Doom’s Day: Who Turned Out The Lights Interview
There are quite a few people out there that think that Death Metal and Metal in general has had its day but with bands such as Doom’s Day, Groan, and the reformation of Gorelust it looks like the genre is still alive and well and truly kicking. More and more bands are turning back to the 90’s in search of a heavier and darker sound and Doom’s Day with their new CD ‘The Unholy CD’ about to hit the shops on 4th December (read review here)are amongst the best of this re-emerging sound. I managed to catch up with front man and general bringer of noise Dom from Canadian band Doom’s Day for a quick Q&A.
H: So how did Doom’s Day come about? Where did you all meet?
DooM: It’s not a simple story because at first, Doom’s Day was a personal project of mine not a band at all. I did this project with nothing in mind but:” Let’s go back to the roots & fuck the rest”. It may sound a bit egoistical but I did it my way.
I’ve written the Unholy mostly alone but I didn’t do everything myself, I had the chance to work with some good friends. Pat Gauvin who did all the artworks and helps me to produce the whole thing. I’ve also worked with Antoine Guertin (Aeternam) who did the drums on the album.
For live shows the line-up is a bit different. Pat Gauvin(ex-Ancestors Revenge) proposes himself for the bass. Then I’ve called Frank Breton (Truckin’ Outlaws) for the guitar because I knew he was the right guy for the project. He also played with Pat and me in some previous bands (Nephusim, Aquarian). For the drums we’ve got Dominique Verreault(Ex-Burial)who is currently working with Pat on Netsuzo. So we basically knew each other already.
H: Why did you decide to become a band?
Sometime I didn’t feel like I’ve decided anything about this. Recording the project was real pleasure because I did the kind of music I’ve always wanted to do. But the way it became a whole functional band still surprise me today.
I mean, usually it’s not an easy task to put together an Occult/Doom/ Heavy Metal band here in Quebec. The genre is not quit popular, but for an unknown reason the timing was right. The four of us were ready to bring this black sheep to life.
H: Have you always been into music? What were your earliest influences?
Yes. As I said before, most of us already played together in the past in various projects and I think with Doom’s Day we are revisiting our earliest influences: Black Sabbath, Cathedral, Venom, Mercyful Fates, and The Misfits to name a few.
H: Do you think the Death Metal scene has evolved from its early beginnings? Is this a good thing? Or do you yearn for the good old dark days before metal got sub-categorised into oblivion?
DooM: I don’t consider Doom’s Day as a Death Metal band but I really dig bands such Death, Carcass, Edge of Sanity & Septic Flesh. I’m more into the old Death Metal scene from the nineties. Most of the scene now evolves far away from my personal tastes. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing but I just cannot get into it anymore. But there’s still band like Obscura who keep this old school vibe alive into their music, which is very cool.
H: Will you be doing any live shows? If so where and will anyone else be taking to the stage with you?
DooM : Yes, we’re currently rehearsing for our forthcoming shows. But we don’t expect to do anything til the beginning of 2013. It’s too early to tell what will happen next because there’s nothing much planned so far. We just want to play with cool peoples and bands whoever they are.
H: So beyond sacrifices, orgies, rituals, and giving the finger to the mainstream music industry what else do you guys get up to?
DooM : (Laugh) It’s all about our way of life and beliefs mixed with tons of horror movies, books, music and many other things. We’re not reinventing the wheel. Anything could influence me in my writing process. I’d just love to put a dark twist in it.
H: Ok so here are the naff journo questions that will probably have my editor rolling his eyes at me but sometimes I just can’t help myself!
DooM: (Laugh) Ok no problem.
H: Favourite colour? Black isn’t allowed unless you can think of a really good descriptive of it!
DooM : I like to wear black clothes but my vote goes for Dark bloody red .
H: First record you bought / were given?
DooM : A friend of mine gave me an old tape with Don’t Break the Oath and Melissa from Mercyful Fate. Those two albums were a revelation for me and they’re still my favourites.
H: Best / worst Christmas gift given / received?
DooM : A fucking cribbage board. This is probably the last thing you expect to get when you’re a kid. I’m still pissed off after all these years. (Laugh)
H: The world is going to end in 24 hours, how do you spend it?
DooM : Believe me, you don’t want to know. (Laugh)
H: Favourite thing in the whole world?
DooM : I think music is the best thing in the world. It’s a life style, a passion and it always there when you need it.
H: Most hated thing in the whole world?
DooM : Politics bored me to death. I can’t stand liars.
H: Most overused word?
DooM : Probably the F word. Even if we speak French we use it a lot.
You can pre-order your very own copy of ‘The Unholy’ here: http://prcmusic.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=57&products_id=122