At this 12 months’s Hellfest in Clisson, France, legendary excessive steel drummer Gene Hoglan, who has performed with TESTAMENT, DETHKLOK, DARK ANGEL, DEATH, FEAR FACTORY and STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, amongst others, spoke about being probably the most in-demand musicians within the steel scene. He mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Effectively, I put the ‘ho’ in Hoglan. I am a drum ho, man, positively. I really like doing what I do. I am an absolute poster little one for residing one’s dream. I set out on this path once I was 11. That is once I mentioned, ‘I am gonna be a rock and roll drummer. I am gonna play for bands and see the world and all that.’ And by the point I used to be 13 and tremendous into steel by that point — I used to be 12 in 1980 when the large crush of steel got here out; that was the nonetheless the perfect 12 months of steel ever, and that was all contemporary stuff being thrown proper at me. In order that that cemented my love for steel. And that is why I am, like, ‘I am gonna be a steel drummer. I am gonna play quick, heavy. I am gonna be within the heaviest bands I can discover.’ And I did not even, like. relegate myself to at least one band. Even again then, I used to be, like, ‘I do know I am gonna play with a ton of musicians, and it is gonna be nice.’ And so, right here it’s, 45 years later. It was a want. It was a dream.”
He continued: “I’ve just lately come into contact with the time period of manifestation and I am, like, all the pieces that I hear this manifestation stuff is that is what I did. I made this occur. I created this out of my very own mind and I noticed the trail that I wanted to be on, and I attempted to make all the great selections that I might. I used to be part of the preliminary L.A. scene of all of the DANTE FOXes and GREAT WHITEs and RATTs and MÖTLEY CRÜEs and DUBROW. It was after QUIET RIOT. QUIET RIOT was a bit of earlier than my time — the preliminary Randy Rhoads QUIET RIOT. However SNOW and all of these bands, A LA CARTE, one of many biggest bands ever, I used to be going to see all these bands once I was 13 and changing into buddies with these guys. And my sister was 5 years older than me and she or he used to pull me to all these reveals. And it simply was superior getting to fulfill all these guys that finally turned enormous large stars. However the factor that taught me was, like, a whole lot of these bands I’d see on the time, they received enormous with not the very same members that that they had, as a result of we would go to the events afterwards and nearly all of the band could be fairly properly put collectively, however there was that one man within the band that may simply get shitty drunk on a Wednesday evening. And I used to be only a sponge. I did not drink or do medication or something, so I used to be only a sponge to all of it. I am, like, ‘I do not suppose that man’s gonna final on this band.’ Certain sufficient, he will get the boot. They get a man that is received it extra collectively from one of many different bands. They signal the massive contract. They go on to large issues, and that man is simply left behind. I watched that occur so many occasions. So it was simply being a sponge, being a witness to all of this exercise the place I used to be capable of form of discern, ‘That is the best way to go. That is not the best way to go. Do not act like a douche.'”
Reflecting on one piece of recommendation he received early on which he took to coronary heart, Hoglan mentioned: “There was a drummer for a band that went on to grow to be a gargantuan band, and once I was, like, 15 or so, I obtained the keys to my of us’ automotive and I went and drove and picked him up and he was driving us round. We had been doing one thing collectively. And the largest lesson I ever received — ever — was from this man as he was speaking to me about his philosophy on making it within the music trade. And he mentioned — and that is no joke — he mentioned, ‘I do not care who I’ve to screw over, step on, F over, stroll on to raised myself and get myself larger within the music trade. I do not care who I’ve to screw over, I’ll do it.’ And I took from that, ‘Go do the other.’ And so he received the boot from that band. He is on their first couple of recordings, they usually had been killer.They had been well-known — particularly in L.A., particularly on [local radio station] KMET. They had been getting the massive push in ’83, ’84, proper at that first burst of the ’83 form of stuff and ’84, positively. And that was the largest lesson I ever received. It is, like, ‘No matter he simply mentioned, do the other. And that is gonna work properly for you.’ And so I’ve all the time tried to assist different individuals. If I’ve received pals in a band, [it’s], like, ‘Hey, man, your band’s fairly cool. Let me introduce you to my file label.’ Or ‘I do know a man over right here which may have the option that will help you guys out.’ Or ‘I do know a drummer that you just guys might most likely…’ All that form of stuff. Attempt to assist individuals. Do not screw individuals over. However that was an enormous lesson.”
Final month, DARK ANGEL launched “Round Firing Squad”, the second single from the band’s first new album in 34 years, “Extinction Stage Occasion”, due later in 2025 through Reversed Data.
The LP’s first single, the “Extinction Stage Occasion” title observe, was written by DARK ANGEL guitarist Jim Durkin a decade in the past, lengthy earlier than he suffered from extreme liver illness, and, to the shock of everybody, handed away in 2023. It was recorded and blended on the Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, govt produced by DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan, produced and engineered by Rob Shallcross and blended by Mike Fraser.
Durkin died on March 8, 2023 on the age of 58. An unique member of DARK ANGEL, Durkin performed on the band’s first three albums — 1985’s “We Have Arrived”, “Darkness Descends” and 1989’s “Depart Scars” — earlier than departing the group in 1989. He was a part of DARK ANGEL‘s lineup when the band reformed in 2013, and had been taking part in with them, on and off, ever since.
Previous to his dying, Durkin had been sitting out a few of DARK ANGEL‘s gigs. He was changed on the reveals by Hoglan‘s spouse Laura Christine, who has since joined DARK ANGEL as a everlasting member.
The “Extinction Stage Occasion” paintings and structure was designed by Cain Gillis, with ideas by Hoglan.
“Musically, lyrically, and vocally, I am so stoked about this album,” Hoglan beforehand mentioned. “I am actually enthusiastic about DARK ANGEL proper now, and everybody who’s heard the brand new album is shedding their minds. Each time I might end a tune and ship it over to the fellows, everyone was, ‘Gene, that is my favourite tune!’ ‘No, that is my favourite tune!!’ ‘Dude, that is completely my favourite tune!!!’ That is by no means a nasty signal.”
Hoglan and Christine wrote all the pieces apart from the title observe on “Extinction Stage Occasion”. Different songs set to seem on the hassle embody “Atavistic”, which is described as “a full-on three-minute thrash steel barrage”, “Woke Up To Blood”, the title of which stemmed from a canine assault, and “Terror Assemble”, which Gene wrote about the best way the media and firms group as much as unfold worry among the many lots to allow them to proceed to fill their pockets.
The seeds of “Extinction Stage Occasion” had been planted in late 2013 between the time when TESTAMENT stopped touring to work on their new file and Hoglan was scheduled to work on his subsequent main undertaking. After the primary batch of writing periods for “Extinction Stage Occasion”, Hoglan needed to put writing for DARK ANGEL on maintain till late 2022. With different obligations behind him, Gene laser-focused on DARK ANGEL, listening again to the jams he and Durkin made earlier, and writing greater than 10 new songs over the following three months. With a full album of pummeling new songs, Hoglan flew to Vancouver to trace the album on the Armory. There, he and his bandmates labored with Rob Shallcross and Mike Fraser, and over just a few periods, DARK ANGEL had recorded all the pieces however the vocals.
Having handed away two years in the past, Durkin‘s sudden dying continues to be traumatic for DARK ANGEL and particularly Hoglan. On the similar time, he takes bittersweet pleasure in understanding that Jim‘s taking part in and performances dwell on by way of him and DARK ANGEL, not solely when the band performs his outdated riffs, but additionally within the continued affect Durkin has on the band’s new songs.
“One of many final issues I informed him was, ‘Jim, dude, you are my unique guitar hero,” Hoglan recollects. “‘My total guitar model is predicated in your model since you are who I actually realized the right way to play guitar from.’ So, my guitar method with DARK ANGEL is Jim Durkin‘s method. After I write for the band, I am pondering, ‘What would Jim do right here?’ That is why his presence is massively throughout this new file. Each single tune. I wished to make it to the place individuals are like, ‘Yeah, Jim wrote that riff. Oh, there’s one other Jim riff’ as a result of Jim wrote all the perfect riffs within the band, without end.”
DARK ANGEL was initially scheduled to play new music for the primary time since 1991 throughout its January 29 live performance on the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. Nevertheless, that present ended up getting postponed as a result of wildfires within the state.
DARK ANGEL launched two albums with Don Doty on vocals — the aforementioned “We Have Arrived” and “Darkness Descends” — earlier than he exited the group and was changed by Ron Rinehart (after a quick stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two extra studio LPs — “Depart Scars” and “Time Does Not Heal” — earlier than calling it quits in 1992.
