Darkness Descends is the second studio album by the American thrash metal band Dark Angel, released on November 17, 1986. The album is considered a landmark in the thrash metal genre.[1]
Overview
Though bassist Rob Yahn appears on the album, Mike Gonzalez received credit in the liner notes. Darkness Descends was Dark Angel's final album to feature original vocalist Don Doty. The album is the first to feature influential drummer Gene Hoglan.
The song "Darkness Descends" is about the comic book characters known as the Dark Judges from the Judge Dredd comic book series, and even contains their famous statement, "this city is guilty, the crime is life, the sentence is death."
"Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)" deals with euthanasia.
"Black Prophecies" deals with Nostradamus.
"Perish in Flames" deals with a nuclear apocalypse.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
In August 2014, Revolver placed Darkness Descends on its "14 Thrash Albums You Need to Own" list.[3] Decibel Magazine placed it 9th on its "50 Greatest Thrash Metal Albums of All Time."[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Darkness Descends" | Gene Hoglan | Jim Durkin, Gene Hoglan | 5:49 |
| 2. | "The Burning of Sodom" | Durkin, Hoglan, Don Doty | Durkin, Eric Meyer | 3:16 |
| 3. | "Hunger of the Undead" | Hoglan | Durkin, Hoglan, Meyer | 4:16 |
| 4. | "Merciless Death" | Durkin, Doty | Durkin | 4:04 |
| 5. | "Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)" | Hoglan | Durkin, Hoglan, Meyer, Rob Yahn | 4:15 |
| 6. | "Black Prophecies" | Hoglan | Durkin, Hoglan | 8:29 |
| 7. | "Perish in Flames" | Doty | Durkin | 4:49 |
1998 Century Media re-release
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Merciless Death (Live)" | Durkin, Doty | Durkin | 3:44 |
| 9. | "Perish in Flames / Darkness Descends (Live)" | Doty / Hoglan | Durkin / Durkin, Hoglan | 8:27 |
Icarus Records 2010 remastered bonus tracks
Darkness Descends on Philiadelphia - DFA Live at the Trocadero, October 23, 1988
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 8. | "The Burning of Sodom" | 5:30 |
| 9. | "Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)" | 3:43 |
| 10. | "Merciless Death" | 3:45 |
| 11. | "Perish in Flames" | 5:07 |
| 12. | "Darkness Descends" | 6:41 |
Darkness Descends on Reseda - DFA Live at the Country Club April 22, 1989
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "We Have Arrived" | |
| 14. | "The Burning of Sodom" | |
| 15. | "Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)" |
Credits
Studio
- Don Doty - Vocals
- Eric Meyer - Lead guitar
- Jim Durkin - Lead guitar
- Rob Yahn - Bass
- Gene Hoglan - Drums
Live
- Ron Rinehart - Vocals
- Mike Gonzalez - Bass
References
- ^ "The History of Thrash Metal". Metal and Horror Movies. Archived from the original on April 28, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
- ^ Darkness Descends at AllMusic
- ^ "14 Thrash Albums You Need to Own". Revolver.com. August 29, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
- ^ "Decibel: The Top 50 Thrash Metal Albums Of All Time". RateYourMusic. Retrieved 2017-04-26.