#FeatureFriday: Paleo EP by Djinn and Miskatonic

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Paleo EP

by Djinn and Miskatonic

Doom laden early 70s three-piece heavy rock wearing metal armour and wearing a prog rock cape.

A real cool album EP, I think I have a new favourite genre, Doom Metal. This just hits all the right grooves for me. It reminds me of an interview I saw with Peter Hook of Joy Division where he told a story about going into a studio after Lemmy had left and plugging into his rig. Imagine that, Motorhead with Ian Curtis Singing? Well it’s not that, it’s much better. More classy.

I’m not being facetious with this. It sounds like that in my befuddled mind.

There’s a classic heavy rock metal sound to this. Like Budgie and Diamond Head crossed with sludgy Black Sabbath album tracks.

It has Classic riffs, it’s loose and groovy like early Sabbath with its subtle jazz influences. It has in the pocket, early 70s pentatonic solos that sing. Not flash, just neat and tidy and extremely satisfying.

Singer has a cool timbre to his voice, low and clean, but easily turns to a growl when needed. It’s dirge, swampy but grooves and flows. It’s serious but not pompous, and it has a fine melodic thread running through it.

I bought this after one listen.

So should you.

I’ve long held the believe that the best sub genres to introduce someone to Metal are Power Metal – because it is fast and fun – and Doom Metal; because its slower tempo lets listeners really soak in the atmosphere of a song. “Paleo” by Djinn and Miskatonic is a wonderful example of the latter.

The sound can best be described as “crunchy”; a warm, fuzzy heaviness that pushes the tracks forward. Down-tuned guitars and bass wrap provide a canvas on which the vocals and drums paint their stories, stories of helplessness in the face of of crushing reality. The first song, “Vendetta (Reality & Me)”, is setting up the mood perfectly; soaring vocals that turn to growly screams in a heartbeat, slow riffs, very deliberate drum fills and a bridge that picks up the pace considerably, give this track an epic feel; an impression that continues throughout the rest of the EP.

“Vendetta” is a song about struggling with harsh reality, “Venenum” is about how fear and hate poison society and the last song, “Paleomythic”, uses the image of a dragon to give the sensation of despair a shape. The tracks don’t offer a light at the end at the tunnel, instead they highlight common emotions, leaving interpretations and solutions up to the individual listener.

Doom Metal has been a constant companion to me this year, giving an audible shape to the things that occupy the minds of me and many other people. I have come back to this EP many times in the last months, finding comfort in the fact that I am not alone in feeling the way I do. So of course, this is an album that I very highly recommend.

Florgoth

ek we have an excellent doom metal EP by a band with the incredibly clever name of Djinn and Miskatonic!
I loved all 3 tracks on this week’s album, “Paleo,“ by @jayaprakash777.bsky.social and Djinn and Miskatonic, but if I must pick a favourite, I’ll go with the middle track, “Venenum (56 Flavors of Hate)” There‘s a great instrumental section in the middle of that one.

Updated: October 31, 2025 — 1:31 pm

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