Waves of bizarre whispers distort to gut-growling lunacy in ear as the terror-hungered surround of Richmond, Virginia-based death/doom metal quartet NIGHT HAG calls aloud from below, echoing morbid derangement throughout this caverne dwelling second full-length album. Borne of folk horrors and paralytic sleep ‘Great Dismal Darkness‘ turns the band’s already thunderous grime downward, conjuring vermin spitting mid-paced death metal and unholy doom riffcraft without a dip in quality on the trudge through its seven curses. Though it upholds the bigger/better expectations of a sophomore full-length both in terms of sound and riff count the great boon offered here is the deeper characterization of an already above-average act.

Night Hag formed back in 2010 by way of drummer/vocalist Jon Ransom who’d taken his time developing an ‘old school’ inspired death/doom metal sound amidst a number of line-up shifts, solidifying a core trio around ~2017. While the band’s approach was initially slotted nearby the Autopsy inspired realm their debut LP (‘Phantasmal Scourge‘, 2022) spoke to grimier extremes, primitive violence and traditional doom metal riffcraft nearby groups like Cryptic Brood, Coffins and Eternal Darkness. For this follow up four years later they’ve modulated their pacing to allow for more smash-and-grab death metal bursts, brought in a second guitarist, and tweaked their vocal register/ouevre slightly as the collective uptick in cavernous morbid gloom is palpable off the rip on ‘Great Dismal Darkness‘.

In review of Night Hag‘s debut LP I’d suggested ‘Day of Reckoning‘ was just as crucial a comparison to make as something like early Cianide in that their riffcraft/tone was consistent anchor for the many variations served throughout. With ‘Great Dismal Darkness‘ this type of cycling back to default is less frequent to start, still rooted in slow-burning doom metal rhythms but less of a samey glom overall. They’re doing more with their sound and the production values are doubly ancient and rotten-throated from the outset as we drop into opener “Drowned to Death” where Ransom‘s vocals take on an ‘Unholy Cult‘ level of roar amidst a rush of riffs one’d expect from an Anthropophagous or Phobophilic album. Pairing that initial chaotic cavern-churn with more dramatic hall-shaking doom riffs (beyond ~3:29 minutes in) makes for an incredible album opener, more than a tone-setter but a tension wracked best limb forward.

Night Hag had a maniac grip on the riff on their debut record but the horrified barreling swat of the opener and the screaming, accursed maze of follow-up “Effluvia Tendrils” in particular nearly hit like a different group per the riff-per-minute count and the slick trudge from movement to movement on each piece. The drum sound here is particularly choice for my taste, not as shocked with reverb as an early Disciples of Power record or whatever but captured in surreal-real space (via Yave Rust) enough to surround and support all performances in their mid-paced kick and scream along. From that point I wouldn’t say the doom of it all fully grips the throat of the experience but definitely reigns over the middle pieces starting with “It Came Back the Next Night”.

Though they’ve not fallen into face-clawing, worm spitting funeral death/doom levels of slime here Night Hag achieve something nearby in effect on mid-album drain of “Staring Into the Ancient Chasm”, it being the piece to bulldoze my spine flattest beyond the opener. The song’s introduction works in a few brain wriggling ideas via its quieter nuanced guitar layers to start, details that’d been easier to miss on a casual listen but offered life-extending interest when returning to the album numerous times. “Strange Whispers from Beneath the Cypress” is technically more compelling for its busier pace, matching the general dynamic of the opener, but the combination of the two pieces is the major highlight of the experience for my taste.

Though nowadays death metal has created the expectation that a few lesser burner songs tacked on the end of an album isn’t such a crime in low-retention environs Night Hag don’t phone it in on the way out, still generating interest on the conclusion of Side B with the bone-rattling “The Terrible Old Woman” being the standout. Ransom‘s use of fills beside caveman clapped riffs create some extra tumult there but it is the range of gore-death belches, rasping interjections, and guttural growling take a notable stretch beyond the more resigned vocal expression of previous efforts; You’ve gotten the gist at that point, that this new quartet formation and their wares’ve grown darker in style and heavier-than-thou in render without fully morphing away from their original idea.

It isn’t a shocking evolutionary leap, and couldn’t be summed as simple refinement, but you could call ‘Great Dismal Darkness‘ a transformation of Night Hag‘s years hewn capabilities applied toward steadfast classic death/doom metal tenets. The exaggeration of extremes on hand help to emphasize the work of a much better band making an even better death metal record and this only strengthens their name with strong, somewhat memorable material. Though the album art isn’t entirely to my taste and I’ve no informed sense for the lyrics these folks’ve created an undeniable result on this second major cycle. A high recommendation.

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