Alright, thrash addicts, buckle up – the OGs DARK ANGEL are dragging their sonic nukes out of retirement for the “Extinction Level Event” North American tour this fall. Yep, their first U.S./Canada rampage in over 30 years. Guess time *does* heal… unless you’re a thrash band, in which case you just return angrier.
Why now? Blame their upcoming album “Extinction Level Event” (Reversed Records), their first new music since 1991. Fun fact: That’s the same year Nirvana dropped *Nevermind*. Coincidence? Or a sign the universe just really wanted us to suffer whiplash?
Formed in 1981 – look, just IMAGINE the timeline: same birth year as METALLICA (who famously sold out), SLAYER (who screamed about hell), ANTHRAX (the New York goofballs), MERCYFUL FATE (King Diamond’s face paint supply), and German maniacs SODOM. DARK ANGEL chucked out bangers like “We Have Arrived” (they had) and “Time Does Not Heal” (which, ironically, had 18 track titles longer than some novels).
Drumming legend Gene “Atomic Clock” Hoglan – human metronome for DEATH (RIP Chuck Schuldiner), TESTAMENT (the Bay Area’s other coffee enthusiasts), and STRAPPING YOUNG LAD (Devin Townsend’s wall-of-sound therapy) – is hyped: “I’m so stoked about this album. Everyone who’s heard it is losing their minds.” Probably from trying to air-drum his parts.
The squad now: Hoglan, guitarist Eric Meyer, bassist Mike Gonzalez, vocalist Ron Rinehart, and newbie Laura Christine (fresh blood since 2022). Because nothing says “family reunion” like recruiting someone born after your last album dropped.
Tour supports? Oh just a casual who’s-who of chaos: SACRED REICH (OG punk-thrash), HIRAX (speed demons), VIO-LENCE (Bay Area maniacs), MIDNIGHT (denim’n’leather party vampires), VOID, and INTERCEPTOR (probably thrash). Your neck’s funeral.
Tour dates (mark your calendars before the apocalypse hits):
Sept. 05 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues#
Sept. 06 – Ventura, CA – Ventura Theater#
Sept. 07 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater#
Sept. 11 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall#
Sept. 12 – San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center#
Sept. 13 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater#
Sept. 14 – Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live#
Sept. 16 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum#
Sept. 17 – Ft Lauderdale, FL – Revolution#
Sept. 19 – Richmond, VA – Canal Club#
Sept. 20 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground#
Sept. 23 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre#
Sept. 24 – Harrisburg, PA – Capital City Music Hall#
Sept. 25 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage#
Sept. 26 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium#
Sept. 27 – Montreal, QC – Club Soda#
Sept. 28 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
Sept. 30 – Norwalk, CT – District Music Hall%
Oct. 01 – Pittsburgh, PA – Spirit Hall%
Oct. 02 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues%
Oct. 03 – Chicago, IL – Reggies%
Oct. 04 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater%
Oct. 06 – Denver, CO – Oriental Theater^
Oct. 07 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot^
Oct. 08 – Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club^
Oct .10 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre^
Oct. 11 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater^
Oct. 12 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon^
Oct. 15 – Berkeley, CA – UC Theatre&
Oct. 16 – Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco&
# with SACRED REICH, HIRAX, VOID
% with SACRED REICH, HIRAX, INTERCEPTOR
^ with SACRED REICH, VIO-LENCE, MIDNIGHT, INTERCEPTOR
& with SACRED REICH, VIO-LENCE, HIRAX, MIDNIGHT, INTERCEPTOR
