Dark Angel drummer Gene Hoglan has expressed gratitude toward Lars Ulrich for incorporating a drum beat from his band into Metallica’s iconic track “One.” He shared his perspective in an interview with That Metal Interview.
Hoglan recounted how he first discovered the similarities between the tracks and his reaction to hearing Metallica’s version on the radio.
“This was pre-YouTube, pre-streaming,” Hoglan said. “If the album [wasn’t] out yet, you had to listen to the radio to hear it. At that time, KNAC in Los Angeles was arguably the rock radio station across the U.S. That new [Metallica] song was getting played all over KNAC.”
He explained how friends began calling his attention to the new Metallica song.
“I admit, I didn’t… I had my cassettes in my car. I listen to cassettes of things. I wasn’t listening to KNAC a lot, but I was getting phone calls and messages, answering machine messages from friends saying, ‘Hey, man, have you checked out that new Metallica? Man, check that thing out, man. Wait till you hear that thing.’ I’m just, like, ‘Oh, okay. Well, whatever.’ When I heard it, I understood what everybody was talking about,” he continued.
Hoglan then reflected on the potential connection between the bands and how the similarity came about.
“I thought back to — ’cause I always love trying to figure out the genealogy or the lineage of riffs and ideas and concepts and what came here, what came first, and I remember having a conversation with [future Metallica bassist] Jason Newsted when he was in Flotsam And Jetsam, and ‘Darkness Descends’ was just coming out,” he said. “He was talking about what a Dark Angel fan he was.”
The drummer noted what he considered more than coincidental similarities between the songs.
“That’s where I was kind of, like, he talked about what a fan that he was, and I just kind of wondered… I wonder how this… 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…” he explained.
Rather than expressing frustration, Hoglan revealed his appreciation for Ulrich’s use of the material.
“I was grateful (for Lars),” he said. “I was, like, thank you. You made this riff, this thing that I wrote, we wrote, whatever, you just made it become legendary. Thank you, Lars. You are the godfather of all that we do. Please, if I’ve got anything you wanna borrow, you are welcome to it. Absolutely.”
This incident represents part of a broader pattern of musical influence between the two thrash metal bands during the genre’s formative years.
Blabbermouth reported that Hoglan has theorized about how Ulrich came to borrow the drum beat. He noted that another Dark Angel riff had previously made its way into Metallica’s earlier song “Battery.” This suggests that Metallica was already familiar with Dark Angel’s work. Musical influences flowed between the bands during the thrash metal scene’s peak.
The creative process behind the original drum beat reflects Hoglan’s innovative approach to percussion. Metal Injection documented Hoglan’s comments on his methodology. He explained that he tried to craft beats that had never been heard before. He particularly cited the opening of “Darkness Descends” as an example of his experimental drumming style.
Hoglan’s philosophical stance on musical borrowing demonstrates his understanding of how creativity works within the metal community. MetalSucks covered his views on the similarities. He views them not as theft but as natural influence. He stated his belief that musicians should learn from each other’s work.
“Steal all you can from drummers. That’s what drummers do – it’s just how you apply it that makes it your own,” Hoglan explained in the interview.
The relationship between Dark Angel and Metallica during the 1980s thrash scene highlights how bands influenced each other’s development. Hoglan’s gracious response to the borrowing reflects the collaborative spirit that helped define the genre’s evolution.
