Gloominous Doom’s metal thrashing reggae madness first reared its ugly head in late 2005, when Jeremiah Stoyer (drums), Chris Bewley (guitar), Austin Ernst (bass/vocals) and Floyd “Bone” Rhodes (guitar/vocals) inducted Jeff Kruppenbach into their doomed cult to man the mic (and play a mean cowbell!). Borne of booze, blood, and Black Sabbath and formed to rock hard, the eclectic quintet pulled together their first release, the Weeping Bung Demons demo, which featured early versions of many of the songs that would surface on later releases. 2006 saw the release of several demos and EPs as the band busied themselves by storming stages throughout their Pennsylvania home base and far beyond, and playing countless beer halls, basements, bars, and skateparks in between.
Gloominous Doom’s first full-length, Doomed If You Do, Doomed If You Don’t, was released on November 10, 2007 by DRP Records and Overdose On Records. Produced by PA scene fixture Frank Phobia and supported by Phobia’s long-running DRP label, the LP garnered considerable critical acclaim, and solidified the band’s reputation as one of the most unique, dynamic, and creative new bands the Philadelphia/Reading area had to offer. Their ska-infused death metal assault caused the influential Sludge Swamp blog to name their debut as “a killer album for the ska fan who wandered into metal and grew on it,” and Gloominous Doom soon invaded the airwaves as Sirius XM radio lent their support. They continued playing gigs, treading the boards with the likes of Gwar, 3 Inches of Blood, Total Fucking Destruction, Daath, Chthonic, Into Eternity, Jucifer, Cattle Decapitation, Lair of the Minotaur, Incantation, and countless others. 2008 saw the release of a special limited edition colored vinyl split 7” with brothers in harm Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, released by DRP Records/Relapse Records, and an ensuing tour
up and down the east coast. Gloominous Doom’s close relationship with the Relapse crew snagged them a spot in the label’s 2009 CMJ showcase (also sponsored by Brooklyn Vegan), where the boys tore it up good alongside Salome, Howl, Revocation, Misery Index, and Black Anvil, Their performance raised eyebrows and fists alike, as Brooklyn Vegan lauded their wacky, tongue-in-cheek take on dead-serious metal, applauding their “kitchen sink metal, a bit of death metal, grind, and even ska (!), playing songs with titles like "Urine Trouble". Good times, and by the way, NO ONE rocks a cowbell like Jeff GD (on his prosthetic leg!).” Respected music journalist Zeena Tsarfin added, “ "I can't even describe them, just go watch them," advised Relapse's Dave Ehlrich. And he was right. Unable to pigeonhole Gloominous Doom into any genre, the best I can do is "bipolar-core." Punctuating their plentiful grinding riffs and bellowing growls were rhythms that evoked surf rock, ska, reggae and death metal. Quite unique, to be sure.”
Fresh off their successful NYC takeover, Gloominous Doom holed up in the studio with Mike Radka and Frank Phobia to begin working on their second full-length, The Feature, which is due out on DRP Records on CD and digitally in Spring 2010. Clocking in at just over an hour, “The Feature” totals fifteen songs, and comes jam-packed with tongue-in-cheek humor, razor-sharp riffs, thrashing mayhem, punk attitude, death metal ferocity, low-slung reggae grooves, and just a dash of demolition derby, PBR-guzzlin’ backwoods flair. The Gloominous Doom’s high-energy, genre-bending sonic assault and merciless work ethic have earned them scores of fans along the East Coast, The boys have been hard at work raisin’ hell, keeping that buzz going with never-ending live dates and festival appearances. With several new releases and a spring tour already in the works, it’s more than clear: The Gloominous Doom have only begun to grind. More cowbell!
