Four years since their debut EP Fire scorched our ears, South Wales Metallers Rites To Ruin are purring like a finely tuned motor with their long awaited and highly anticipated debut album, Daughter Of Hatred. For those of us who have followed the band since its inception, this is a time for celebration, for the world is a better place when the quintet is bringing their classic Metal attack.
Rites To Ruin – Daughter Of Hatred
Release Date: 30 June 2025
Words: Paul Hutchings
Ten years after Triaxis released their final opus, Zero Hour, it is fitting that the vocals of the Welsh Wonder Woman Krissie Kirby are once again soaring high. Ten tracks that span 55 minutes provide ample time to absorb and appreciate the work that has gone into crafting this record.
Daughter Of Hatred is something that Rites to Ruin are and should be very proud to share. 
Aided by a crisp production, the album begins in fine style with the title track, which is a defiant rallying call. The introduction allows the tension to build, Krissie’s narration conjuring the epic imagery before the song hits its full drive.
Drenched in melody but driven by Zak Skane’s thunderous drumming and the driving riffs of the song, it is a track that paves the way for the rest of the album.
Instantly recognisable, Krissie’s vocals are immediate, her delivery perfect, and her enunciation head and shoulders above most of her peers. It is traditionally delivered Heavy Metal, leaning heavily on the Iron Maiden school of storytelling, and let’s be fair, who does not love that style?
These are no clones, though. This is well-created and thoughtful.
The first single, Prevail, has echoes of Triaxis at their imperious best, the drumming once more giving the song real guts and the guitar work intricate. Lee Cartner’s razor-sharp lead work carries vicious hooks, whilst the overall composition of the song makes it one of several standout songs.
Whilst their roots may dangle into the outer echelons of NWOBHM, their style provides an openly modern twist that gives them a genuinely current and authentic feel.
In Memoriam rips along, whilst For The Love Of Gold brings the classic fantasy Metal and the myth of Eldorado that this band do well into focus with imagery no doubt sourced from Krissie’s love of gaming and LARP.
If there is one criticism, and it is a wee one indeed, it is the inclusion of two songs from Fire on Daughter Of Hatred. When I first heard Fire, I described it as one of the finest songs that I had ever heard Krissie deliver. And that stands true.
Yet here, both Fire and Rise, the two tracks from the EP, despite their refresh, sound a little closer to the old Triaxis sound and less like Rites To Ruin. Harsh? Probably, for it is more likely to be more about my overfamiliarity with those songs than anything else.
They bridge the inevitable gap between Triaxis and Rites To Ruin in many ways and having heard them live several times over the past few years it is likely to be an opinion that I will change as time moves on. They are still fine songs that provoke emotions. The need to sing along and pump that fist in the air remains.
My slight niggle that this was an opportunity to add another pair of newbies to give the Rites To Ruin stalwarts even more reward remains, but Fire and Rise stand comfortably alongside their eight new brothers and sisters.
Backtracking slightly, I will state that Fire and Rise both sound great. The guitar work on Fire is magnificent, especially as the song races towards its frantic climatic conclusion. And this pulsating delivery really pulls it back into the fold and makes it worthy of inclusion, despite my whining.
Rise remains a solid Metal song, and this version, with its slight oriental flavour and beautifully nuanced ending, ticks the boxes, albeit that it is slightly eclipsed by a couple of the newer songs.
Sandwiched between the two older tracks stands Reflections. It is another hard hitter, with some lovely dynamics on display, with Krissie giving it some and then some more. Her performance on Daughter Of Hatred is stunning, and nowhere does this show itself than on Free, which is another real fist-in-the-air song.
Slowed down from the higher tempo elsewhere, it loses none of the heaviness that the band have brought to the fore on this album. Instead, it is as gripping on the fifth play as it was on the first, with subtle parts slowly revealing themselves to great effect.
I have mentioned Krissie’s vocals throughout, but the sum of the parts is Rites To Ruin’s main strength, and the overall performance of the band makes Daughter Of Hatred an album that hits instantly yet slowly releases gem after gem on further listens. Zak and bassist Paul Boschen are locked in tight, aided by Matt Chambers’ hard-edged rhythm guitar work, freeing up Lee and Krissie to do what they do best.
It’s on Sorrow, a tale of stranded space travel, where this is superbly illustrated. At first, it is a slow, rather routine track that slowly simmers, but it builds into a majestic piece, with a nod to David Bowie hidden amongst the lyrics.
It is perfectly placed on the album, bringing the focus back to Rites To Ruin’s clever and well-structured songwriting. I would go so far as to say that this is the hidden gem here, with the acoustic fade out a lovely touch, too.
Finishing with Envy, which memory suggests is already in the band’s live set, Rites To Ruin bring the big riffage to ensure that the only thing you want to do is press play again and do it all again.
It is typical that they get a slot at Bloodstock in the first year I do not attend in over a decade, but I would urge anyone who is at Catton Hall to get along to see them, for they will own the EMP stage.
Thankfully, they have an album launch party coming up at the end of the month at Fuel Rock Club in Cardiff which promises a right good evening.
If you like your Metal with dynamic vocal range, heavy riffs, thunderous drumming, pounding bass and excellently constructed writing, then Daughter Of Hatred is one you really should be pre-saving or getting that early order sorted.
Rites To Ruin release Daughter Of Hatred on 30 June 2025 on all major platforms with pre-orders from www.ritestoruin.co.uk. The band play Fuel Rock Club in Cardiff on 29 June and the EMP stage at Bloodstock Festival on Saturday, 9 August.
