NITE Shake with Fresh Venom on New Single “Cult of the Serpent Sun”
Bay Area Torchbearers Return with Battle-Sharpened Blackened Heavy Metal
Hear the new album two weeks early during their Bandcamp Listening Party
While they’re known for putting a twist on traditional heavy metal, NITE strives to be a light when the world is constricted by darkness. Upon hearing the high-flying first single off their upcoming third album, heshers from across the underground raised their spike-gloved fists over the triumphant return of the blackened Bay Area torchbearers.
“Precision execution, dynamic songwriting and an obvious reverence for the greats all comprise equal parts of NITE’s classic approach to contemporary heft”, Knotfest wrote in praise of “Crow (Fear the Night”.
Today, NITE are unsheathing the second single off Cult of the Serpent Sun. The title track opens the album with the band snaking into the heat of battle with fresh venom.
Cult of the Serpent Sun comes out March 14, 2025 on Season of Mist.
Pre-order & Pre-save https://orcd.co/nitecultoftheserpentsun
Can’t wait to hear the full triumph of Cult of the Serpent Sun? RSVP for NITE’s upcoming listening party and hear the entire album two weeks before it comes out!
NITE Cult of the Serpent Sun Bandcamp Listening Party
Thursday, February 27 @ 7:30 pm Pacific Time
RSVP https://nitemetal.bandcamp.com/live/cult-of-the-serpent-sun-listening-party
After venturing to the ancient cosmos on their last album, Cult of the Serpent Sun pits NITE against the shadowy mythology that lays dormant beneath society’s underbelly. To steel themselves for battle against the album’s poisonous perils, NITE wisely triples down on their classic attack. Like a hydra, “Cult of the Serpent Sun” shakes out of your speakers. Van Labrakis unleashes a monstrous riff that slithers with all the leathery glory of ’80s heavy metal gods.
“Fans really responded to older songs like ‘Acheron’ and ‘Genesis”, Labrakis says. “Cult of the Serpent Sun has more songs that are fast and upbeat and help lift people’s spirits”.
Indeed, storming stages from Northwest Terror Fest to Hell’s Heroes VI has only honed NITE’s cutting-edge weaponry. Under his hammering swings, Patrick Crawford’s drums crack like thunder before galloping through the storm. Avinash Mittur digs the heel of his Rickenbacker bass into a deep, dark groove as dueling guitarist Scott Hoffman trades off swashbuckling leads.
“Pour your venom / Preachers of the underground“, Labrakis hisses, his fangs sharpened by road-tested grit.
“Cult of the Serpent Sun explores how historically there has always been a power structure ready to indoctrinate and exploit the hordes of mindless fools who will so quickly worship at the altar of death”, NITE says. “Death eternal!”
Tracklist
1. Cult of the Serpent Sun (4:56) [LISTEN]
2. Skull (4:31)
3. Crow (Fear The Night) (4:11) [WATCH]
4. The Mystic (4:55)
5. The Last Blade (4:32)
6. Carry On (4:29)
7. Tarmut (5:14)
8. Winds of Sokar (3:52)
Location: San Francisco, California
Genre: Blackened Heavy Metal
FFO: Iron Maiden, Savatage, Abbath, Midnight
When darkness engulfs the world, NITE sets the sky ablaze with white-hot, blackened heavy metal.
Having journeyed to the stars on their last venture, NITE now faces the abyssal and shadowy mythology that has long laid dormant beneath society. Each of the eight epic battles on Cult of the Serpent Sun tests their mettle. But amidst the album’s blackened perils, the band emerges victorious.
“NITE strives to be a light,” says vocalist and guitarist Van Labrakis. “Cult of the Serpent Sun is about how we persevere in times of immense darkness.”
Ever since banding together in 2018, NITE has carried the torch for Bay Area metal. Darkness Silence Mirror Flame debuted their blackened twist on NWOBHM. “…raucous, Marshall-fueled heavy metal that would be the envy of many a British band in the 1980s,” wrote Invisible Oranges. Follow-up Voices of the Kronian Moon upped the ante with more strutting tempos and windblown shredding, much to Stereogum’s delight. “It’s like speeding down a freeway at night in a Corvette with the top down, but everyone is wearing velvet capes.”
On Cult of the Serpent Sun, NITE wisely triples down on their trusty arsenal. Instead of scaling back, their third album adds more heft to the band’s armor. Labrakis and fellow guitarist Scott Hoffman’s molten leads duel with heightened showmanship. Drummer Patrick Crawford pummels and gallops while Avinash Mittur rattles the chest with his Rickenbacker bass. The title track charges with newfound urgency, slithery and venomous in its attack.
The album’s “more is more” philosophy is guided by what NITE have learned from the road. Since their last studio stint, the band have stormed the stage at Northwest Terror Fest, toured with fellow statesmen Persekutor and Haunt and marched across the Southwest on the road to Hell’s Heroes VI. “Fans really responded to older songs like ‘Acheron’ and ‘Genesis’,” Labrakis says. “Cult of the Serpent Sun has more songs that are fast and upbeat and help lift people’s spirits.” Galvanized by a foundation-shaking groove, “Skull” defiantly crushes. “Crow (Fear the Night)” is a rallying cry, calling for fists to rise with power and might.
NITE’s classic weaponry shows no signs of rust on their third album. “The Last Blade” draws first blood amidst an acoustic flurry before thrusting onto the offensive. “The aim here is not to replicate that era but to explore and evolve,” Labrakis told Decibel when asked about the band’s influences. Cult of the Serpent Sun honors the trailblazing spirits of old by honing what separates this band’s particular alchemy from mere imitation brew. “The Mystic” expands their sonic palette, featuring a slow-burning bass line that stretches time and space into a hypnotic portal. With its whirling and enchanted melody, “Tarmut” glimmers like a desert mirage.
“We play a traditional style of heavy metal, but the blackened element takes us in a different direction,” Labrakis says. His road-hardened voice stands resolute in “Carry On,” denouncing the perils of war. “Dream on and find who you are,” he beckons on the album’s triumphant closer “Winds of Sokar.”
On Cult of the Serpent Sun, NITE guards the altar of blackened heavy metal with sharpened blades and axes raised.
Lineup:
Van Labrakis: Guitar / Vocals
Scott Hoffman: Guitar
Avinash Mittur: Bass
Patrick Crawford: Drums
Recording studio
210 Studios San Francisco and The Hoagie Container
Production credits
Recorded by Van Labrakis
Produced by Van Labrakis and Nite
Mixed and mastered by Van Labrakis at 210 Studios San Francisco
Cover artist
Adam Vick
Available formats
Digital download
CD Digipack
12″ Vinyl Gatefold (Black)
12″ Vinyl Gatefold (Red with black splatters)
12″ Vinyl Gatefold (Red and black marbled)
Pre-order & Pre-save
https://orcd.co/nitecultoftheserpentsun
Follow NITE
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/nite/1499573755
https://nitemetal.bandcamp.com/
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https://open.spotify.com/artist/6MjCnAA9RF0vy3j6QYyLG0
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