Nite‘s latest offering, Cult of the Serpent Sun, out March 14 via Season of Mist, is a sonic and thematic journey born from the crucible of live performance and a deep connection to the metal underground. Guitarist and vocalist Van Labrakis sat down to discuss the album’s creation.
The album’s genesis stands in stark contrast to Nite’s previous work, crafted during the isolation of the pandemic. “So, with the first two albums we did, we basically released the first album right on the week of the pandemic, and we put out the second album right at the end of the pandemic,” Labrakis explains. “These first two albums were very isolated and were really done during that dark time when we didn’t really get to play as many shows.
“The big change here is that we started working on this album while we were actually touring for the first time as a unit,” he continues. “We shared the stage with many other acts and got feedback on what worked live and what didn’t.”
This live testing ground proved invaluable. “Some songs sound great at home, but when you actually bring them to the stage, sometimes there are sections that are kind of awkward,” Labrakis admits. “We also saw how we can actually manage to play them live, and we made changes anyway before we actually put them on the record.”
The result is an album imbued with the raw energy of their live performances.
Beyond the sonic evolution, Cult of the Serpent Sun delves into profound lyrical and thematic territory, anchored by a deep sense of community. “Us feeling that we’re part of a community really, really came through in this album,” Labrakis states. “That sense that we’re not alone, and we’re part of the underground metal community, was the biggest thing for us.”
The album also grapples with the anxieties of the contemporary world. “Of course, a very big deal was the war that happened during the time (of writing), the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Labrakis reveals. “The political nonsense and the games played with people’s lives that affected me very much. The nuclear threats, just everything that’s been going on in the world recently.”
These themes are woven into a tapestry of archetypal imagery. “On this album, the sun, death, and the snake are the big three images that we’re playing with,” Labrakis explains. “The symbol we have on the album is the ouroboros snake, which is a sign of eternity and self-destruction and rebirth and regeneration. All these ideas are universally human, and they have a common source.”
Looking ahead, Nite are already working on their next record. “Yeah, we’ve been working on the next record for a couple of years,” he admits. “This album was actually finished a year or so ago, and we’ve been waiting to release it. So we’ve been working on the new album since 2023.”
Cult of the Serpent Sun is more than just a collection of songs—It’s a testament to the power of community, the resilience of the human spirit, and the enduring allure of primal archetypes. Nite have crafted an album that resonates on a visceral and intellectual level, solidifying their place as a vital force in the modern metal landscape.
