Greg D’s Classic Album Review: Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal (Combat Records, 1991)

First off, I’m 31 years old. This would put me at 9 years of age when this album came out. I was no where near “Dark Angel ready” at this point in my life, hell I was barely “Van Halen ready”. This review will be written not from the perspective of a dude who was in the scene back in the day, but from a dude that’s been playing a relentless game of catch up since about 1993. If writing about shit I wasn’t there for the first time around makes me a poser, then it makes you an asshole. Read on, or fuck off.

I figured with the recent craze going on due to the potential Dark Angel reunion of the (almost) “Darkness Descends” lineup, I’d write about my favorite Dark Angel album not done by that lineup. Sadly, I believe this record (along with 1989’s “Leave Scars“) will likely get no love in a D.A. reunion set list, oh well, I digress. This record, though not as revered as the classic “Darkness Descends”, to me is more powerful on a much deeper level than the facial bludgeoning of the aforementioned 1986 classic. It is a record that shows as much emotional expression as it does technical aggression (246 riffs according to Combat Records). Anyway, without further ado, to both initiated and uninitiated, I give you my ode to Dark Fuckin’ Angel’s 1991 masterwork swansong.

The record opens, in classic thrash form, with a 12 string acoustic introduction that eventually breaks into the electrified, full go version of the title track. Almost immediately, you can tell that this record, compared to D.A’s other records, will be a bit of a different affair. While still very fast in parts (“A Subtle Induction“), it’s not as consistently fast because of multiple tempos used within songs, and the riffing carries a much more steady pace than the prior album, “Leave Scars“. They still don’t stay on one riff for too long like “Leave Scars“, but they also don’t fly by you as fast as they do on that album due to clearer production, and catchier songwriting. Most songs on the album are verrrrrrrry long (“An Ancient Inherited Shame” clocks in at9:16!), but they never drag to me. Guitarists Erik Meyer, Brett Eriksen, (and drummer Gene Hoglan as he played a few rhythms as well), really shine on this album. Each killer riff follows another killer riff that follows another killer riff, and another, and another. I’d assume by the songwriting credits that Eriksen, and Hoglan handled most of the rhythm work on this album, but I don’t want to slight Meyer as clearly I wasn’t there for the proceedings. The lead guitar on this record, while not really anything to scream about, is done tastefully, and doesn’t detract from the quality of the tunes, which is important as the albums’ guitar work generally centers around a never ending tower of sweet riffs.

Not much needs to be said about the drumming that hasn’t already been said. Gene Hoglan, “the Atomic Clock”, shits thunder all over this disc. As one of the principal songwriters at this point of the band, his role is much more important than just fast double bass and thrash beats (which are both here in abundance mind you), that being said, his drumming is fantastic. Consistently playing in line with what the song needs, but when he does want to take you on a rollercoaster tom roll, or flash it up a bit (the china cymbal groove in “The New Priesthood” always gets me air drumming), it only helps take the song to a higher level. Just to avoid member omission and hurt feelings, bassist Mike Gonzales does a good job at supplementing the songs with a solid, steady, and audible bass rumblings but I’d be lying if I told you I gave more than a small shit about the bass playing on this album. You’d be equally a liar if you told me you did too. He’s no Cliff Burton, but he’s also no Cronos either, so he’s right where he needs to be in the mix. Gotta give him props though, I’m writing about a classic album he played on 22 years ago, and he was (is?) in Dark Angel, so to anyone keeping score at home it’s Mike Gonzales: 2, Greg D: 0.

Now here’s where people either give tons of shits, or zero shits. I’m in the former. In a style of music that’s taken it’s share of abuse for vocal and lyrical mindlessness which, let’s be honest, has been deserved in more than a few cases (Megadeth’s “502” IMMEDIATELY popped into my head), and this record fucks that criticism to pieces. First off, singer Ron Rinehart stepped up his game from “Leave Scars”, largely abandoning the aggressive thrash stylings of the time in favor of legitimate, melodically inclined vocals. He at times can be a bit pitchy, but with his gruff delivery it generally works very well. The clearer vocals also allows the listener to hear what words are being sung, which again, if you give a shit, are tremendous. This is where mental visual aesthetics come into play. Picking up in the direction where “Leave Scars” was heading, this album furthers the pursuit of writing about some of the most tragic emotional trauma that a person can endure.

This record was groundbreaking (kinda for metal in general, but especially for thrash) in that the lyrics were not your usual cliché of hyper violent, political, Satanic, tough guy (which all rule when done well), wordplay. From start to finish (with “The New Priesthood”, and “A Subtle Induction” being the only two exceptions), the extremely cerebral pursuit of portraying the type of suffering a human can endure during, and after a tragedy, or traumatic event shows a real dedication to knowledge on the subject, empathy, and understanding. Songs like “An Ancient Inherited Shame”, and “Psychosexuality” deal with rape and other sexual abuse, “Pain’s Invention, Madness” deals with trauma induced mental illness, the title track and “Trauma and Catharsis” deal with general themes of despondency. With song lengths on average of 5-6 minutes, each track is chock full of multiple verses of lyrics that are very descriptive and clear in delivery and meaning. Penned mostly by Hoglan with assistance from Rinehart, the lyrics, again, are a breath of fresh air in a genre full of well worm lyrical territory, especially for that time, and to me are a huge bonus to a record that would’ve ruled even with shitty lyrics.

Topping off this record is the production of Terry Date, who had just come off of a career changing record called “Cowboys From Hell”. Clean, with a smack of reverb on the vocals, you can hear everything perfect on this album. Guitar tracks, under-distorted ALMOST to a fault, sound great in stereo and cut through the mix like a choir of 10,000 swords being unsheathed at the same time. Production can totally change the way you take in a record, and had “Time Does Not Heal” sounded like “Leave Scars”, it still would’ve ruled, but might not have hit as hard.

When I first heard this album, I think I was about 24 or 25, and I can’t imagine my collection without it as it’s been a regular in listening rotation ever since. It satisfies my need to hear people playing the shit out of their instruments, and my desire for some sort of dark atmosphere amongst the aural pounding. Sadly this was the end of the road for Dark Angel (for now..), and amongst lineup issues, waning public interest in most things metal, and label problems, the band had folded by late 1992/early 1993. Their catalog has been in and out of print for years, so getting a physical copy could be tricky, and/or pricey. Download if you must, but if you can get a physical copy for less than a limb or two, do it, if anything just for the lyrics. Thanks for reading, watch where you piss, keep your eyes closed, and your ears open.

Greggie D