Dark Angel hailed from L.A., California, and can be traced back as far as 1981. The very first demo was written when they were still named Shellshock. But it wasn't until 1984 that the band started to get some recognition. And by 1985, their first full length album was released. Dark Angel disbanded in 1992, when vocalist Ron Rinehart decided to leave the band. Some attempts to reunite the band was made in 2002, but sadly nothing emerged. Dark Angel remains one of the many thrash metal acts that are hailed by thousands of fans, enjoy a huge cult following, but never really made it as big as they could have.

WE HAVE ARRIVED (1985) DARK REALM

Never thought I'd find Dark Angel's first album on CD. But suddenly this promotional copy of the Dark Realm reissue popped up for sale, so I snagged it. But much to my dismay, this will be a CD to fill a collection hole, rather than anything I will put on every now and then. Some hold this as one of the best thrash albums ever released, and say it's the bands best moment. Well, then I wonder what they are hearing, as this is uninventive, uninteresting, repetitive and boring crap! Just about all the songs sounds like the band left the rehearsal room just 5 minutes ago, after only spending a total of 2 hours in there. Maybe I'm being harsh, but to me they sound like a second rate, no, better make that third rate, thrash metal band. Check out 'Leave Scars' in stead. Now that's thrash metal for you!

Killer tracks: Merciless Death

DARKNESS DESCENDS (1986, 1998) CENTURY MEDIA

'Darkness Descends' was long the missing piece of in Dark Angel collection. Now I can finally add it to my site. Originally released in 1986, Century Media re-issued it in 1998, making it once again obtainable for the masses. This was to be the final album with Don Doty on vocals, and also the most aggressive album from Dark Angel. On for the ride they recruited Gene Hoglan on drums, but the rest of the band was the same as on the debut (I know the line notes say Mike Gonzales on bass, but read the comments from Gene, and you'll learn that it is Rob Yahn playing on the album). Nevertheless, this is relentless thrash metal in it's most brutal form. In fact, I remember us referring to Dark Angel just as much as a death metal act as we did thrash. The same can be said for early Sepultura. The band is playing at a speed that was nearly impossible to fathom back in 1986. They were heavier, faster, thrashier and more destructive then everyone back in 1986. Heck, they even made Slayer sound like a pop band in comparison! And luckily enough, 'Darkness Descends' is ten times better than 'We Have Arrived'. And the band might have understood that too, as they re-recorded the only solid track from the debut, namely "Merciless Death". Although the entire album has an uncanny live feel to it, it is still much better produced than it's predecessor. Don Doty's snarling vocals, Gene's ferocious drumming and Jim's machine gun riffing all helped to create this thrash metal classic. Mind you, though, I personally think the band still had not peaked. The 2 bonus tracks on this reissue can also be found on the soundtrack for 'Ultimate Revenge 2', and contains Ron Rinehart's first recordings with the band.