Long Beach's DARK ANGEL would be seen by many as spearheading the second round of the Thrash Metal wave to break out of America. In actual fact, being assembled during 1981 as SHELLSHOCK with founding members singer Don Dotty, guitarist Jimmy Durkin, drummer Mike Andrade and bassist Robbie Yahn, at Downey High School, the band had been active far earlier. As SHELLSHOCK the quartet recorded the 1983 demo sessions 'Into The Inferno'.

To differentiate themselves from the rising Speed Metal flock, DARK ANGEL adopted the tag "Caffeine Metal". The teens ambitions extended to the recording of a debut, yet unpublished, demo but a second set of demos, dubbed 'We Have Arrived' and produced by Bill Metoyer, secured the interest of two parties, the locally based Metalstorm / Azra concern and French label Axekiller Records and in 1984 contracts were signed.

DARK ANGEL's inaugural effort of 1985, a vinyl pressing of the demo tracks from 'We Have Arrived', featured a line-up of vocalist Don Doty, guitarists Eric Meyer and Jimmy Durkin together with bassist Robbie Yahn and drummer Jack Schwartz. An early DARK ANGEL drummer, Bob Gourley, had graduated from a fleeting appearance in a fledgling SLAYER. Upon his departure from DARK ANGEL Gourley forged POWERLORD releasing a 1988 album 'The Awakening'.

Without financial backing, the band's ability to plug 'We Have Arrived' was restricted to local Los Angeles shows, where they supported the likes of SLAYER, AGENT STEEL and SAVAGE GRACE. DARK ANGEL benefited from a unique promotion release to back up the 1986 'Darkness Descends' album. The track 'Merciless Death', released by Azra Records, came in a variety of bizarre shapes such as a skull, a wheel, a square, a black heart and even a Christmas tree!

The band itself had lost the services of Schwartz, the drummer being inducted into HOLY TERROR, and in his stead came Lee Rausch, a former member of MEGADETH. However, Rausch's place was briefly taken by a returning Jack Schwartz before CARNAGE and WARGOD man Gene Hoglan. Besides his band activities, Hoglan was well known on the local metal scene as lighting technician for SLAYER, OMEN and SAVAGE GRACE and journalist for 'The Headbanger' fanzine. By coincidence, the drummer had also briefly been a member of another outfit dubbed DARK ANGEL, later evolving into CARNAGE, a completely different set of musicians.

In a straight swap, as Hoglan teamed up with DARK ANGEL in December 1984, their then drummer, Lee Rausch, hopped over to join WARGOD. There would nearly be a further connection to MEGADETH too, as Dave Mustaine requested the services of both Jimmy Durkin and Eric Meyer, both guitarists though declining the offer. The revised DARK ANGEL debuted on December 31st 1984 sharing a bill with HIRAX at Radio City, in Anaheim. Wishing to excise former drummer Jack Schwartz, re-issues of the first album 'We Have Arrived' would include Hoglan's picture, not Schwartz's.

'Darkness Descends', with production handled by Randy Burns witnessed a switch in labels, to Combat Records for the USA and Music For Nations subsidiary Under One Flag in the UK. 'Darkness Descends' improved the band's standing further as DARK ANGEL began to carve out their own niche. In the lyrical department, Gene Hoglan had taken over and fans revelled in the groups unexpected song themes. With sessions fulfilled, Rob Yahn took his leave, handing the bass position over to Mike Gonzalez.

Road work to push the record, which had garnered unanimously enthusiastic reviews globally, had Dark Angel scoring supports with MOTÖRHEAD and CRO-MAGS in New York, then MEGADETH before embarking on the January 1987 nationwide 'Gates Of Darkness' tour with co-headliners POSSESSED. These latter dates saw the inclusion of vocalist Jim Drabos from DEATH FORCE. Reports emerged claiming Doty had been involved in a car accident. Without insurance Doty couldn't go on tour because he had to work to reimburse the damage he had caused in the collision. Doty came back into the fold as DARK ANGEL gained the guest slot to the Hollywood Palladium date for SLAYER's finale of their 'Reign In Blood' world tour. A headline run in Texas that July then ensued, after which Doty was asked to leave. The singer had failed to show up for the first night's performance in San Antonio.

With Doty's exit, the group requested the services of WATCHTOWER's Jason McMaster but, although McMaster performed as guest bassist for dates in Texas, this union never transpired. The group also approached WRATHCHILD AMERICA's Brad Divens, who turned them down, and Stephan Taylor from SACRILIGE B.C., who also declined.

Soldiering on, in September 1987 DARK ANGEL added new vocalist Ron Rinehart, previously with MESSIAH, for January 1989's 'Leave Scars' album. Although officially Michael Monarch, the veteran guitarist of STEPPENWOLF, was given production credits the band themselves put most of the record together. The album took Hoglan's observations to further extremes, tackling subjects such as suicide and sexual abuse. The first-person characterization of child molestation of the track 'Death Of Innocence' was deemed too graphic by Combat Records, who initially left the words for this song off the lyric sheet. On a lighter note, Leave Scars also featured cover versions of LED ZEPPELIN's 'Immigrant Song' and FEAR's 'Action' and 'I Don't Care About You'. Also involved was VIKING vocalist Ron Daniels (a.k.a. 'Eriksen'), duetting with Rinehart on the track 'Promise Of Agony'.

'Leave Scars' was promoted in the live arena with an exhaustive 1989 US 'Ultimate Revenge' tour partnered with DEATH. Mid-tour in in Boston, Massachusetts, DARK ANGEL suffered a major blow when Durkin quit, the band citing "personal problems and marriage problems". DARK ANGEL persevered to complete the schedule by playing shows as a four-piece before drafting VIKING axeman Brett Eriksen on a stand-in basis. In spite of this chaos and severe criticism being leveled at the sonic values of 'Leave Scars', the album still entered the national charts.

European shows then hooked up with NUCLEAR ASSAULT and ACID REIGN. Whilst in Nuremburg, Germany the line-up took an unexpected change when bassist Mike Gonzalez was jailed for vandalising cars. NUCLEAR ASSAULT's Dan Likler substituted to get them through to the tour's completion. A notable UK concert, a three way billing at London's Hammersmith Odeon with Swedish Doomsters CANDLEMASS and UK Thrashers D.A.M. was filmed and issued as the video 'Three Way Thrash'. Hitting the USA once again, a full-blown tour with OVERKILL took them through to finalising the world tour with a short burst of gigs allied with TESTAMENT and SAVATAGE. To maintain momentum, a radio broadcast was put out as the live album 'Live Scars' in 1990.

Their next album, 'Time Does Not Heal', increased the crunch factor courtesy of some skillful production tactics employed by Terry Date. Pursuing a much more technical approach, DARK ANGELl's press releases at the time boasted that 'Time Does Not Heal' was armed with an arsenal of 246 riffs. European gigs found RE-ANIMATOR as opening act. Despite laudatory reviews, and having just delivered their biggest selling record to date, DARK ANGEL was set to implode. In late 1991 Brett Eriksen was replaced by former SILENT SCREAM guitarist Chris McCarthy but DARK ANGEL was to collapse when Ron Rinehart bowed out in September 1992.

Rinehart became a Christian in 1992 although this did not stop his Metal endeavours, forging HUNGER alongside colleague Eric Meyer, bassist Greg Rowe and drummer R.D. Davis. This outfit issued a three song 1994 demo before calling it a day. Subsequently Rinehart founded OIL with former DECEIVER, DESIRE and CAPTAIN BLACK guitarist Blake Nelson. OIL issued the 'Refine' album for Kaluboné Records. Meyer made a name for himself as a producer, working with TRANSMETAL and RECIPIENTS OF DEATH.

Hoglan joined DEATH in 1994 for their 'Individual Thought Patterns' album. Rumours circulated in 1999 that DARK ANGEL was set to reform and a European tour schedule was announced in collaboration with ANCIENT RITES for that September. Sadly, fans did not see this proposal go any further. Hoglan would later re-emerge as part of the 2001 Death Metal combo TENET led by erstwhile SACRIFICE and Interzone vocalist Rob Urbinati and also including STRAPPING YOUNG LAD guitarist Jed Simon along with GRIP INC. bassist Stuart Carruthers.

Durkin's name was back on the scene with his new act DREAMS OF DAMNATION and the 'Let The Violence Begin' album. By September of 2001 the guitarist had joined the re-forged HIRAX. Rumours emerged during mid 2002 that a full blown DARK ANGEL reformation, comprising Ron Rineheart, Eric Meyer, Jim Durkin and Gene Hoglan, was set to take place. It would soon transpire though that the rhythm section for the revamped DARK ANGEL in fact comprised ex-MORGION bassist Jeremy Peto and drummer Al "Mayhem" Mendez of DREAMS OF DAMNATION although within a matter of days of the announcement Hoglan did indeed take his rightful place.

The band soon got back into action, taking on a North American tour during December with INTO ETERNITY acting as support. However, the 'new' line up actually debuted live in early October with an unannounced appearance at the conclusion of DREAMS OF DAMNATION's opening set at The Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana, California where Durkin's present act was lending support to KREATOR and DESTRUCTION. Al Mendez took on the drum role for this brief outing.

In December bassist Danyael Williams was enrolled and STRAPPING YOUNG LAD guitarist Jed Simon was announced as taking Durkin's place for West Coast and European gigs. However, within days Simon had scotched the proposed union. Durkin was kept active, alongside ABATTOIR frontman Steve Gaines, MASTABA six stringer guitarist Marcelo Lima and drummer Al Mendez, in the project band PAGAN WAR MACHINE. DARK ANGEL's proposed Summer 2003 comeback tour was scuppered when Ron Rinehart suffered a major injury to his back, the singer sustaining damage to the cervical region of his spine as well as several herniated disks in his neck. The group got back to work in September, cutting a version of METALLICA's 'Creeping Death' for a Big Deal Records tribute album 'Metallic Assault'.