Making their debut in Brazil at Bangers Open Air 2025, the American thrash metal band Dark Angel was formed in 1981 under the name Shellshock in Downey, California. As the Bay Area thrash scene began to gain traction, they changed their name to Dark Angel and quickly garnered a devoted following in the underground scene with their debut album We Have Arrived (1985). At that time, the lineup featured Don Dotty (vocals), the late Jim Durkin (guitar), Rob Yahn (bass), Jack Schwartz (drums), and Eric Meyer (second guitar). However, Gene Hoglan, who would later play with bands like Death, Testament, Devin Townsend, Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory, Forbidden, and others, took over on drums and contributed to songwriting, even creating guitar riffs. This collaboration led to the release of Darkness Descends (1986), a milestone in thrash metal history.
Following this, the band released Leave Scars (1989), Live Scars (live album, 1990), and Time Does Not Heal (1991). However, the departure of Ron Rinehart, along with unsuccessful attempts to work on a fifth album, resulted in the band’s first breakup in September 1992. Dark Angel has split up and revived several times since then, but the current lineup features Ron Rinehart (vocals), Eric Meyer and Laura Christine (guitar), Mike Gonzalez (bass), and Gene Hoglan (drums).
Saturday, May 3
DARK ANGEL
Making their debut in Brazil at Bangers Open Air 2025, the American thrash metal band Dark Angel currently consists of Ron Rinehart (vocals), Eric Meyer and Laura Christine (guitar), Mike Gonzalez (bass), and Gene Hoglan (drums). Formed in 1981 under the name Shellshock in Downey, California, the band later changed its name to Dark Angel and quickly garnered a devoted following in the underground scene with their debut album, We Have Arrived (1985).
At that time, the lineup included Don Dotty (vocals), the late Jim Durkin (guitar), Rob Yahn (bass), Jack Schwartz (drums), and Eric Meyer (second guitar). Gene Hoglan, who would go on to play with bands such as Death, Testament, Devin Townsend, Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory, and Forbidden, took over on drums. He also contributed to songwriting, even creating guitar riffs. This collaboration led to the release of Darkness Descends (1986), a milestone in thrash metal history.
Subsequent releases included Leave Scars (1989), Live Scars (live album, 1990), and Time Does Not Heal (1991). However, the departure of Rinehart, coupled with unsuccessful attempts to work on a fifth album, resulted in the band’s first breakup in September 1992. In 2002, Eric Meyer, Ron Rinehart, and Gene Hoglan revived the band with new bassist Danyael Williams. Unfortunately, in 2005, Rinehart suffered a serious spinal injury, leading to another breakup.
On August 10, 2013, the band announced their reunion for a performance at the Keep It True XVII festival, held on April 25 and 26, 2014. The lineup remained intact until early 2023, when Jim Durkin passed away. However, Durkin had not been participating in the band’s live shows since at least 2020, with his place taken by Laura Christine, Gene Hoglan’s wife.
