NIGHT HAG - Great Dismal Darkness

'Drowned in Death'opens with a short burst of noise before Sam Fox’s heavily distorted bass takes over, followed by warped, pitch-bending guitar work and eventually a barrage of drums. Initially, the track ranks among the album’s faster moments, but that momentum gradually sinks into something far heavier, if NIGHT HAG start out running, they soon find themselves caught in quicksand. Bending notes, crashing cymbals and dense bass lines pull the composition into a slow, lumbering pace, while deep growls add an increasingly unsettling presence. The deliberately rough production complements this shift particularly well, allowing the sinister screams, distortion and surrounding noise to merge into one oppressive whole. There is little warmth or comfort here, but that coldness is exactly what gives the track its character. 

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'Effluvia Tendrils' settles into a mid-paced crawl, with guttural screams adding further depth and devastation while thunderous drums drive the raw, chaotic production forward. Ominous sounds gradually thicken the already dense wall of noise, although at times it becomes almost overwhelming. The instrumentation occasionally feels detached from the vocals, disrupting the cohesion and briefly pulling me out of the track. Considering NIGHT HAG’s deliberately abrasive approach, that sense of disorientation may well be intentional, but it does not always make for an easy listen. As the composition progresses, the screams and surrounding noises become increasingly unhinged, allowing that initial discomfort to grow into a genuine sense of uncertainty.

'Staring Into the Ancient Chasm' begins rather "calmly", with brooding, clanking sounds, heavy cymbal work and a dense foundation establishing an immediately dark atmosphere. The vocals arrive noticeably later, creating a growing sense of anticipation while giving the rhythm section enough space to shape the track on its own. Their thoughtful placement works particularly well, making each vocal entrance feel more deliberate rather than simply adding another layer to the already heavy sound. Around the four-minute mark, more melodic elements begin to surface, briefly opening up the composition and adding another dimension to its oppressive character. 

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By the time we reach ‘The Terrible Old Woman’, NIGHT HAG’s suffocating weight is well established, so it is the merciless vocal performance that takes centre stage. Throaty, hissing screams of agony shift into evil growls, giving the delivery a primal versatility while remaining surprisingly intelligible within the dense mix. Fast blast beats add sudden urgency beneath the vocals, while a cavernous riff maintains the track’s oppressive depth. A strong guitar solo eventually pulls the composition into its final stretch before everything slowly fades away. 

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With "Great Dismal Darkness", NIGHT HAG creates an uncompromising world of suffocating death-doom, built on cavernous riffs, thunderous drums and a remarkably primal vocal performance. The deliberately raw production strengthens its sinister character, even if the overwhelming density occasionally works against the song's cohesion. Filthy, unsettling and relentlessly heavy, this is an album that does not invite you into its darkness, it simply drags you down with it.

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SCORE 7.5/10

REVIEWED BY SWAMPY