Fans of Dark Angel are likely aware the band’s first new music in decades recently got its first live airing. The veteran Californian thrash metallers didn’t just dip their toe in and return with a sole single however, having instead gone forth and crafted their fifth studio album, “Extinction Level Event“. That opus marks their first new album in nearly 35 years. Recording sessions for it took place under producer Rob Shallcross, while Mike Fraser went on to mix it.
The title track was selected as the first single and it features ideas penned by the band’s late guitarist Jim Durkin, who died in early 2023 after battling liver disease. Dark Angel drummer Gene Hoglan said of that:
“Jim Durkin left us with this badass tune. It is so Dark Angel and I’m just so excited about it. We made it the lead-off song on the record, not as a tribute to Jim or because of sentimental reasons – like, here is the song that Jim left us – but because it’s just a totally killer song. He wrote it ten years ago, and by today’s standards it’s still ball-crushing.”
Hoglan also weighed in on the record too, offering:
“Musically, lyrically, and vocally, I’m so stoked about this album. I’m really excited about Dark Angel right now, and everyone who’s heard the new album is losing their minds.”
