San Francisco’s Nite emerged right smack dab in the middle of that pandemic abyss in 2020, and for a new band trying to make it’s mark on the world of Heavy Metal in the middle of such weird times, I certainly came away hugely impressed with their debut album Darkness Silence Mirror Flame, a simultaneously catchy and raw throwback of a record that culled equally from the traditional sounds of Judas Priest and Diamond Head, as it did from the epic, blackened soul of Bathory. It was as confident and self-assured a debut as I can remember, and certainly set the stage for what was sure to be an impressive career moving forward, proven by a pretty quick step up from the smaller (but no less great) Creator-Destructor Records, to the big boys at the legendary Season of Mist for their sophomore follow-up, Voices of the Kronian Moon – an ambitious concept album that was also written during the grips of the covid pandemic. Truthfully, while I still do dig that record and at the time saw it as a step forward for the band, over time I kept finding myself going back to their debut far more often than I did Voices. Something about the more raw, potent energy of Darkness… just held a tighter grip on me.

I bring all of this up because a funny thing happened after releasing those two albums: Nite got on the road, in front of way more crowds, and started learning something about how those records translated to a live setting – started figuring out what really worked and what really didn’t in that kind of setting. And I’m delighted to say that those lessons were put to extremely good use, because the energy that seemed to maybe go a bit missing on their last record? It’s back. In a big way. Cult of the Serpent Sun, put simply, fuckin rules.

From the jump on the album’s title track, there is a noticeable sense of increased urgency and confidence that practically oozes off the opening guitar lick, and what follows is truly a standout moment of the band’s career to date. The deep, chanting “OOFs” drip with malice, and even lead man Van Labrakis, whose vocals I felt were maybe a bit too one-dimensional on their previous effort, carry more assertive tone this time around. He hasn’t exactly transformed into a vocal virtuoso here, but there’s an extra depth to his growling rasp that does a much better job of grabbing your attention and making sure you know he means business this time around. Everything just feels like there’s more bite – even the fantastic riffing and solo work, which have been the band’s strongest qualities to this point, are taken to new heights, helped by a fantastic mix that sees every individual performance by the band coming through crystal clear and with real purpose.

Follow-up “Skull” proves the band’s goal of making sure these songs will carry over beautifully into a live setting, is no joke. The tight, focused, even at times (dare I say) simple delivery makes for an incredibly fun track that’s so easy to latch on to and enjoy just for the quality of the musicianship on display alone. The chugging main riff, the brilliantly harmonized guitars of the pre-chorus, and the absolute doozy of a guitar solo here – none of them are going to blow you away with insane technicality, but each will put a devilish grin on your face as you bask in their unquestionable glory. If the opening track was a new benchmark for the band, “Skull” simply takes it up a peg and sets the tone that Nite are not fucking around here, proven AGAIN immediately on “Crow (Fear the Night),” which harkens back to their fantastic debut, but just sharpens every edge just a little bit more. And you can’t can’t help but get caught up in this sing-along chorus, making for an epic, anthemic track assured to become a fan-favorite at every gig.

But it’s not all aggression on Cult of the Serpent Sun, either. “The Mystic,” perhaps appropriately, is a haunting affair – opting instead to create a dreadful atmosphere, lead by some cleaver vocal manipulation that truly does make Labrakis sound every bit some creepy, mysterious mystic hidden away in some dripping cave. It gives me goosebumps in the best way, proving the band is still more than willing to continue expanding their sound and go in some interesting new directions. The same can be said with “Tarmut,” which blends in a little more of the band’s Heavy Metal aggression, but still delivers a diverse, layered effort that showcases the band versatility without sacrificing the band’s signature tone. Also, the bluesy, evocative solo here is just phenomenal, brimming with real emotion and heart that you can’t help but get kinda swept away with.

But at the end of the day, it’s the anthems that are the real showstoppers here. The energetic, almost upbeat dual guitar attack of the mighty-as-fuck “The Last Blade” owes as much to the likes of Thin Lizzy and Molly Hatchet as it does to the best of Judas Priest and Saxon, making for a real throwback classic that, somehow, again marks yet another high point in the band’s career (and a new personal favorite). That whole feeling of being in a sweet-as-hell wizard and dragon-painted van, blasting down the highway that I felt on the first album? It’s back in spades, and that’s even before getting into the absolute glory that is “Carry On,” packed with soaring, epic riffs and driving drums that make you want to stamp down even harder on the accelerator and throw every bit of caution to the wind. I needed these tracks in my life. I needed this album.

What I’m getting at though all of this, if you couldn’t already tell, is that Cult of the Serpent Sun is every bit the celebration of all things heavy metal promised on the band’s first album, but delivered with the kind of gusto and confidence of a band who firmly knows who they are and what they’re about, and we should all be grateful just to be here to hear it all come together. This album is an absolute triumph, and unquestionably positions Nite as one of the premiere flag wavers of the new Heavy Metal scene. Join the cult and enjoy the all the fruit that it bears.

I’m not arguing that something loses its appeal because it’s “more popular.” That argument is dumb. Popular things are generally popular because well, they’re widely appealing! Hard to knock on someone for simply being well-liked. The problem is that popularity often leads A LOT of people to try and do the same thing. Again, not necessarily an inherently bad thing – imitation being the sincerest form of flattery and all that – but the more people you get trying to replicate a sound, an idea or a look, the more and more you end up with a lot of folks that just… aren’t as good at it. And after a while, too many sour apples can make you lose your appetite for the whole thing.

Bearing this in mind, I both acknowledge that the world of Blackened NWOTHM is becoming more overcrowded by the day, while admitting that I’m still an absolute sucker for it. I can’t help myself. It’s one of those things that, at this point, I assume is just written into my DNA. But as these bands continue to spread like wild hellfire, I find myself clinging a little more tightly to a select few examples that I feel represent the genre best – and there’s maybe no better a representative than San Francisco’s Nite.

2020’s Darkness. Silence. Mirror. Flame. made a number of our staff’s best-of lists that year (including my own), catching us all quite a bit off guard and unprepared for Nite’s distinct take on Blackened Heavy Metal. As such, Voices of the Kronian Moon is coming in with some pretty lofty expectations, especially after the band graduated from the excellent, albeit smaller Creator-Destructor Records, up to the big leagues with a signing to Season of Mist. It’s also no small thing to consider how unique a situation this is for a band’s sophomore effort, because for as much fanfare as their debut received, it also came out in March of 2020 (yes, THAT March), meaning that the band really never had a chance to get out and promote that record proper. It makes their debut’s success all the more impressive, but it no doubt creates an interesting situation for the band to try and navigate – a second chance for the band to introduce themselves to a world already aware of who they are and what they do. The one advantage the band DID have on their side, was a lot of mostly uninterrupted downtime to plan this second effort, and the band seems to have used that time very wisely – creating an album that is bigger and better in ways both obvious and more subtle.

To start, Nite has taken a relatively big swing and made Voices of the Kronian Moon a sci fi concept album (if you couldn’t already tell by that excellent cover art). Without getting too far into the plot details and themes, the band has certainly taken painstaking care to craft a fully fleshed-out, robust universe full of danger, intrigue and heroism. But before you potentially get turned off by the idea that Nite have ditched the leather and denim for full-on cosplay – fear not. Nite is still firmly rooted in the world of Priest, Accept and Diamond Head, where the guitar work of Van Labraskis and Scott Hoffman once again take center stage and really drive this album forward. But where the former album may have directly pulled from a few different, distinct influences from song to song, Voices… sees Nite settling in a little more into a specific groove. The same influences are all there, but they’re coalescing into the “Nite sound,” which is a big step for any band. From there, they’re able to meticulously tweak the overall mood and tone of each track while maintaining that central core sound, so where “Archeron” and “Kronian Moon” pull off a vibrant, triumphant feeling, a track like “Liber Ex Doctrinal” that feels altogether more spacious and gloomy, or “Thorns” that builds with a real sense of suspense and anxiety, all still distinctly sounds like Nite.

One of the band’s best attributes continues to be their dedication to getting to the point. There is not a minute of ostentatious noodling or overindulgence to be found here – every solo, every bridge, every riff has a purpose, and nothing lingers longer than it needs to, which is an especially fresh breath of air when getting into the world of concept albums. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of over-exposition and world building, but Nite manage to get the job done in under 40 minutes while still delivering a complex, robust listening experience, delivering some of their most engaging work yet. The galloping “Edge of the Night” will most certainly go down as one of my favorite tracks of 2022, and closer “The Trident” delivers easily one of the band’s most unique riffs to date, incorporating some really sweet-sounding minor chords that remind me a bit of something Vreid might concoct. It’s infectious as hell.

My only gripe with Voices of the Kronian Moon comes down to, iconically, the vocal mix. While Van Lebraskis’ distinct vocals do contribute to Nite’s unique sound, this time around they feel a little too one-dimensional for my liking, and a touch overly distorted when mixed in with what is otherwise a very clean-sounding album. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not looking for Lebraskis to suddenly transform into Rob Halford, but there are definitely times where his monotone rasp just isn’t quite gelling with the more soaring, epic moments of this record that could use just a little extra “oomph” from the vocals to really put it over the top.  I get it, the vocals aren’t necessarily the main focus of what Nite is about, but I’d love to get even just a little bit more out of them.

Overall though, Voices of the Kronian Moon is absolutely a step forward for the band, and Nite should be pretty dang stoked to introduce themselves to the world properly with this album in their back pocket. It’s punchy, it tells a great story, and they get out before you have any chance of getting bored with it. Shout out to Season of Mist, made an excellent signing, and will hopefully grow the band’s audience to the level it deserves. This is a timeless sound delivered with a unique flair that manages to feel nostalgic and fresh all at once, and in my opinion, is just a couple tweaks away from becoming an unstoppable force in these scene.