11/4/2022 0 Comments Dark angel darkness descends![]() ![]() The only thing many metal fans know of Dark Angel is their drummer Gene Hoglan has since pounded the skins for numerous other bands like Strapping Young Lad, Death and Testament. If you come to the album with the right expectations you´ll be met with an onslaught of great aggressive thrash metal tunes though. The album is pretty much one-dimensionally aggressive, so expect very little with resemblance to melody here. "Darkness Descends" is arguably one of the most relentlessly aggressive and fast-paced thrash metal releases from the mid-80s and for fans of the more brutal, raw, and frenetic part of the genre this is mandatory listening. That´s thankfully the case here though as "Darkness Descends" features a very powerful, raw, and organic sounding production, which suits the music perfectly. So the songwriting is inspired and the musicianship strong, but that´s not always enough if you don´t pack your music in a powerful and raw sound production. The material on the 7 track, 35:22 minutes long album is very effective and for the most part furiously fast-paced and aggressive, but tracks like "Hunger of the Undead" and "Black Prophecies" do take the pace down to a mid-paced heavy groove, so while "Darkness Descends" certainly isn´t the most varied thrash metal album out there, Dark Angel do understand the importance of changing pace to keep things at least a bit varied. He doesn´t have the most distinct sounding voice and his staccato delivery is pretty typical for the genre, but his performance is both passionate and convincing. Lead vocalist Don Doty delivers a raw and aggressive performance that suits the music perfectly. Dark Angel were at this point a very well playing act. His fast and precise drumming style and the powerful bass playing by Rob Yahn (who left the band right after the album was finished) drive the aggressive and fast-paced guitar riffing forward in an incredibly powerful fashion. The addition of Gene Hoglan to the ranks, has provided Dark Angel with a much more intriguing and tight rhythm section, than the case was on "We Have Arrived (1984)". The traditional heavy metal elements from the debut are gone and "Darkness Descends" is a 100% raw and aggressive thrash metal release (not completely unlike "Reign in Blood (1986)" by Slayer or "Pleasure to Kill (1986)" by Kreator). Since the debut album there´s been a lineup change as drummer Jack Schwartz has been replaced by former Slayer drum tech Gene Hoglan.Ĭompared to "We Have Arrived (1984)", the music style on "Darkness Descends" has changed in a significantly more aggressive and fast-paced direction. The album was released through Combat Records in November 1986, almost to date two years after the release of their debut full-length studio album "We Have Arrived (1984)". Decibel Magazine placed it 9th on its "50 Greatest Thrash Metal Albums of All Time." "Loudwire" placed "Darkness Descends" at number 6 on its "Top Ten Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4" list."Darkness Descends" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Dark Angel. In August 2014, Revolver placed Darkness Descends on its "14 Thrash Albums You Need to Own" list. DARK ANGEL DARKNESS DESCENDS PROFESSIONALReception Professional ratings Review scores "Merciless Death" is a re-recording of a song from Dark Angel's previous album We Have Arrived. "The Burning of Sodom" deals with the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah. "Perish in Flames" deals with a nuclear apocalypse. "Black Prophecies" deals with Nostradamus. "Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)" deals with euthanasia. The song "Darkness Descends" is about the comic book characters known as the Dark Judges from the Judge Dredd comic book series, and even contains their famous statement, "this city is guilty, the crime is life, the sentence is death." The album is the first to feature influential drummer Gene Hoglan. Darkness Descends was Dark Angel's final album to feature original vocalist Don Doty. Though bassist Rob Yahn appears on the album, Mike Gonzalez received credit in the liner notes. 3.1 Icarus Records 2010 remastered bonus tracks. ![]()
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