Dark Angel formed in 1981 under the name Shellshock in Downey, California, right around the time when the Bay Area thrash movement was beginning to take place. They were forced to change their name to Dark Angel in 1983 due to another band using the name. They played in local bars and clubs, acquiring a cult following in the metal underground. The band began recording and releasing several demos before releasing their debut studio album We Have Arrived in March 1985.

Rinehart’s departure from the band, as well as aborted attempts to work on a fifth album, resulted in Dark Angel’s first breakup in September 1992. Hoglan has indicated that this was an amicable split, telling Heavy magazine in 2019 that, “We’ve always been close and tight. We never went our separate ways out of animosity by any means. It was just time to make a move back in ’92 when we kind of dissolved Dark Angel, I guess.”