In a recent appearance on the That Metal Interview podcast, legendary DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan revisited a long-standing observation that’s intrigued metal fans for decades — the striking similarity between the drumbeat in DARK ANGEL’s 1986 title track Darkness Descends and METALLICA’s 1988 classic “One.”
Reflecting on the first time he heard “One” on the radio, Hoglan recalled how his phone started lighting up with messages from friends urging him to check out METALLICA’s new single. “I wasn’t listening to KNAC a lot, but I was getting phone calls and messages from friends saying, ‘Hey, man, have you checked out that new METALLICA? Wait till you hear that thing,’” he said. “And when I heard it, I understood what everybody was talking about.”
Hoglan then theorized how Lars Ulrich might have been exposed to “Darkness Descends” in the first place — possibly through former FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted, who joined METALLICA in 1986. Hoglan recalled a backstage conversation with Newsted around that time: “We were talking about metal and stuff… He was talking about what a DARK ANGEL fan he was… At first, it’s, like, okay, it’s a coincidence. It’s a drumbeat. But when the opening lyric [of ‘One’] is ‘Darkness imprisoning me,’ that’s why I was kind of, like…”
Despite the similarities, Hoglan made it clear that he harbors no resentment toward Lars or METALLICA. In fact, he considers it a compliment. “I was never offended,” he said. “I was, like, thank you. You made this riff, this thing that I wrote… you just made it become legendary. Thank you, Lars. You are the godfather of all that we do.”
Hoglan also pointed out another possible crossover between the bands. Upon hearing METALLICA’s “Battery” for the first time, he immediately thought of DARK ANGEL’s “Welcome To The Slaughterhouse” from their We Have Arrived album. “I was, like, ‘Yeah, that’s the same riff.’”
“I’m the O.G. riff police,” he joked. “I could tell you where this riff sounds just like this riff.”
Still, Gene showed nothing but appreciation for METALLICA’s influence and acknowledged their role in shaping metal history. “METALLICA are the fathers. Lars Ulrich is the godfather of what we do… So, Lars will always get much respect from me.”
“And you know who plays that [‘One’] drum beat better than just about anybody, even myself? [METALLICA frontman] James Hetfield. You never heard him when they do their little drum thing on stage? James Hetfield gets on the drums and he plays it, and he plays that beat, and it is so rock solid. I’m, like, ‘God, he plays that better than me. And I wrote that darn thing.'”
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.