Dark Angel Biography
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Formed in Los Angeles, California, USA, in 1981, Dark Angel specialize in ‘ultra-heavy thrash metal’. The original line-up comprised Don Doty (vocals), Jim Durkin (guitar), Eric Meyer (guitar), Rob Yahn (bass) and Mike Andrade (drums), although the latter was quickly replaced by Jack Schwartz. Early demos saw the band sign to Azra Records, resulting in the release of We Have Arrived in 1984. Unfortunately, this was a clumsy effort that at times made them sound unrehearsed. Soon after its release, Yahn and Schwartz left to be replaced by Mike Gonzalez (bass) and Gene Hoglan (Eugene Victor Hoglan II, 31 August 1967, Dallas, Texas, USA; drums), who became the band’s chief lyricist. Signing a new contract with Combat Records, they released Darkness Descends. This brutally heavy and uncompromising album, which featured the departed Yahn’s bass playing, showed the band to have made the transition into a tight, cohesive unit. There was a lull in Dark Angel’s recording career until they reappeared in 1989 withLeave Scars. If anything, this release was even heavier. Featuring new vocalist Ron Rinehart, it also included a cover version of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’. The band then embarked on a European tour, recording a live mini-album, Live Scars, which was released in 1990 as a stop-gap until the next studio project. The band underwent another line-up shuffle, replacing Durkin with ex-Viking guitarist Brett Eriksen (b. Brett Sarachek). Together they recorded Time Does Not Heal, a turbulent vortex of twisted riffs, savage drums, and lyrics dealing with weighty psychological issues. Definitely not a band for the faint-hearted, Dark Angel continued to combine unsavoury lyrics with ferocious musicianship, though by that point their initial impact had waned and they disbanded in 1992. Hoglan went on to cause further sonic mayhem in Death. He reunited with Rinehart and Meyer in the early 00s for a number of live shows, but by 2005 Dark Angel had disbanded once again.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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