Dark Angel, thrash metal veterans, are set to release Extinction Level Event, their first full album in nearly 35 years. The Californian band, who have already previewed some of the new material live for fans, will drop their fifth studio album later in 2025 through Reversed Records.
“Musically, lyrically, and vocally, I’m so stoked about this album,” said Hoglan. “I’m really excited about Dark Angel right now, and everyone who’s heard the new album is losing their minds.”, he added.
The first single, also called “Extinction Level Event“, is available now, and you can listen to it down below. The album was recorded and mixed at Armoury Studios in Vancouver, Canada. Rob Shallcross produced and engineered the album, while Mike Fraser handled the mixing. Dark Angel’s drummer, Gene Hoglan, took on the role of executive producer. This album marks a major return for the band with their first new songs in decades.
Regarding who wrote the track, Dark Angel ex-guitarist Jim Durkin wrote it ten years before its release. This happened long before he fought severe liver disease and passed away in 2023, which shocked many fans.
“Jim Durkin left us with this badass tune. It is so Dark Angel and I’m just so excited about it. We made it the lead-off song on the record, not as a tribute to Jim or because of sentimental reasons – like, here is the song that Jim left us – but because it’s just a totally killer song. He wrote it ten years ago, and by today’s standards it’s still ball-crushing”, Hoglan said.
Jim, a founding member of Dark Angel, passed away on March 8, 2023, at 58 years old. He played guitar on the band’s first three albums: We Have Arrived (1985), Darkness Descends (1986), and Leave Scars (1989), before leaving the group in 1989. Durkin rejoined Dark Angel when they reformed in 2013 and had been performing with them periodically since then.
Before his death, Jim Durkin had not been playing at some of the band’s concerts. Laura Christine, Gene Hoglan‘s wife, filled in for him at these shows and has since become a permanent member of Dark Angel.
