There are some styles out there that are not given nearly enough representation despite the latent potential that’s to be found within every given inch of the sound. As one of them, blackened heavy metal is something that has always demanded the attention of listeners whenever it’s done right for there just isn’t much else like it in the entire underground. Channeling the original veins of two distinct sounds while still carrying forth on a sonic assault that cannot be likened to much else, there aren’t many who have been able to approach the style with confidence much less deliver it in an interesting performance. Tapping into that power for what’s now their third album, Nite is quickly becoming a modern pillar of the sound that demands our respect.

It takes more than a mere collection of riffs and a mild sense of nostalgia for decades past in order to deliver metal of any variety, but it is within the confines of blackened heavy metal that such a pitfall can become particularly deadly if the band in question is not careful. Having begun five years ago with members that boasted more than a little experience in several other bands throughout the underground, Nite held promise from day one. If it wasn’t in their first two albums that we should have known what quality was before us, then it is with every given moment of “Cult of the Serpent Sun” that one should realize immediately what quality is at play here. Captivating and ominous in all the right places, this is a work that embodies what it means to make blackened heavy metal all your own while never once doing a disservice to the very ideals that have made the sound stick out for all these years. More than a mere collection of riffs and a real exploration of what the sound can be when it’s explored properly in all that it has to offer, Nite brings forth real magic of a variety that’s dark, enchanting, and accessible all at the same time without ever once feeling like “Cult of the Serpent Sun” has sacrificed an ounce of power in favor of a performance that’s no less than a real ripper. Diverse from top to bottom and never lacking in so much as a moment of occult mysticism, it is here that Nite cements their status as what it means to deliver high quality blackened heavy metal.

This is the kind of record that could very well be used as a blueprint for future works in the style for what it brings to the table and executes in splendid fashion. Nite has been climbing the ranks of the underground at a steady pace ever since its first album, and it is undoubtedly with everything summoned within “Cult of the Serpent Sun” that we’re given a performance that certainly fits the bill of being career-defining. The future is absolutely Nite’s to seize with an album like this the launching pad an opportunistic name could use to great advantage.

“Cult of the Serpent Sun” releases on March 14th via Season of Mist!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Cult of the Serpent Sun” on Bandcamp here.

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