GENE HOGLAN Says METALLICA’s 'One' Echoes DARK ANGEL: 'That Beat Came From Us'
In a recent interview, Gene Hoglan, drummer for the thrash metal band Dark Angel, shared his thoughts on a long-standing theory among metal fans, that Metallica’s 1988 track “One” was inspired by Dark Angel’s 1986 song “Darkness Descends.”
Speaking on the That Metal Interview podcast, Hoglan explained how he first noticed the similarities (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH).
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“When I heard it, I understood what everybody was talking about,” he said, referring to the first time he listened to “One.”
He recalled getting multiple calls and messages from friends telling him to check out Metallica’s new song. When he finally heard it on the radio, he noticed something familiar, especially in the drumming.
Hoglan believes Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich may have lifted the double-bass drum pattern from “Darkness Descends.” He speculates that future Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, who was in Flotsam and Jetsam at the time, could have passed along the influence after expressing admiration for Dark Angel during a backstage chat years before.
Still, Hoglan says he wasn’t upset.
“I was grateful,” he said. “You made this riff… become legendary. Thank you, Lars.”
He also pointed out that Metallica’s “Battery” sounds a lot like another Dark Angel song, “Welcome to the Slaughterhouse.” And he doesn’t think it’s a coincidence.
“I’m the O.G. riff police,” Hoglan joked. “I could tell you where this riff sounds just like that riff.”
Even though he once joked about suing Metallica if they won a Grammy for “…And Justice for All”, which features “One,” Hoglan said it was all in fun. A member of Metallica’s sound crew even told him he could probably get paid to stay quiet. Hoglan laughed off the idea.
“I’m not gonna become the pariah of the metal scene by suing Metallica,” he said. “Everybody’s stolen Metallica riffs.”
At the end of the day, Hoglan holds no grudge. In fact, he praises Metallica’s role in bringing heavy metal to a wider audience.
“Metallica are the fathers,” he said. “Lars Ulrich is the godfather of what we do.”
And surprisingly, he admits that James Hetfield, Metallica’s frontman, might even play the drum part better than he does.
“He plays that beat, and it is so rock solid,” Hoglan said. “I’m like, ‘God, he plays that better than me.’ And I wrote that darn thing.”
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Despite criticism, Portnoy argues Ulrich’s contributions go far beyond what critics acknowledge.
