Veteran drummer Gene Hoglan of Dark Angel recently revisited a long-standing point of discussion among metal fans: the notable resemblance between a drum pattern in Dark Angel‘s 1986 title track, Darkness Descends, and a prominent beat in Metallica‘s 1988 classic, “One.” In an appearance on the That Metal Interview podcast, Hoglan shared his theory on how Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich might have encountered the beat.
Hoglan recounted the widespread reaction when “One” first hit the airwaves. “I wasn’t listening to KNAC a lot, but I was getting phone calls and messages from friends saying, ‘Hey, man, have you checked out that new Metallica? Wait till you hear that thing,’” he recalled. “And when I heard it, I understood what everybody was talking about.”
He then hypothesized a possible link: former Flotsam and Jetsam bassist Jason Newsted, who joined Metallica in 1986. Hoglan remembered a conversation with Newsted backstage, where the bassist spoke of his admiration for Dark Angel. “He was talking about what a Dark Angel fan he was,” Hoglan stated. This connection, combined with the opening lyric of “One“—”Darkness imprisoning me”—led Hoglan to muse, “At first, it’s, like, okay, it’s a coincidence. It’s a drumbeat. But when the opening lyric [of ‘One’] is ‘Darkness imprisoning me,’ that’s why I was kind of, like…”
Despite the uncanny similarities, Hoglan made it explicitly clear that he harbors no ill will, viewing the situation as a form of homage. “I was never offended,” he asserted. “I was, like, thank you. You made this riff, this thing that I wrote… you just made it become legendary. Thank you, Lars. You are the godfather of all that we do.”
Hoglan, who jokingly refers to himself as “the O.G. riff police,” also pointed out another instance of perceived musical crossover: the initial impression upon hearing Metallica’s “Battery,” which reminded him of Dark Angel’s “Welcome To The Slaughterhouse” from their We Have Arrived album.
Ultimately, Gene Hoglan expressed profound respect for Metallica‘s enduring influence and their monumental role in shaping metal history. He concluded: “Metallica are the fathers. Lars Ulrich is the godfather of what we do… So, Lars will always get much respect from me.” He even singled out Metallica frontman James Hetfield for his drumming prowess on “One,” noting, “And you know who plays that [‘One’] drum beat better than just about anybody, even myself? [Metallica frontman] James Hetfield. You never heard him when they do their little drum thing on stage? James Hetfield gets on the drums and he plays it, and he plays that beat, and it is so rock solid. I’m, like, ‘God, he plays that better than me. And I wrote that darn thing.'”
