Former DARK ANGEL Singer DON DOTY Joins Forces With FORBIDDEN Drummer In New Project

Former DARK ANGEL singer Don Doty has announced the formation of an as-yet-unnamed new project that will revisit the band's classic "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends" albums, as well as introduce fans worldwide to new material. Joining Doty in the new group is drummer Sasha Horn, who has previously played with FORBIDDEN, AVA INFERI and NOVEMBERS DOOM.

Doty and Horn have hit the ground running in an effort to start the writing process and to warm up the gears in preparation for the touring circuit. They are also considering bassists and guitarists for the new project and hope to make more announcements soon.

DARK ANGEL's management issued a statement last week accusing Don Doty of displaying a "lack of responsibility" by posting "false information" and starting "unfounded rumors" that have been "creating confusion" among the group's fans. The management confirmed that DARK ANGEL will reform for a limited number of appearances in 2014 with a lineup that will feature Gene Hoglan (drums),Jim Durkin (guitar),Ron Rinehart (vocals) and Michael Gonzalez (bass). Guitarist Eric Meyer is also expected to be involved.

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."