Cult of the Serpent Sun by NITE

NITE
Cult of the Serpent Sun
Season of Mist

Through a rigorous tour schedule and the philosophy of “more is more,” NITE’s third album sets the Bay Area ablaze with an inferno of classic metal turbulence, blackened intently to spice things up.

I mean if a band who is drenched in influence with bands like At The Gates and formed a British metal cover band, you might scratch the surface. What NITE does so incredibly well is conjoin two distinct elements of heavy metal together in such a precise way that it becomes their own.

With a song like “Crow (Fear The Night),” you feel such nostalgia in those pulsating riffs that spirals you back into time and blinds you with tradition and creativity swirling around under the blur of headlights. Its ritualistic sin-sation only propels you unafraid into their embrace.

What I love the most are the riffs that come out of these songs. The guitarwork is freeing in a way that takes what we know of NITE’s potential and elevates it to new heights.

As Cult of the Serpent Sun battles the depths of eternal darkness, the album flows like epic poetry. Rust may represent resilience, but this band is polished chrome, shining under neon lights. “The Last Blade” through guttural ecstasy. Van Labrakis never breaks stride nor reaches into the heavens. His voice slithers with the subtle roar of the forbidden.

But even in the darkness, the band takes a moment to drop some deep inspiration: “”Dream on and find who you are,” from the finale, “Winds of Sokar.”