DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan recently shared details about the band’s highly anticipated new album, Extinction Level Event, in an interview on the “Everblack” podcast. The album, marking the band’s first in 34 years, is set to be released later in 2025 through Reversed Records.
Hoglan expressed his excitement, stating, “It’s a pretty ferocious record. I’m stoked with it. It took long enough for it to come out, but now that we’re getting closer to the release, things are starting to get closer to finalized with it. So, everybody keep your eyes open. We just released the album cover last week and when we have some actual, actual, like ‘here is the drop date for it’, we’ll be able to share that with everybody. Pay attention to the DARK ANGEL socials and all that, and there will be a release date. We’re teasing it as 2025, so, hey, before December 31st, we are getting a DARK ANGEL record.”
The band is set to release the title track, “Extinction Level Event,” on Friday, April 11, with the cover art already revealed. Additionally, a brief teaser for the album has been made available. Fans can also check out fan-filmed footage of DARK ANGEL performing two new songs, “Extinction Level Event” and “Circular Firing Squad,” from their performance at the Metal Beer Open Air festival in Santiago, Chile, on March 23.
In a previous interview with Chile’s PowerOfMetal.cl, Hoglan discussed the progress of the album’s songwriting. He mentioned that DARK ANGEL would debut a couple of new songs during their South American shows, including a performance in Buenos Aires on March 21, followed by their set at Metal Beer Open Air. Hoglan added, “We’re really excited to be able to play some new stuff after all this time. And hey, man, hopefully that’s gonna lead to a whole bunch more stuff.”
When asked about the potential release of the album in 2025, Hoglan was cautious but optimistic, stating, “Boy, you never know. We’re working and trying to make things happen. And so hopefully at some point — I’ve said this many times in the past — hopefully at some point we’ll be able to give some kind of exciting update on progress of anything. And so hopefully we’ll be able to do that somewhere in the near future. And everybody, keep your eyes peeled to DARK ANGEL. We’ll see what happens.”
GENE HOGLAN Reflects on DARK ANGEL’s Upcoming Album and Tribute to Jim Durkin
DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan recently shared more insights into the band’s forthcoming album Extinction Level Event, marking the first new DARK ANGEL music since 1991’s Time Does Not Heal. Originally, the band was scheduled to debut the new material during their January 29 show at Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California, but the performance was postponed due to California’s wildfires.
In July 2024, DARK ANGEL officially entered the studio to begin recording the long-awaited LP. Hoglan had previously spoken with Rocking With Jam Man in May, revealing that he had been working on projects that would thrill DARK ANGEL fans. He also emphasized the importance of announcing a solid release date, explaining, “I just wanna be able to say, ‘Yes, this is gonna be a solid date that we can announce for people, and we’re gonna be able to stick to that date.'”
Reflecting on the creative process for Extinction Level Event, Hoglan shared that there was already material written for a new DARK ANGEL album after Time Does Not Heal, but the band’s breakup interrupted those plans. When DARK ANGEL reformed, he and guitarist Jim Durkin revisited some of those songs. “Jim freaked out when he heard the material and was really excited about it,” Hoglan recalled. However, both he and Durkin eventually decided to write new material together. Hoglan revealed that Durkin’s influence was crucial to the album’s sound: “Jim Durkin is a huge influence on my writing style. So I wanted this to have a lot of the Jim Durkin influence on it.”
Unfortunately, Durkin passed away on March 8, 2023, at the age of 58. Durkin, a founding member of DARK ANGEL, played on the band’s first three albums and rejoined the group in 2013 after their reunion. Though he was unable to participate in some of DARK ANGEL’s gigs before his death, his spirit will remain in the band’s new music. “Whether he actually wrote stuff on the new stuff or not, his spirit is very there. His imprint is felt throughout thrash metal,” Hoglan remarked, emphasizing the lasting legacy of Durkin’s influence on the genre.
Hoglan continued, explaining that the new album would not simply replicate DARK ANGEL’s past work. Instead, the goal was to imagine where the band would be today if they had continued writing music throughout the years: “I tried to put myself in the mindset of what if DARK ANGEL just kept writing albums for the last 30-whatever years… and this is where we would be at now.” He noted that while some of the older material from the band’s past albums like Darkness Descends and Leave Scars would be referenced, the focus is on moving forward with fresh, exciting thrash metal.
In a prior interview with Friday 13th in May 2023, Hoglan spoke about the challenges and excitement of working on new material without Durkin. “Jim and I had gotten together a number of times to write some new material for DARK ANGEL, and we weren’t able to get it down on tape too much. But there’s a song that he’s got on there that is pretty darn DARK ANGEL-esque.” He also emphasized how Durkin’s influence would be felt throughout the new album, stating, “His legacy will live forevermore in the realm of extreme metal. His style will always be a part of DARK ANGEL, absolutely, big time.”
As for the sound of Extinction Level Event, Hoglan made it clear that the band is aiming for the heaviest, most savage material they’ve ever created. “If I were to have any new DARK ANGEL material, I would want it to be an extension of where the band is at now and where I’m at now… putting out the most savage, heaviest material that DARK ANGEL could,” he said. Fans can expect an album that both respects the band’s roots and pushes their sound into new territory, all while honoring the legacy of Jim Durkin.