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Dark Angel Has Finally Arrived In Athens For The First Time

Before I even arrived at Gagarin 205, the Athens, Greece venue that would host both Xentrix and Dark Angel tonight, I was feeling anxious about how the turnout was going to be. Does Greece still remember this remember this fringe Big Four band from the late 80’s/early 90’s???

In my opinion, Dark Angel has never received the respect they deserved. Was it because they were based in Los Angeles and not the Bay Area? Was it because they were labeled a Slayer knock-off? Or was it because of their label not pushing them as hard as their peers? Whatever the answer was, it really doesn’t matter anymore. Almost 40 years after the release of “We Have Arrived,” they were playing in Athens, Greece for the very first time tonight.

Xentrix was already playing when I nudged my way through the entrance. The crowd was already awake and thrashing and the beer lines were long. I’m not sure how many metalheads Gagarin 205 can hold, but already the only area you could move around without bumping shoulders was near the entrance. Dark Angel wouldn’t even hit the stage for another hour! After a tight and energetic set by Xentrix, it was time to heal those broken hearts caused by Dark Angel by never playing in Greece until now. After a few moments into their intro music, “The Atomic Clock,” Gene Hoglan, took to his throne and the already sweat drenched Athenian crowd went full Spartan.

Not surprisingly, the first song of Dark Angel’s set was “We Have Arrived.” After playing a handful of songs from “Time Does Not Heal” and “Leave Scars,” it was time for what we’ve been waiting on for decades. Tonight, was to be a special setlist in tribute to the late founding member, Jim Durkin. They were going to play their sophomore effort, the thrash metal classic that has been mentioned in numerous top ten thrash metal albums of all time lists, “Darkness Descends” in full.

When the title track, “Darkness Descends,” began, I can liken the roar from the crowd to let’s say, the Greece national football team scoring a World Cup clinching goal in extra time. It was intensely spine tingling. I squirmed and squeezed my way through the thrash drunk crowd to the photo pit for some decent shots, but I paid the price by being bathed in Alpha Beer, unknown liquids and crowd sweat. That shit doesn’t bother me. This was going to be a special show and it was worth all the stink and bacteria I would inherit.

Being up front you notice a lot of details that you just don’t see being mixed in the mosh pitting/crowd surfing/headbanging mass of metalness. I saw a lot of smiles from all the members on stage. They genuinely enjoy their time on stage and they reciprocate that with their audience. This is my second time seeing Dark Angel within 2 months (last time was Mystic Festival in Poland) and their stage presence is sincere. Vocalist Ron Rinehart is like an overgrown teenager, grinning from ear to ear, fist bumping and shaking hands with the front row and even dropping into the pit area from time to time to get even closer to the Dark Angel fans.

Many bands have folded or have taken an extended hiatus after a founding member has passed. Dark Angel did the opposite ala AC/DC. They turned their grief into something positive. They recruited renowned session guitarist and guitar instructor, Laura Christine to fill the void and never looked back. Both Eric Meyer and Mike Gonzalez are playing with tenacity during Dark Angel’s healing process, it's therapy for them and for their fans. As promised, all of “Darkness Descends” was played and Ron Rinehart stated that “Hunger of the Undead” had never even been played live until tonight. Opa! After the final notes of “Perish in Flames” had been played, I could only think of one phrase, “they have returned…”