Djinn & Miskatonic is a doom metal band based in Bangalore, India. The band has presented its superlative musicality in their EP forever in the realm and live performances. We interviewed them ahead of Transcending Obscurity Fest to be held in Thane this May. Read the conversation here.
1. Greetings! How are you doing?
Doom metal is known as a genre evoking a sense of gloom, generally with continual, low and droning music. What inspires artists like you to pursue such a melancholic genre? Is it an expression of emotions, passion and fears or is it a reflection of societal conditions?
Sriram: Greetings, mortals. Humanity is doomed anyway. It is pointless to dwell on mundane issues like society. Let’s leave the angsty hollering and bird-flipping-in-the-general-direction-of-“the establishment” to thrash metal and grindcore bands, shall we? I tend to find escape in weird and fantastic realms carved out in words and pictures and that hopefully translates into the music we play. The slow, crushing nature of doom metal provides the perfect musical soundtrack for the sort of themes that we like to write about.
GK: Doom metal is a form of release. We escape in doom and tell a few stories.
2. Djinn & Miskatonic has presented music which is a reflection of the rich sources which the band derives inspiration from- a desolate atmosphere with slow Sabbathian riffage, and sometimes even catchy and attacking! Please elaborate on the band’s musical influences.
Sriram: We all bring a few diverse influences into the band, really. Black Sabbath is obviously the holy grail of everything, along with ‘70s proto-doom bands like Sir Lord Baltimore, Blue Cheer, Bedemon and Pentagram. New wave doom bands like Electric Wizard, Sleep, Church of Misery and Reverend Bizarre in particular have influenced us hugely in wanting to tune low and play slow. JP and I also share a healthy love for traditional ‘80s heavy metal and thrash, and that shows through sometimes as well. GK (vocalist) listens to a crazy amount of music ranging from extreme metal to singer-songwriter stuff. Sid (drummer) is largely into superfast, technical stuff; (he co-founded and plays drums for a band called Nihilus that fast, technical death metal). Our songs allow room for incorporating a lot of different styles within the framework of doom metal. A good example of that would be the black metal-esque ending to Weird Tales.
3. How does the band perceive doom metal musically and non-musically- in terms of attitude and philosophy? What ideology or art distinguishes the worldview doom metal seeks to uphold, from the rest of heavy metal?
JP: Not a lot. We just prefer Conan the Barbarian, Vincent Price, Jim Thompson, the Silver Surfer and Barbarella to reality. Jane Fonda for the win!
GK: Doom metal helps me out. The crushing monotony of daily life is alleviated by the doom. I think it would be fait to say that we present our music in a doom metal framework because we like slow and heavy music but in terms of ideology and worldview, we’re not particularly bleak or soul crushing in our delivery. You could dance to some of it. So sometimes I’m not entirely comfortable with being called doom metal in the strictest sense. We need to be called something I guess and doom metal is close enough.
Sriram: Doom is not fundamentally different from heavy metal in ethos. It’s just the weird kid of metal that took being slow and menacing to an extreme. Same whine, different battle. *chuckle*
4. What forms the basis of a Djinn & Miskatonic song? Is it a concept fitted into a musical narrative or anything else? How do you build on it?
JP: A few stolen blues basslines, bang on the drums a lot, overdrive the guitar amp and get someone quiet to sing for a change.
GK: Am I the quiet one or are you getting someone else to sing?
Sriram: And drugs and alcohol, of course. Can’t forget those!
5. The band’s lyrical themes lace around occultism, witchery, alcoholism, etc. Are there any non-musical sources that inspire the band’s songwriting– literature, movies, graphics, etc.?
JP: I’m very fond of fonts. That helps a lot.
GK: Yeah. Book of the Fallen is based on Steven Erikson’s epic of the same name. The song Weird Tales pretty much lists out or literary influences. I think going back to your earlier question about ideology that pretty much is it. Playing the music we like and telling the stories we want to.
Sriram: A dash of fascination with the morbid, a pinch of penchant for the weird and drugs and alcohol. Lots of drugs and alcohol.
6. To what extent do you think are the despair-evoking sound of the genre and the values and ideas which the music expresses related? Or is there no pre-decided thought process as such that doom metal seeks to induce, and keeps it open to the perception of the listener?
Sriram: Oh, they are very much connected. You cannot go around singing lyrics about love and peace and puppy dogs when the music behind it is more apt for summoning an Elder god and pounding your head into the ground. (Let it be noted, though, that never has there ever been a more jaunty call to the end-times than “Doom Over the World” by Reverend Bizarre!).
7. Please describe ‘Djinn & Miskatonic’ and the idea behind naming the band so.
JP: It was a joke and now it’s gone too far. Only Gautham knows where the bodies are buried.
GK: It was a good joke. Totally worth the muddy boots, sprained back and blood stains on the backseat.
8. Djinn & Miskatonic’s music is quite entrenched in the ways of traditional doom. What do you think of incorporation of ‘stylistic novelties’ in metal, for example, incorporation of elements of Eastern music, like the droning essence of Indian classical music?
Sriram: We’ve never consciously thought about using eastern scales/progressions in our music. Slow doom metal is enough of a stylistic novelty in itself, I’d reckon.
GK: If it’s done well it sounds great Lots of potential for utter failure though.
9. Through what elements does the Djinn & Miskatonic’s music assert its independent identity which distinguishes it from other doom metal bands?
JP: We’re willing to take it down to funeral doom tempos, but we’re okay with a burst of death metal speed too. We wanna go, we wanna go hot rocking.
10. Djin & Miskatonic’s inception saw the band consisting of only drums, bass and vocals, yet firmly grounded in the essence of doom metal. How has the journey been since then and what changes has the band’s sound gone through?
JP: There’s more Steely Dan in the mix now, maybe a bit of Blood Sweat & Tears, Rare Earth. You’re going to hear a lot more Marvin Gaye in our songs from now on.
GK: Yeah. Sriram claims to like thrash and death and what not but this is what he’s actually brought to the band. Accessibility and women.
11. What are your thoughts on doom metal in India? In what ways do you think this sub-genre maintains its individual musical ingenuity? Or is it a mere continuation of the arc of metal?
Sriram: It is definitely a branch of the great big tree of metal, that’s for sure. But I think we’ve seen potential for doom/stoner/sludge to be a subculture in its own right. There are about 6 bands right now in Bangalore alone playing some derivative of doom metal and each one of them has something unique to offer with their sound. Bevar Sea’s style has a lot of ‘70s rock and proto-doom in it, Shepherd integrate Seattle/Washington sound influences (Melvins, AIC, Soundgarden) with southern sludge, Witchdoctor have a Scandinavian-by-way-of-funeral-doom sort of sound to them while Dying Embrace is more steeped in the doom-death liturgies of Celtic Frost, Asphyx and Autopsy. With Djinn there’s traces of traditional heavy metal, doom-death and . And of course, the one thread that connects all of us is the mighty Sabbath! As for the rest of India, Dormant Inferno from Bombay is definitely a band to watch out for. It’s still a very small movement, both in terms of the number of bands playing and the audiences, but there certainly is increased awareness, even if not acceptance, of the doomier forms of metal.
“Forever In The Realm” artwork
12. The band’s debut album was released by Transcending Obscurity India. How important has the record label proved to be for the band? Share with us the experience.
GK: It’s been great. I’ve known KC for a long while now. I think we were recording our first album when he decided he wanted to do an Indian sub of his label and things pretty much fell into place. It’s been a pretty peaceful, hassle free arrangement so far. KC on his own though is doing a pretty great job with his label. Can’t wait to come to Thane again for Transcending Obscurity Fest.
Sriram: It’s a huge plus, having someone to do the grunt-work for you. KC takes care of the ghastly chores like the shameless whoring, convincing people to buy our CDs and (*shudder*) shipping CDs out when people actually order the damn things. KC is a long-time friend of ours and I guess it just made sense to leverage his experience and network so we can chill out and focus on stealing ideas from Tom Petty songs. And do drugs and alcohol, of course. Can’t forget the drugs and alcohol!
13. How bold do you think is the decision to pursue doom metal in India? What do you think is the extent of acceptance by listeners, and what is the usual fan reaction at gigs?
Sriram: Doom metal does remain a niche sub-genre with a small but dedicated fanbase. Metal still tends to be tagged as fast, aggressive music and well, doom is pretty much the antithesis of that. We still see quite a few baffled and quizzical faces in the audience and a lot of that is because the exposure to this kind of music, and particularly with Djinn’s type of bleak, long-winded doom, is still limited at best. And I’m not betting on that changing any time in the near future.
GK: The music chooses you. We had no choice.
14. Djinn & Miskatonic is going to be a part of Transcending Obscurity Fest. Do you have any message for those who are going to attend the show? Is there new material in store?
Sriram: There’s ONLY new material in store, I reckon. Of course we’ll have to play some of our popular songs (We heard KC and Riju have worked out an interpretative dance duet for “Book of the Fallen”). Quite looking forward to it. And also, hey Bombay, please don’t mosh to doom metal. It’s impressive, but kinda insulting.
GK: Yeah, maybe 3 new songs and one off the album. And ignore Sriram. That 30 second mosh pit last time was epic. Was a great crowd last time and hoping for more of the same. Looking forward to catching up with a few people and putting on a good tight set. We get to play alongside some great bands and Transcending Obscurity Fest should be a blast.
IMS: Thanks a lot for your time. See you guys soon!
You can buy the album “Forever in the Realm” here!
RSVP to the event “Transcending Obscurity fest” here!
–Image Credits – Danish R.D./Danz Photography
–Interviewed by Debarati Das
Indian Metal Scene 