After a 34-year hiatus, thrash metal pioneers Dark Angel are set to release their new album, Extinction Level Event, on September 5. The album, which will be available digitally via Reversed Records, marks a significant return for the band and a bittersweet milestone following the passing of guitarist and founding member Jim Durkin.
Limited collector’s edition sets of the album, including signed copies and a special red vinyl, will be available for purchase until September 15. The band has already given fans a taste of the new material with the release of two singles: “Circular Firing Squad” in June and the album’s title track, which was notably written by Durkin a decade before his death in March 2023.
The album was recorded and mixed at Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dark Angel drummer Gene Hoglan served as the executive producer, with Rob Shallcross producing and engineering the project. The final mix was handled by Mike Fraser.
The album holds a special significance as it is the last to feature contributions from Durkin, who passed away at the age of 58. An original member of the band, Durkin played on their first three albums—We Have Arrived (1985), Darkness Descends (1986), and Leave Scars (1989)—before leaving the group. He rejoined when the band reformed in 2013 and had been a part of their lineup on and off until his death. Durkin had been sitting out some of the band’s recent gigs, and his spot has since been filled by Hoglan‘s wife, Laura Christine, who is now a permanent member of the band.
The artwork for the album was designed by Cain Gillis with concepts by Hoglan. The drummer previously expressed his enthusiasm for the project, stating, “Musically, lyrically, and vocally, I’m so stoked about this album… everyone who’s heard the new album is losing their minds.” He further revealed that he and Christine wrote all the songs on the album except for the title track.
The full tracklist for Extinction Level Event is as follows:
- “Extinction Level Event”
- “Circular Firing Squad”
- “Woke Up To Blood”
- “Apex Predator”
- “Sea Of Heads”
- “Atavistic”
- “Scaler Weaponry”
- “Scarface The Room”
- “E Pluribus Nemo”
- “Terror Construct”
- “Extraction Tactics”
