DARK ANGEL's GENE HOGLAN Explains Why New Album Isn't On Spotify: "I Can't Be Comfortable With That Right Now"

California thrash veterans Dark Angel have returned with Extinction Level Event, their first new album in 34 years — but fans won't find it on Spotify. Instead, Dark Angel has chosen to release the record digitally via Reversed Records while avoiding streaming's biggest player, a decision drummer Gene Hoglan says comes down to ethics and unease about the platform's future direction.

Speaking to We Go To 11, Hoglan acknowledged the dilemma: "Do you want everybody to have access to your music? Of course you do. This is just the best option for us and the fans to be able to hear our music immediately. I know that we are giving up — 'cause we haven't placed it on Spotify…"

The veteran drummer cited recent policy shifts that left him wary. "If you start taking a look at the terms of use with Spotify, they are making some massive changes right now, and those are kind of uncomfortable," he explained. "There's a lot of stuff going on… I just got to read the terms of some of these changes.

"I'm, like, man, I can't be comfortable with that right at this moment. If something changes somewhere down the road, yes, of course. But right now, it is… Just like the music industry is not here to protect those who are creating the music within the industry, this is another situation where it's, like, ‘Wow.'"

Hoglan stressed that this isn't about gatekeeping but about principles: "Right at this moment, it's just best for us to do this. I'm gonna always tell people, check out reversedrecords.com. That's the best way to hear Dark Angel right now. And I want everybody to hear the music, so definitely, go check it out there."

Dark Angel's stance arrives in the wake of a growing exodus from Spotify by rock and metal acts. Just this month, Young Widows pulled their discography, citing Spotify CEO Daniel Ek's $693.6 million investment in Helsing, a company developing AI for military applications. In a blistering statement, the band condemned the move as "beyond inhumane and unacceptable," adding: "We do not support war of any kind."

Australian psych-rockers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard also pulled their catalog earlier this summer over similar concerns.

Combined with criticism of Spotify's use of AI to generate synthetic music and its long-criticized royalty rates, the platform faces mounting distrust from the very artists whose work underpins its empire.

For Hoglan, the decision isn't about nostalgia or stubbornness but about standing firm. Extinction Level Event marks Dark Angel's first studio release since 1991's Time Does Not Heal, making it one of thrash's most anticipated returns. Yet the drummer insists on doing it his way: no compromise, no discomfort, no blind faith in tech giants.