California thrash metal pioneers Dark Angel treated fans in London to a special headlining performance on Sunday, June 8, at The Underworld. During the concert, the band played their influential 1986 second album, Darkness Descends, in its entirety.
The complete setlist for the evening, as reported by Setlist.fm, was:
- “Time Does Not Heal“
- “Never To Rise Again“
- “Extinction-Level Event“
- “No One Answers“
- “Circular Firing Squad“
- “Darkness Descends“
- “The Burning Of Sodom“
- “Hunger Of The Undead“
- “Merciless Death“
- “Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)“
- “Black Prophecies“
- “Perish In Flames“
Fan-filmed video footage capturing the entire performance has since surfaced online, allowing those who couldn’t attend to see the rare full-album play.
This London show follows a previously scheduled event earlier this year. Dark Angel had originally planned to debut new music for the first time since 1991 during a January 29 concert at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. However, that performance was postponed due to wildfires in the state.
Dark Angel has several upcoming live appearances scheduled:
- Jun 11: Dublin, Ireland – The Academy
- Jun 27: Uppsala, Sweden – Parksnäckan
- Aug 4: Wrocław, Poland – Zaklęte Rewiry
- Aug 5: Warsaw, Poland – Klub Proxima
- Aug 6: Jaroměř, Czech Republic – Brutal Assault
- Aug 14: Munich, Germany – Backstage Halle
Earlier this month, Dark Angel unveiled “Circular Firing Squad,” the second single from their highly anticipated album, Extinction Level Event. This marks the band’s first new LP in 34 years and is slated for a 2025 release through Reversed Records. The album’s lead single, the title track, holds particular significance as it was written a decade ago by guitarist Jim Durkin, who tragically passed away in 2023 from severe liver disease. Durkin, a founding member of Dark Angel, played on their initial three albums: We Have Arrived (1985), Darkness Descends, and Leave Scars (1989)—and rejoined the band for their 2013 reformation, remaining an intermittent presence until his death at 58 on March 8, 2023. The “Extinction Level Event” title track was recorded and mixed at Armoury Studios in Vancouver, with executive production by drummer Gene Hoglan, production and engineering by Rob Shallcross, and mixing by Mike Fraser.
