Welcome Metalheads to The Great Metal Debate podcast. I'm Xander and today we will be reviewing the brand new album from the blackened heavy metal band called Nite. That is Nite spelled N-I-T-E.
This is their sophomore release titled Voices of the Kronian Moon which was released on March 25th. Nite hails from right here in the United States, located in around the San Francisco Bay Area. Imagine if black metal was catchy both musically and lyrically. I'm talking about some good ol Black-n-Roll.
Something about this band has a somewhat happy feel about it. Despite not being anything of the sort, this band is by far the grooviest non-grove metal band out there. When I listen to Nite, I feel like I'm driving a convertible down Sunset boulevard in California back in the 80s. The 80s was before my time but I can sure imagine what it would be like if Dead from Mayhem tried singing old Dio songs.
Special shout-out to the YouTuber named ClassyLonnieMetal for introducing me to this band 2 years ago with their debut album titled “Darkness Silence Mirror Flame.”
Allow me to get down on my knees and worship this band followed by endless praise.
Nite is truly a breath of fresh air. Its the perfect blend of two completely different musical styles that when put together make a glorious sound. Imagine of Iron Maiden and Satyricon had a baby.
"Archeron" is the first of many stellar tracks on this album. "Kronian Moon" has an opening guitar riff played by Scott Hoffman that will get stuck in your head. After listening to this one a couple times you will learn the lyrics very quickly. Over the past week I've been singing along to this song while driving in my car.
"Last Scorpion" is yet another stand out on this CD. Vocalist Van Labrakis has a very echo sound to his voice when he speaks. Sure, that could be studio effects but either way it sounds cool. Almost as if dreadfulness could sound hip. The next song "Liber ex Doctrina" has a somewhat slower tempo but is still a great track nonetheless. The reduced speed lets you hear every single drum being hit by Patrick Crawford. I especially love how crystal clear it sounds too. Most of the time when I hear drums in metal, its hard to tell what is being played due to the cluster of noise. Patrick has a musical gift when it comes to the percussion instruments.
Patrick continues to impress on the next song "Heliopolis" as you hear the steady kick drum in the beginning. "Edge of the Night" has a continuing musical rhythm throughout the entire track that never seems to get old. Everyone in this band seems to be doing their part including bassist Avinash Mittur who was a newcomer replacing Bryan Coons. The song has an impressive guitar solo, and right after we have the song "Thorns" that starts with a simple but catchy bass line. It starts off as a normal paced song but slows down again towards the middle while picking back up again. It's not really formulaic but its a good strategy to keep the listener guessing what tempo the band will switch to next.
This new album slaps in that way because it's full of surprises. "The Trident" is the final track on this record and it pulls absolutely no punches when Scott continues his ghoulish vocals.
Nearly everything about this album is extremely memorable. In fact, I see Voices of the Kronian Moon being labeled as a classic here in the next 25 years. I'm no fortune teller, but I am certain that they just might be the next big thing in metal. Before you know it, we'll have a multitude of those sad copycat type of bands who will try to ride on their success… Let's hope that doesn't happen.
In my opinion, I think its damn near a masterpiece. Having said that, I'm going to give Nite - Voices of the Kronian Moon a solid 9.5 out of 10!
Be sure to show your support. You can buy music by Nite from their bandcamp page or from their record label store Season of Mist.