With their debut EP, In Idle Orbit, North Carolina’s Doomsday Profit leads a meditation in anger with snarling psychedelic grit and deep-dredged sludge riffs that should appeal to fans of Conan, Earthless, Church of Misery, and Weedeater.
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All photos by Allie Mullin Photography | www.alliemullin.com. Please credit where possible.
Bio
Like the blind oracles of legend, the North Carolina acid-sludge quartet Doomsday Profit offers a dark vision of an even darker future. Of course, after watching the past years’ collision of natural catastrophe, political unrest, and the ruthless culling brought about by COVID-19, one needn’t be clairvoyant to surmise what lies in store for humanity.
Into this desolate present, Doomsday Profit emerges, offering its meditation in anger, In Idle Orbit. The debut EP floods its dystopian visions with snarling psychedelic grit and deep-dredged sludge riffs that calls to mind the relentless pummeling of Conan, as well as the cosmic excursions of Earthless; the bad-trip acid-rock of Church of Misery, as well as the scuzzy blues of Dopethrone.
Perhaps there’s something vile in the hog-pond tainted North Carolina waters. Connoisseurs of all things slow-and-low might draw comparisons to fellow Tar Heel acts such as Sourvein, Weedeater, or Toke, but rather than draw inspiration from a coastal existence, Doomsday Profit reflects their life in the Triangle region of North Carolina — an intellectual, commercial, and political hub of the state. It’s a region of sprawl and gentrification, where the South’s dark history festers beneath the promise of technocratic futurism, and where the scars of the past are painted over with the false promise of salvation through innovation.
But for all its apocalyptic nihilism, Doomsday Profit doesn’t shy from accessibility. Writing about the band’s 2020 demo, Abandon Hope, Riff Finder Reviews noted, “For as dirty and raw as this is, it actually has quite a bit of melody to it.” The melodic aspects of Doomsday Profit caught the ear of Sleeping Village Reviews’ Ian Corse, as well. “There is so damn much here to love,” Corse wrote in a review on Bandcamp. “From the head-bopping fuzzy riffage, to the harsh shrieks, to the psych tinges, to the seemingly omnipresent sense of melody.”
Doomsday Profit’s keen balance of heavy sludge with proto-metal groove and psychedelic spaciousness seems like a natural outgrowth of its members’ varied influences and experiences. Guitarist and vocalist Bryan Reed is a long-time music journalist whose specialization in punk, hardcore, and all strains of metal reveals itself in primitive, monolithic riffs, and a harsh, barking vocal style. Lead guitarist Kevin See is an experienced sideman whose resume includes jaunts with classic rock, Americana and jam bands, and whose affection for classic songcraft and freewheeling improvisation fuels his evocative and melodic soloing. Bassist Ryan Sweeney is a veteran of independent radio, who showcases the wide world of rock ‘n’ roll and psychedelic music on his weekly “Global Garage” show on Hillsborough, N.C.’s community station WHUP. And, finally, drummer Tradd Yancey — also of the acclaimed stoner-rock duo Crystal Spiders — drives the band with a heavy, swinging style honed over years of musical training and cross-genre gigging.
All of these elements coalesce on In Idle Orbit. From the hazy end-times vision of “Scryers of the Smoke” to the monolithic and mournful “Cestoda,” the EP builds a sturdy bedrock of riff-driven groove, but never lets blind riff-worship stand in the way of dynamics or songcraft. “Consume The Remains” merges desert-rock groove with death ‘n’ roll bile, while “Crown of Flies” serves Southern-fried sludge with a side of blackened blues.
The EP’s inspirations may well spell doom for humanity, but for Doomsday Profit, the future looks, perhaps ironically, quite promising.
Praise for DOOMSDAY PROFIT
In Idle Orbit
“It’s damn near perfect front to back.”
Josh Schneider, The Sleeping Shaman
“Like Weedeater with a mean streak, [In Idle Orbit] wallops the listener right out the gate…I can’t force you to listen to the EP, but if you don’t, you’re gonna miss out on witnessing the early moments of one of the future greats in the doom field.”
Goatforest, Toilet Ov Hell
“Making good on the promise of their 2020 demo, Raleigh, NC’s DOOMSDAY PROFIT usher forth the end times on their debut “In Idle Orbit“. This is plodding, grueling sludge, moving at a doomy pace with psych flourishes and gravelly vocals. Crush and nod is the name of the game, and these guys are naturals.”
Shasta Beast, Doom Charts
“‘In Idle Orbit’ takes the core of a beloved genre and puts it to use without being consumed by it. Its groovy tendencies make it a not-so idle journey! Great! 9/10”
Fronas Zalve, Cvlt Legion
“If you like to get high in a swamp and listen to the old school metal stuff then this will be perfect for you.”
Carcassbomb, Noob Heavy
“In Idle Orbit is a record that is downbeat and devastating, fusing the headache inducing throb of Electric Wizard with the speaker destroying sludge heaviness of Conan.”
Matt Bladen, Musipedia of Metal
“A thoroughly ominous, earthy mood slinger…I like everything about this album. The extension on the basic foundations of doom and the integration of clever ideas from other forms works a winning advantage. Recommended.”
Wayne Edwards, Flying Fiddlesticks Music Blog
“We get our EPs worth and then some on In Idle Orbit, which brings into focus the strong emotions we’ve endured lo these pair of twisted, anxious years in which the pressure has been on more-or-less continually.”
Billy Goate, Doomed & Stoned
“Doomsday Profit have a bit more up their sleeve these days, building up guff enough for a self-released full-length here in late 2021, pouring themselves over these six sludge and acid rock influenced pieces serving some gloomy, grim stuff here on ‘In Idle Orbit’. “
Josh, Grizzly Butts
Doomsday Profit are a band to get truly excited about…In Idle Orbit is a superb debut release from Doomsday Profit and they truly live up to the ‘DOOM’ part of their name. ‘DOES THIS DOOM’ always seems to be the most popular question around within the Doom Metal Scene and this most definitely does with a HELL FUCKING YEAH IT DOES!!!”
Steve Howe, Outlaws of the Sun
“All the more kudos to Doomsday Profit for working multiple angles, killing low, building high. Maybe killing high? I don’t know. Definitely those two things. High, and murderous.”
JJ Koczan, The Obelisk
“A soon to be iconic album…’In Idle Orbit’ is a great record by most standards, but as a debut full length my expectations were totally blown away. Doomsday Profit could become a player if this stuff keeps up.”
Sandre the Giant, The Killchain
Abandon Hope (Demo)
”Raleigh’s Doomsday Profit deep-fries its doom riffs in psychedelic scuzz, riding bad vibes toward sweet oblivion.” – Free Times
“This little slice of doom is served up thick, fuzzy and just straight up nasty. Yum! Southern fried riffs with banshee shrieks à la mode. I can dig it. For as dirty and raw as this is, it actually has quite a bit of melody to it.” – Riff Finder Reviews
“Think along the lines of Yatra or Warhorse, with rasped vocals and psychedelic doom metal influenced sludge slugging things along. Miserable and nearly as apocalyptic as their name and nihilistic themes suggest.” – Grizzly Butts
“There is so damn much here to love, from the head-bopping fuzzy riffage, to the harsh shrieks, to the psych tinges, to the seemingly omnipresent sense of melody.” – Ian Corse, of Sleeping Village Reviews
In Idle Orbit Tracklist:
- Crown of Flies
- Scryers of the Smoke
- Cestoda
- Consume the Remains
- Destroy the Myths
- Bring Out Your Dead
Album Art
Video
DOOMSDAY PROFIT is:
Bryan Reed (guitar/vocals)
Kevin See (lead guitar)
Ryan Sweeney (bass)
Tradd Yancey (drums/percussion)