Album Reviews : Night Hag – Gilded Age

While it’s not exactly a rare occasion to put on a metal album and hear a little bit of anger stumble out of your speakers, it’s always an experience when something truly sinister grabs you by the throat, drags you into a dark alley and burns you at the fucking stake. Adelaide’s appropriately named Night Hag are the latest culprits to perform the latter.

With nine tracks of blackened everything just breaking the half hour mark, Gilded Age is a short and not-so-sweet trip through everything dark. Combining the aggression of punk and real hardcore with the filthiness of black metal and crust, and seasoned with touches of the slower stuff, they’re a band who know how to drag bits of everything in and vomit back out a surprisingly cohesive and consistent sound.

While “Sixth Extinction” and “Coolidge, Kansas” kick the album off hinting at a fairly straight-forward black metal experience, “Fog Fever” and “Mongrel” shove the aforementioned punk and hardcore influences right in your face, before “Tooth & Hand” drops the pace and cranks the eeriness. While each track is as superb as the next, the nine and a half minute closer “Golden Age” is the one that stands above. Taking up almost a third of the runtime, it’s absolutely dripping with atmosphere and a couple of oddly beautiful riffs, with the last few minutes bringing back memories of the my first This Is Past listen and the headfuck involved.

Topped off with a fittingly raw production (or lack thereof) and the type of harsh vocals that make you wonder how he isn’t bleeding from the throat, Gilded Age is a beast that should be experienced by all. 8.5/10

Band: Night Hag
Album: Gilded Age
Year: 2011
Genre: Blackened something
Label: Capitalgames Records
Origin: Adelaide, Australia
http://nighthag.tumblr.com/

Track listing:
1. Sixth Extinction
2. Coolidge, Kansas
3. Fog Fever
4. Mongrel
5. Tooth & Hand
6. Ash Cloud
7. Wood Teeth
8. Cynic
9. Golden Age