▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███
░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓
███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░
███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████
███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███
███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███
███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███
▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███
███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███
██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███
░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███
░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀
██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██
░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░
▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓
░ ██ ██ Artist: Djinn and Miskatonic ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Forever in the Realm █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2013 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-02-01 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Transcending Obscurity India ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Sludge metal from India. █
█ █
█ Doom metal is a style that is still relatively █
█ foreign in the embryonic metal æsceneÆ and its █
█ enthusiasts in the subcontinent, and the past few █
█ years have seen the rise of a few bands playing █
█ around with the genre, which has at the very least █
█ brought to fore the existence and awareness of █
█ this slower side of extreme metal. This has always █
█ been overshadowed by the more dominant, █
█ velocity-fuelled side of things regardless of █
█ geographic location. Doom metal has trodden a █
█ variety of paths since its inception during the █
█ zenith of Black Sabbath and the then incipient █
█ Pentagram and similar bands, and has thereon gone █
█ onto spawn forth a variety of stylistic █
█ derivatives. While not all of these are congruent █
█ with the proto-type of the genre, perhaps the most █
█ obvious commonality all these aural offspring have █
█ is their lumbering pace and crushing minimalism. █
█ If Bevar Sea presented the more jammy, convivial █
█ side of BangaloreÆs nascent doom/stoner movement █
█ (if one could call it that), and Dying Embrace the █
█ monstrous local overlords of the death/doom mould, █
█ then Djinn and Miskatonic present a more reticent, █
█ sedated and punctilious position that is more █
█ thematically focused and staid. The band nameÆs █
█ etymology is an open exaltation to their thematic █
█ inspirations, ranging from classic horror to weird █
█ fiction, α la H.P Lovecraft. The name is a play on █
█ the gin and tonic cocktail û djinn being the █
█ QurÆanic equivalent of genies and Miskatonic being █
█ a fictional university, featured in a series of █
█ stories in the Lovecraftian mythos. █
█ æForever in the RealmÆ, the bandÆs debut album █
█ after being active for around two years as a live █
█ band, merges a variety of these styles into its █
█ creative mould û primarily traditional doom in the █
█ vein of Cathedral, Saint Vitus and Trouble with █
█ very healthy doses of more jammy, stoner █
█ influences û think Electric Wizard and Sleep, and █
█ even hints of death/doom and sludge metal. The █
█ introduction of a guitarist in the band in turn █
█ omitted the more drone-driven, spacey quality that █
█ the band previously exhibited, and this is █
█ certainly evident in the album. æ7 Year WitchÆ is █
█ the tone setter of this record and opens with a █
█ direfully commanding spoken word about the █
█ depravity that is witchcraft, and soon descends █
█ into an infectious riff that is rather standard by █
█ doom norms but enjoyable nevertheless. The vocal █
█ approach is something one immediately takes note █
█ of, and showcases a wide range of styles that █
█ cover everything from impassioned warbles to █
█ harsher growls. The leads are laden with striving █
█ lead work that is reminiscent of Dave Chandler or █
█ even Tony Iommi. The band drops a bombshell with a █
█ bombastic, groove-laden, thrashing segment that █
█ IÆve often observed is an additive to the dynamics █
█ of the bandÆs sound in a live setting, and it is █
█ no different on record. æBook of the FallenÆ █
█ brings to fore a more robust facet of the band û █
█ the pace is almost marching in a sense and the █
█ entire mode of action is far more menacing than █
█ foreboding. It certainly isnÆt devoid of coercive █
█ doom segments, which have some excellent melodies █
█ that are complimented by befittingly clean vocals █
█ working in congruence with the aforementioned █
█ leads. █
█ The track that follows, æVulcanÆs ForceÆ enters █
█ the realm of dark humour and surrounds alcoholic █
█ excesses and consequential contemplation on the █
█ futility of existence. The guitars take a step █
█ back and make way for more fuzz-driven, baritonal █
█ bass work. The ritualistic electronic/ambient █
█ track æVoice from the TombÆ serves as an interlude █
█ of sorts that features undecipherable waves of █
█ spoken word from the deepest crypts. æWeird TalesÆ █
█ is the goliathan track of the album and is in a █
█ sense a summation of the various elements that █
█ forms the Djinn and Miskatonic creative canvas, █
█ channeling the bizarre, abstruse and esoteric. █
█ Dismal, cheerless and creeping bass-lines bleed █
█ into guitar riff-led dawdling, with tempo changes █
█ and vocal modulation aplenty. █
█ The charm of this release essentially lies in its █
█ sensibly primal minimalism. Axe-man Sriram K.RÆs █
█ presence in the band has turned its sound into █
█ something less befogged and more monolithic, while █
█ Jayaprakash Satyamurthy's bass work is likely to █
█ seem drowned out to the casual listener courtesy █
█ of the dominating guitars. However, a seasoned █
█ listener of the heavier side of music will quite █
█ easily be able to construe the bass-lines, which █
█ serve to illuminate and accentuate the riff in █
█ focus. A casual enthusiast need not fret apropos █
█ this nebulosity; as fuzzed out, solo bass guitar █
█ segments are ample which successfully throw light █
█ on this highly imperative instrumental facet of █
█ these droning-doomoid rockers. The bass work could █
█ perhaps be compared to the likes of Tim Bagshaw, █
█ who is known to alternate between bone-crushing █
█ dirges and spaced out, yet jammy elegies. The █
█ guitar tone is satisfactory, and is sufficient to █
█ please the seasoned doomster, while not scaring █
█ away the casual listener either. Siddharth █
█ ManoharanÆs percussive dexterity is solid and █
█ handles tempo changes with ease, and certainly █
█ brings in some enjoyable grooves and fills into █
█ the compositions. Gautham KhandigeÆs vocal style █
█ is rather unique, at least going by the little █
█ knowledge I possess of the genre, and invokes █
█ sonorous theatrics, aural timidity and harshness █
█ at desirable and appropriately opportune times. If █
█ a comparison is a must, I would liken his vocal █
█ approach to the likes of, say, Scott Reagers, who █
█ had excellent operatic/clean vocal abilities and █
█ yet had an enjoyable dissonance to his voice that █
█ made Saint Vitus all the more unusual and █
█ noteworthy. Yet at times, the more harsh vocals █
█ are eerily similar to Lee Dorrian (circa Forest of █
█ Equilibrium era). █
█ The cover artwork, conceptualized and furnished by █
█ Nicolas Huck is impressive, and envisages a sense █
█ of otherworldly allure and fantasy. In summation, █
█ æForever in the RealmÆ is an effort that certainly █
█ impressions upon one, and is unique in a variety █
█ of ways, although it doesnÆt impart anything very █
█ groundbreaking stylistically sans the welding of █
█ the various sub-genres of the greater doom sphere. █
█ But it would be unfair to view it purely from a █
█ genre-specific angle, and one should take into █
█ account the demographics of the bandÆs local █
█ scene, and in that light the band is certainly a █
█ unique force, and is hopefully one of many such █
█ releases from the area. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. 7 Year Witch 11:39 ░
░ 2. Book of the Fallen 8:39 ░
░ 3. Vulcan's Forge 4:56 ░
░ 4. Voice from the Tomb 1:00 ░
░ 5. Weird Tales 16:56 ░
░ 43:10 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░
▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓
▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■
░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░
▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░
█▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓
█▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█
▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒
░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░
▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓
█▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓
░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒
█░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█
███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░
▓██ ░ ██▓
██░ ░██
█▒ ░ ░█
▀█ █▀
▓ ░
░