Ever since they banded together in 2018, NITE has carried the torch for Bay Area metal with pride. In the three years since their last Marshall-fueled venture, the San Franciscans have wisely tripled down on their trusted arsenal of blackened heavy metal. “…it will take a crowbar to pry this song out of your head”, No Clean Singing wrote about the high-flying lead single from the band’s upcoming third album.
With its epic slow burn, the latest single from Cult of the Serpent Sun still conjures the trailblazing spirits of old. But “The Mystic” shines a light on what separates this band’s particular blackened alchemy from mere imitation brew.
Listen to “The Mystic” on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
Cult of the Serpent Sun comes out March 14, 2025 on Season of Mist.
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https://orcd.co/nitecultoftheserpentsun
After two swashbuckling albums, NITE’s classic weaponry still shows no signs of rust. The title track off Cult of the Serpent Sun slithers with all the leathery glory of ’80s heavy metal gods. Their new album was guided by what they harnessed while storming the stage at Northwest Terror Fest and Hell’s Heroes VI, but its “more is more” philosophy also led them to explore new dimensions.
“Time / Space”, Van Labrakis chants as “The Mystic” unfolds as if shrouded by frozen smoke.
NITE’s new single highlights the band’s blackened edges. Melodic riffs drip like candle wax. Drummer Patrick Crawford pops and pings as if leading a midnight procession. “Red, black and white“, Labrakis summons from his spell book while Avinash Mittur stretches his Rickenbacker bass into a hypnotic groove.
Cult of the Serpent Sun pits the band against the shadowy mythologies that have long laid dormant beneath society. But even amidst its freshly blackened perils, NITE emerge victorious. As the flames rise higher and higher, Scott Hoffman’s guitar solo illuminates “The Mystic” like a beam of light climbing through the shadows. “Fire / Bring me to life“.
“As above, so below”, NITE says about “The Mystic”. “Black and white, the checkerboard of space and time. Duality as the vehicle of human consciousness. Beyond all our achievements as a species in science, art and philosophy, still our biggest achievement, our alchemical triumph, our magnum opus as humans, is our most animalistic ability to procreate. To cheat time. To cheat death”.
More praise for NITE
“The overall atmosphere, though, is the crepuscular grandeur of black metal, right down to Vangelis Labrakis’s frozen-wizard rasp” – Stereogum
“This is like Iron Maiden teaming up with Tribulation, while Marty Friedman [is] soloing against an approving Abbath” – Decibel
“…stands out from the crowd, both in their musicianship and their unmistakable vocals” – Metal Injection
“…poised to solidify their place as one of the most compelling acts in modern heavy music” – New Noise
“…rooted in the timelessness of traditional heavy metal, ushered into the modern day” – Knotfest
“It’s great to discover a band and album that calls out to everything you grew up loving about heavy metal” – Nine Circles
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