By Nicholas Jason Lopez
Last week, N.C.-based acid-sludge quartet Doomsday Profit opened up pre-orders for their studio debut EP ‘In Idle Orbit,’ slated for self-release on Nov. 12, 2021.
The EP will take a realistic approach as far as what our futures will look like, if recent times – amassed in a cloud of extreme weather events, political differences and a raging global pandemic – have any indication. Sonically, the group seeps close to acts like Conan, Earthless, Church Of Misery and Dopethrone, while also having a slight melodic edge.
Doomsday profit are guitarist/vocalist Bryan Reed, lead guitarist Kevin See, bassist Ryan Sweeney and drummer Tradd Yancey.
The Music Bugle had the chance to talk with Reed about ‘In Idle Orbit’ and more.
Music Bugle – How did you guys decide on the band name?
Bryan Reed – Our bassist Ryan Sweeney and I had been toying with the idea of starting a doom metal band and once we started jamming together and writing some riffs, we started spitballing ideas back and forth. We wanted something that would set the stage for the apocalyptic and somewhat political themes I was starting to develop in the lyrics. Plus, we both like puns. I can’t remember which one of us first said “Doomsday Profit,” but as soon as it was in the air, we knew that was it.
Music Bugle – What was your goal for ‘In Idle Orbit’?
Bryan Reed – We mainly just wanted a proper document of our songs. We’ve wanted to record a studio album since before COVID hit, so it feels like a long time coming. We were fortunate to be able to work with a friend of ours, Scotty Sandwich, at his home studio, so we spent two weekends over there tracking and getting all the tones just right. Then, Scotty made it really come to life in the mixes.
Music Bugle – What excites you the most about your style of music?
Bryan Reed – I love the sort of baptism in volume you can get at a doom metal show, but for our band specifically, I think it’s the versatility. You can take low tunings and slower tempos in a lot of different directions. We all love a lot of different kinds of music and so far, elements of death metal and sludge, psychedelic rock and jam bands have already crept into the sound. It’s exciting to feel like we can be true to the genre, while still stretching ourselves and embracing a lot of different styles and approaches.
Music Bugle – How would you describe North Carolina to someone who has never been there before?
Bryan Reed – I think the biggest selling point for North Carolina is typically the fact that you’ve got mountains and beaches just a few hours’ drive apart from each other and that is pretty awesome. Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue is pretty fantastic as well. I think my favorite thing about North Carolina, though, is it’s a very dynamic place. It always feels like we’re in the midst of a wrestling match between Old South conservatism – and all the darkness that implies – and a really vibrant, progressive New Southern identity. Where we live, in the Triangle region, we’re surrounded by Universities and high-tech businesses, which means we’re in a bit of a progressive bubble, but it doesn’t take long to find old ideas rearing their ugly head. Obviously, all that stuff has its drawbacks, but it’s always an interesting conflict to consider and to live in. I think that’s part of why there’s always a healthy scene for heavy, aggressive music. Veteran acts like Corrosion of Conformity, Weedeater and Buzzov-en call NC home and so do some really great newer bands like Cosmic Reaper, WitchTit, Ape Vermin, MAKE and too many more to name.
Music Bugle – What is the biggest challenge in being a musical quartet?
Bryan Reed – Logistics are always a factor. We all have very patient and supportive partners, but we still have to juggle our family responsibilities and work lives with the band, but I wouldn’t say it’s a challenge, per se. We all really enjoy hanging out with each other, so getting together for practice once or twice a week is always something I look forward to. We’re lucky in that all four of us are usually on the same page about how we want to operate.
Music Bugle – Has your mindset gone back to how it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Bryan Reed – Not at all. We’ve played a couple shows this year and have a handful more booked through the end of the year, but it’s definitely more of a fraught decision to play a gig than it was before 2020. We try to keep a close eye on the latest numbers and make decisions based on what’s safest for us and for anyone who would come out to see us. I hate cancelling shows, but we’ve had to make that call a couple times too. I’m looking forward to putting this all behind us, but I’m not sure it will ever be the same as before. We’ve all been through something profound and that’s bound to have its effects. For now, I’d just encourage everyone to get vaccinated and wear masks in public spaces.
Music Bugle – Who are you listening to right now, music-wise?
Bryan Reed – The new Carcass album, ‘Torn Arteries,’ just came out and is a total blast, so that’s been getting a lot of play. I’ve also been digging a lot of older Sourvein, Bongzilla, Autopsy and Seven Foot Spleen stuff recently. I’m sure my bandmates would all give very different answers.
Music Bugle – How would you compare your newer stuff to your earlier material?
Bryan Reed – It sounds a whole lot better. Two of the songs from our demo were re-recorded for ‘In Idle Orbit’ and they sound so much fuller. The newer songs we’ve been writing have been tilting toward a lot of heavy grooves and spacey, psychedelic detours, but I also think we’ve been writing some of our heaviest, most belligerent sludge riffs too. We’re trying not to put too many parameters on it. I try to keep my riffs lean and mean because I know my bandmates are always going to take it someplace I never would have expected. That’s a lot of the fun of being in this band.
Music Bugle – Which of your songs were the hardest to write?
Bryan Reed – Our songs usually come together pretty quickly once we find a couple riffs we like and we can jam it out as a group. The basic riffs and structures of “Crown of Flies” and “Consume the Remains” – both of which will be on ‘In Idle Orbit’ – were written during lockdown in 2020, so it took a whole lot of just playing the same few measures over and over by myself trying to figure out where to take it next. Of course, once we resumed practicing earlier this year, everything came together quite fast. Something about being in a room together really makes the ideas start to come to life.
Music Bugle – What’s a quote that motivates you to keep doing what you do?
Bryan Reed – “Find what you love and let it kill you. Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling onto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness. Let it kill you and let it devour your remains. For all things will kill you, both slowly and fastly, but it’s much better to be killed by a lover.” It’s often attributed to Charles Bukowski, but that’s apparently somewhat dubious. Whoever said it, though, it’s brilliant. Whatever you love, give it everything. We’re all going to die eventually, better to have lived fully along the way.
*Photo Credit – Allie Mullin Photography*
