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NITE
Voices Of The Kronian Moon

Season Of Mist (2022)
Rating: 8/10

Nite is a band that will surely intrigue many. Formed out of San Francisco in 2018, this devilish four-piece has come wrapped in shrouds of horror, mists of mysticism and bandages of occult imagery.

The look and feel resembles Fresno dark riders Haunt, more so with the art and leathery strides within the sound, with this offering being the second full-length which reveals eight tidy tracks.

Like a lot of modern metal acts, Nite has mastered the art of black mass appeal. But where a lot of bands, more so in the “doom” genre, are all art no sound, this new release brings quality throughout.

For those of you not familiar with Nite I’d suggest starting here because the band has progressed since 2020 debut Darkness Silence Mirror Flame, which lost its novelty by the midway point.

This time round, the ethereal vocal sneers of guitarist Van Labrakis (Satan’s Wrath) lay like wispy fog on the riveting, melodic chords. Even as you tiptoe into opener ‘Acheron’ there’s a sense of dread and suspense, the outfit providing jet black corridors amok with half-hinted apparitions.

Musically, Nite stirs rather than attacks. There’s a subtlety to their prowess, as the combo bring traditional metal values to the already present late 70s / early 80s New Wave Of British Heavy Metal occultisms.

Riffs gallop throughout; Labrakis and fellow cult member Scott Hoffman (Dawnbringer) trawl the depths of denim, leather n’ darkness to produce a sound that is surprisingly nifty and airy. Avinash Mittur’s bass rumbles nicely to the timely patterns of drummer Patrick Crawford, and the band as a unit are as tight as their jeans as each track drifts with ghostly energy.

‘Kronian Moon’ seems darker, more slithering in approach and there’s that classic, almost upbeat melodious nature in the solo, but still it harkens back to halcyon days of Gothic British landscapes boasting crumbling mills, ancient forest and shadowy characters. It’s quite a talent to be able to conjure up such authentic-sounding metal without jumping on the Ghost bandwagon.

‘Last Scorpion’ is doomy in approach, hinting at classic Trouble as it trudges, while ‘Edge Of The Night’ features a punch bass gallop, and again an infectious melody. And that’s the key here; Nite’s effortless ability to craft dark, engaging heavy metal that sprightly bounds but leaves a trail of black slime.

The grey haze clank of ‘Thorns’ is wonderfully discordant, almost and dare I say it, industrial in its trundle, before album closer ‘The Trident’ strides purposefully, bridging the gap between metal and a niftier, more melodious blackened drizzle.

Flecks of Iron Maiden can be found in Nite’s sophomore outing, and it’s a record that although lacking any real deviation from its true path remains as mesmerising as a Dennis Wheatley book on a wet Sunday afternoon.

Neil Arnold

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