{"id":2791,"date":"2025-09-27T11:39:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T18:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sdmetal.org\/msm\/?p=2791"},"modified":"2025-09-28T14:34:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T21:34:06","slug":"dark-angel-extinction-level-event-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sdmetal.org\/msm\/dark-angel-extinction-level-event-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Dark Angel — Extinction Level Event Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s been a hot minute or two since I’ve posted my mostly-sober ramblings — thanks all for those reaching out and checking up on me getting my proverbial shit together here in the year of 2025 CE. I just wish my return to these hallowed halls of all things metal came in tow with a positive review of this highly anticipated comeback album, but y’all know I always keep it real \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Okay, I admit it: I didn\u2019t worship at the alter of Dark Angel <\/strong>way back in the day. I mean, with so many local (for me) Bay Area Thrash Metal bands occupying my attention span\u2026 plus me being heavily into the tape trading scene — with Euro and UK weirdos sending me Euro and UK weirdo metal like Assassin<\/strong>, Sabbat [UK]<\/strong>, Hydra Vein<\/strong>, Artillery<\/strong>, Virus [UK]<\/strong>, Silver Mountain<\/strong>, Agony<\/strong>, and everything under the European Noise Records<\/em><\/strong> and Music For Nations<\/em><\/strong> banners \u2013 LA bands such as EvilDead<\/strong>, Hirax<\/strong>, and Dark Angel<\/strong> all kind of fell through the cracks for me in the late `80s.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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My first exposure to Dark Angel<\/strong> wasn\u2019t even their magnum opus \u201cDarkness Descends<\/strong>\u201d<\/em>, but the somewhat polarizing \u201c<\/em>Time Does Not Heal\u201d<\/em> <\/strong>from 1991. At the time it didn\u2019t wow me, but I\u2019ve come to appreciate what the band was trying to do during a time period when thrash metal was starting to flatline, especially here in The States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Aside: no, Grunge did not \u201ckill Thrash Metal\u201d\u2026 Thrash Metal killed itself when fans and labels embraced knuckle-dragging easily digestible “mosh!” schlock like Anthrax<\/strong>, and ignored smart AF thrash from the likes of Coroner<\/strong>, Sanctuary<\/strong>, Anacrusis<\/strong>, et al. Big time record labels jumping in late in the game and only signing B-grade acts like Faith or Fear<\/strong> and Wrathchild America<\/strong> didn’t help either.]\n\n\n\n

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Back on topic. I was only a very casual fan of Dark Angel<\/strong>, until I saw them play live at the Club Citta in Tokyo during the Thrash Domination 2016<\/a> fest (when they opened for Destruction<\/strong> and Kreator<\/strong>). That stepped up the band in my estimation quite mightily!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

At that time, I was sure they would simply be a metal festival band \u2013 no tours, and certainly no new albums. But on the other hand, it\u2019s a rare metal band indeed that settles for this flavor of semi-retirement, and seemingly every one of them tries its hand at a “big comeback album” eventually. Some of these comebacks worked (e.g. Satan<\/strong> & Morbid Saint<\/strong>)<\/em>…, some were strange and unexpected (e.g. Mordred<\/strong> & Acid Reign<\/strong>)…, and some turned out to be BabyRuth quasi-turds floating in a Caddy Shack swimming pool: e.g. Vio-lence<\/a><\/strong>, and (I\u2019m sorry to say…) Dark Angel<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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