Drummer Gene Hoglan (TESTAMENT, DETHKLOK, FEAR FACTORY, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) will not take part in the planned reunion of classic late '80s /early '90s California thrashers DARK ANGEL in 2014. The band's original vocalist, Don Doty, states: "I found out yesterday [Gene] has many commitments and unable to make the practices." In other news, Doty has etended an invitation to the man who replaced him in DARK ANGEL, Ron Rinehart, to share the vocal duties with him at the upcoming reunion shows. Doty says: "To my brother in arms, Ron Rinehart, you know that you are always welcome to come up and sing a couple of songs. You have DARK ANGEL blood in your veins just like the rest of us." Doty and DARK ANGEL guitarist Eric Meyer (guitar) will guest on "The Metal Magdalene With Jet" on Metal Messiah Radio tonight (Tuesday, September 3) at 9:00 p.m. EST. They will tell the audience about what's going on with the band now and maybe laying some of the rumors to rest. They will also talk about the early days of DARK ANGEL, share some fan stories, and discuss the positive reaction to the news of the band's return. DARK ANGEL is expected to reunite for a number of shows next year, including an appearance at the Keep It True XVII festival, set to take place April 25-26, 2014 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany. DARK ANGEL guitarist Jim Durkin said in a statement last month that any talk of the band's reunion was "premature," and added that "when I was last in the band, Ron Rinehart was my singer. And IF the band were to come back and continue. he would STILL be my singer. He was our rock when we needed him and there is NO WAY I would do this without him. He and I talk daily and are as close now as ever. If anything, all this talk has brought us all back into more frequent contact! Which is a wonderful thing." DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals 1984's "We Have Arrived" and 1986's "Darkness Descends" before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs 1989's "Leave Scars" and 1991's "Time Does Not Heal" before calling it quits in 1992. Rinehart, Hoglan and Meyer reassembled DARK ANGEL more than a decade ago but were forced to abandon their reunion plans after health issues reportedly put an end to Rinehart's singing career. Asked what he has been doing since leaving DARK ANGEL in 1987, Doty told Germany's Radio Gehacktes last month: "It's a long story, and at the same time, it's a short one. I basically started a family and showed up to my last show [with DARK ANGEL] and told the guys, 'Hey, look, [I have a] baby [on the way] and I can't be on the road and do the family thing; it was just too hard for me. There were too many beautiful women in the world and there were too many other opportunities to go off the deep end, and I just could not do that. So with that being said, I took a step back and I told the guys, 'There will be a day and I will come back and we will finish what we started." Doty added that his reasons for wanting to put DARK ANGEL back together are pure. "I'm here for the fans, because they've been there for me and it's their turn," he said. "Let's get back and let's have some fun."
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