When Dark Angel stepped onto the stage at Brazil’s Bangers Open Air festival, the lineup wasn’t quite what fans expected. Longtime guitarist Eric Meyer had been forced to miss the event due to a last-minute travel issue, leaving the band shorthanded at a moment that mattered. But rather than back out or scale down, they adjusted. And leading the charge was drummer Gene Hoglan.
The solution came quickly, if not ideally. Hoglan’s wife, guitarist Laura Christine, took up Meyer’s parts with barely a single rehearsal to prepare. The show went ahead as a four-piece, tight and aggressive. According to those in attendance, it was every bit as loud and cathartic as a Dark Angel set should be. Hoglan later called it “crushing.” In the world of thrash, that’s high praise.
This isn’t the first time Dark Angel has had to recalibrate. The loss of guitarist Jim Durkin in 2023 left a space that can’t be filled easily, emotionally, or musically. Some of his final compositions are part of the band’s current material, giving each live performance a certain gravity. With Meyer out of the picture for the night, the performance became not just a show, but a kind of reaffirmation of the band’s resilience, and of the music’s ability to carry weight even under pressure.
Meyer, speaking from afar, expressed frustration at having missed the performance, but voiced confidence in the group’s ability to make it work. And they did. With Christine filling in, Hoglan at the helm, and the remaining members locked in, they moved forward. The response from the crowd was swift and vocal. The energy didn’t wane. If anything, it grew.
In live music, complications aren’t rare. The gear fails. Flights get canceled. Members get sick. But what distinguishes a seasoned group from the rest is how they respond when things go sideways. On that night in Brazil, Hoglan and Dark Angel showed exactly what that response should look like.
For a drummer like Gene Hoglan, it was more than a logistical fix. It was a test of rhythm, leadership, and flexibility. And as the final notes rang out over São Paulo, there wasn’t much doubt: the band showed up, and the beat didn’t break.