Gene Hoglan , legendary drummer of Dark Angel , has brought up again a topic that always sparks discussions among metal fans: the possible influence of the title track from the album Darkness Descends , released in 1986, on Metallica ," which was only released two years later.
In an interview for the podcast That Metal Interview , Gene opened up about what it was like the first time he heard Metallica's music. He explained that, at the time, things were very different (Transcript via Blabbermouth ).
“This was before YouTube, before streaming. If the album hadn’t come out yet, you had to listen to it on the radio. Back then, KNAC in Los Angeles was the rock radio station in the entire US, without a doubt, and this new song [by Metallica] was playing all over KNAC . And I admit, I had my cassette tapes in my car. I wasn’t listening to KNAC , but I was getting calls and messages from friends saying, ‘Hey, man, have you heard the new Metallica song? Just wait until you hear it.’ And I didn’t pay much attention, but when I did, I understood what everyone was talking about.”
There's great curiosity about how Lars Ulrich , Metallica's drummer, could have come into contact with "Darkness Descends" in time to "borrow" Gene Hoglan's drumming pattern. According to Hoglan, the answer may lie with Jason Newsted , who joined Metallica in 1986.
“I thought – because I always love trying to figure out the genealogy or lineage of riffs, ideas, and concepts – ‘What came here? What came first?’ And I remember having a conversation with Jason Newsted when he was in Flotsam And Jetsam , and Darkness Descends was coming out. Doomsday For The Deceiver (by Flotsam And Jetsam) had already come out. We were backstage at the Country Club (in Reseda, California). We were in the parking lot chatting and talking about metal, and he was talking about how he was a fan of Dark Angel. And that’s what I wonder. At first it seems like a coincidence. It’s a drum beat. But since the opening lyric [of “One”] is ‘ Darkness imprisoning me ,’ I’m kind of like…”
Gene made it clear that he never felt “offended” by Lars using one of his drum licks. On the contrary: “I felt grateful,” he said. “I felt thankful. You did this riff, this thing that I wrote, we wrote, whatever, you just made it legendary. Thank you, Lars. You’re the godfather of everything we do. Please, if I have anything you want to borrow, you’re welcome. Absolutely.”
But the story doesn't end there. Hoglan revealed that another Dark Angel riff had already appeared in an earlier Metallica song. “I remember hearing Metallica's 'Battery',” he recalled. “The first time I heard it, I said, 'Hey, Jim [ Durkin , then Dark Angel guitarist]. That's the riff from 'Welcome To The Slaughterhouse' on the album We Have Arrived (by Dark Angel).' I thought, 'Yeah, that's the same riff.'”
Gene even jokes that he's the "riff police": "I'm the riff police. I'm the original riff police. I could tell you where another riff sounds exactly like this riff. And (I've heard this) admittedly from people who say, 'We stole this from you. The other guy in my band, he writes and is writing some classic metal songs that are going to go down in history. He's borrowing from your band' or something like that. And I'm like, 'Wow. It's crazy how that works.'"
Despite the similarities, Hoglan's respect for Metallica and Lars Ulrich is evident. “I wonder if it came from there, but Metallica are the parents. Lars Ulrich is the godfather of what we do, and Bill Ward [of Black Sabbath ] is the godfather of what all do. So, Lars will always have a lot of my respect, and we're grateful for him doing that. And you know who plays that drum beat [from “One”] better than almost anyone, even me? James Hetfield . Haven't you ever heard him when they do that drum thing on stage? James Hetfield sits at the drums and he plays, and he plays that beat, and it's so solid. I'm like, 'God, he plays that better than me. And I wrote that damn thing.' So, there you have it. But we're very grateful to Metallica for how they helped us in these little annals of history.”
The joke of the process and the inspiration.
In 2019, Gene had already commented on the subject, joking that he once considered suing Metallica for "copying" "Darkness Descends" in "One." He revealed this connection while discussing the evolution of double bass drumming on Dean Delray 's podcast Let There Be Talk . When Delray brought up "One" as an example of the use of unison sextuplets, Hoglan was direct:
“I’ll tell you frankly, this comes from a Dark Angel song. It comes from ‘Darkness Descends.’ And it’s well-known in the scene. As soon as Metallica released ‘One,’ I got so many phone calls saying, ‘You know these guys are copying you.’ We had Metallica’s (longtime) sound engineer, ‘ Big ’ Mick (Hughes), we had him on tour, and Metallica was nominated for a Grammy at the time, but it hadn’t been announced yet or anything. And I was joking, ‘If they win the Grammy, I’m going to sue.’ I was joking, of course! And Mick said, ‘You should. They’d probably give you a hundred thousand to shut you up.’ And I was like, ‘I’m not going to become the pariah of the metal scene by suing Metallica.’ Everyone stole riffs from Metallica.”
When Delray asked if the inspiration for “One” was just the drums or the music as well, Hoglan didn’t hesitate: “Everything. The drum part, definitely. And that’s why I found it kind of funny. The first line in everything is, ‘Darkness…’ And it comes straight from ‘Darkness Descends ’ the opening track of the second [ Dark Angel ] album. So, as soon as you hear it, you realize it.”
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