy "Burning of Sodom," "Hunger of the Undead," and the classic "Merciless Death," with that great opening bass line with Mike Gonzalez and to this day, in my opinion, is faster than any metal song at that time.
I will never forget going home and putting on my headphones, turning it up to "11" as Nigel Tuffnell once said, and listening to Dark Angel for the first time.
The opening track "Darkness Descends" had these faded in squealing, hellish sounds of the guitars fading in, and then that classic heavy trilling opening riff that starts out with Jimmy Durkin and then Eric Meyer answers just gave me metal chills. I had the chorus almost memorized after the first spin and then listened to the speedy "Burning of Sodom," "Hunger of the Undead," and the classic "Merciless Death," with that great opening bass line with Mike Gonzalez and to this day, in my opinion, is faster than any metal song at that time.
I flipped it over to side two, and this was where my cranium exploded with Gene Hoglan's INSANE double bass beat to open on "Death is Certain, Life is not." (I was a "wanna be" drummer at the time, and Gene Hoglan is one reason my drum career came to a pitiful end: After hearing Gene blast away on that song with his INSANE double bass on that song, I sold my drums to a music store in utter defeat about three weeks later or so)..Gene, you are still my hero despite my future fame as a drummer was crushed by your talent.
The second song, and my oh my, is my FAVORITE Dark Angel song of all time, the epic 8-minute plus song, "Black Prophecies."
Musically, it has this haunting heavy opening that goes into this awesome galloping riff, that goes into an SHREDDING riff after the chorus, and does it all over again 3 TIMES. "Black Prophecies" is in my top 10 heaviest metal songs of all time.
What made "Black Prophecies" that much greater, were the brilliant lyrics penned by Mr. Hoglan himself. They absolutely mesmerized and scared the caca out of me, as they were about the visions of Armageddon foretold by Nostradamus. This was 1986, mind you, and "1999 and seven months" was only 13 years away until we would perished in flames!!!!!!…Speaking of "Perish in Flames", that is the name of the closing track that is fast and heavy as they come.
Musically, it has this haunting heavy opening that goes into this awesome galloping riff, that goes into an SHREDDING riff after the chorus, and does it all over again 3 TIMES. "Black Prophecies" is in my top 10 heaviest metal songs of all time.
What made "Black Prophecies" that much greater, were the brilliant lyrics penned by Mr. Hoglan himself. They absolutely mesmerized and scared the caca out of me, as they were about the visions of Armageddon foretold by Nostradamus. This was 1986, mind you, and "1999 and seven months" was only 13 years away until we would perished in flames!!!!!!…Speaking of "Perish in Flames", that is the name of the closing track that is fast and heavy as they come.
I had to wait 3 long years before Dark Angel returned, and this time, I was in line at Blue Meannie to get this album in late January of 1989 with Leave Scars. This was the debut of their new front man Ron Rinehart, taking over vox for Don Doty. (I remember thinking when I got home and was staring at the back of the album cover about Ron, my thoughts were that "he is the meanest heavy metal singer I have ever seen, with his scowl and "Conan" arms covered with tatts in a black tank top." Holy moly I would not want to piss that man off!!!!
Leave Scars was equally a masterpiece with great songs like the "The Death of Innocence", "The Promise of Agony", "Never To Rise Again," and my personal favorite, "No One Answers", this album was equally awesome as their first. The thing I was most impressed with on Leave Scars was their new front man, Ron Rinehart: His vocals were ever bit as mean, heavy, & powerful as his picture on the back of the album. Ron added just a bit more aggressiveness and nastiness to Dark Angel, and since then, he has been one of my favorite singers in metal. 1991's Time Does Not Heal was heavy, and introduced another axemaster Brett Erickson into the lineup replacing Jimmy Durkin, and as much as I liked Brett, without Jimmy, the difference was noticeable. Dark Angel after Time Does not Heal was inactive and I got to follow Gene with Death and his other metal appearances but since about 1993 or so, I always wondered what happened to Ron, Eric, Jimmy, and Mike, guys that were almost surrogate "friends" and heroes to me as a fan.
The rumors had been swirling for years that Dark Angel was "reuniting" only to be followed by disappointing news that is wasn't true. This was very similar, as I also saw it happen right around the same time also to my other favorite metal band Exodus, who disbanded in 1992, only briefly reuniting for a GREAT metal reunion in 1997 with Paul Baloff ( and that I got to see in Paul perform in 1997 not knowing it would be the last time I would see Paul) until they resurrected with their best album since Bonded By Blood . In 2004, Exodus blew us away with Tempo Of The Damned" and have been back at the helm since. Gary Holt to this day is my favorite metal hero for keeping that band together, not to mention one of the greatest metal riffmasters of all time.
Leave Scars was equally a masterpiece with great songs like the "The Death of Innocence", "The Promise of Agony", "Never To Rise Again," and my personal favorite, "No One Answers", this album was equally awesome as their first. The thing I was most impressed with on Leave Scars was their new front man, Ron Rinehart: His vocals were ever bit as mean, heavy, & powerful as his picture on the back of the album. Ron added just a bit more aggressiveness and nastiness to Dark Angel, and since then, he has been one of my favorite singers in metal. 1991's Time Does Not Heal was heavy, and introduced another axemaster Brett Erickson into the lineup replacing Jimmy Durkin, and as much as I liked Brett, without Jimmy, the difference was noticeable. Dark Angel after Time Does not Heal was inactive and I got to follow Gene with Death and his other metal appearances but since about 1993 or so, I always wondered what happened to Ron, Eric, Jimmy, and Mike, guys that were almost surrogate "friends" and heroes to me as a fan.
The rumors had been swirling for years that Dark Angel was "reuniting" only to be followed by disappointing news that is wasn't true. This was very similar, as I also saw it happen right around the same time also to my other favorite metal band Exodus, who disbanded in 1992, only briefly reuniting for a GREAT metal reunion in 1997 with Paul Baloff ( and that I got to see in Paul perform in 1997 not knowing it would be the last time I would see Paul) until they resurrected with their best album since Bonded By Blood . In 2004, Exodus blew us away with Tempo Of The Damned" and have been back at the helm since. Gary Holt to this day is my favorite metal hero for keeping that band together, not to mention one of the greatest metal riffmasters of all time.
FINALLY, in 2014, a fellow metal head and DAMN good bass player in NUKEM, Donald Lauder, sent me a "jam session" of Dark Angel rehearsing my OTHER favorite Dark Angel song, Death is Certain IN 2014!!!!!!!!..
I couldn't believe my ears and eyes!!!!! The next thing I hear a several weeks later, is the mighty Dark Angel, opening with that same riff I heard in 1986 with my earphones on, with Jimmy Durkin starting the opening riff to "Darkness Descends" in front of a Chilean crown of headbangers.....What did this re-arrival of Dark Angel do to this 48 year old headbanger who first heard DA at the tender age of 20??? Absolute.....(fill in the profanity) ......CHILLS!!!!!! I do not want to get greedy and wish for a new album.
What I am happy about is one of the most underrated speed metal bands of all time is back at it!!!!!!!! Ron, despite his fierce look, is one of the most gracious, fan friendly guys I have ever corresponded with and thanks Ron for your time!!!!!
What I am happy about is one of the most underrated speed metal bands of all time is back at it!!!!!!!! Ron, despite his fierce look, is one of the most gracious, fan friendly guys I have ever corresponded with and thanks Ron for your time!!!!!
What Dark Angel decides to do in 2014 and beyond is their business...All I can say is a HUGE welcome back: You have been greatly missed and we loyal metal heads from 1986 welcome you back with open metal and headhanging arms and heads!!!!!! THANKS DARK ANGEL!!!!!!!!!!!! Never to Rise Again does not apply here...Darkness Descends in 2014 DOES!!!!!!!!!
