The Cursed Cold One - The Hag Of The Sea

Self-released, 2020

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya.
You killed my father.
Prepare to die."

The Cursed Cold One has been producing releases at a very fast pace. Its self-titled debut crawled out of the ocean in November 2019, and was followed up shortly by Carbuncle in December. Now, one month later, The Hag Of The Sea is upon us.

I’m always anxious when artists produce material as quickly as The Cursed Cold One does. My biased brain can’t help but think that a quick effort equals a rushed one - and that a rushed effort equals a painful drop in potential quality. Whether this is true or not, is nearly impossible to determine, and will always depend on the producer and its circumstances. Sadly though, it does have an irrational effect on how I personally experience the tracks that The Hag Of The Sea has to offer.

With the EP’s description talking of revolting creatures, so horrifying that the weak-hearted were known to die upon gazing at them, I expected the music to be much more unnerving. Instead, the EP offers us five pleasant, meandering tracks that, at first listen, do not seem to engage with the proclaimed concept. Due to the last track containing a sample of the 1987 movie The Princess Bride, I figured the film could help enlighten me - and sat down for 100 minutes of adventure and comedy.

It did not enlighten me.

Musically, The Hag Of The Sea is a charming, little EP but fails to connect to the themes it textually brings to the table. If the latter does not concern you, I’d especially advise you to dive into 'Illusory Appearance' since this is where The Cursed Cold One truly excels. Do not stop there though; the project’s other two releases are of the same musical quality as The Hag Of The Sea - and maybe, just maybe, we’ll see another folkloric creature arise this February. If so, I really do hope to hear The Cursed Cold One fully connect its music to its imagery - because the concept of consistently dedicating short EP’s to mythological creatures is a beautiful one.

TL;DR: A short but pleasant experience. Whether the music evokes the imagery of sea hags is up for debate.

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