There are some bands we see and think “we’ll give that a listen purely for the name of the band,” and Mexican collective Hate Ritual is just such a band. But luckily, Hate Ritual have far more about them than simply a cool name – especially given they describe their fusion of death metal, groove and thrash to us as “PURE FUCKING MEXICAN HATRED.”
The band hails from Mérida in Yucatan, which they tell us is one of the most conservative cities in Mexico. And they formed out of what they describe as: “A response to one of the most closed-minded and historically oppressive cultural and social environments in the whole country.”
The result is a lineup of four “misfits” in Carlos (vocals), Pepe (guitars) Braulio (bass) and Victor (drums), which originally formed in 2017. Since then, Carlos tells us: “The mission has remained unmovable, our objective: deliver vicious and violent music, raise hell and stand tall against all that we find deplorable and wrong, to resist, not as heroes, but as villains.
“The band has gone through several changes over the years, from our lineup and style to creative endeavors. As a band that prides itself on its vision and discipline, the real focus remains the same: display hatred only if you’re willing to do it on stage. In other words, we didn’t band together, our environment and circumstances forced us to. That’s the reason our first album has the name Compelled by Evil, it was our own way to tell the world ‘the Devil made us do it.'”
And on the sound they’ve honed over the last six years, Carlos explains: “Each member would describe it in a different way, but would you quote me on this one? Hate Ritual will not always suit the classic ‘true metalhead’ sensibility. We try to apply a modern approach to Death Metal, mixing it up with other extreme genres like Groove and Thrash. If you love chunky powerful riffs, aggressive marching and pounding drums, menacing lyrics and slow hypnotic passages (that won’t bore you to death), our sound will not disappoint you.”
Our latest taste of this is their debut album Compelled By Evil, which was released in 2021. On the album, Carlos told us: “Most of the topics on this last album are about inner struggles, psychological issues, or social critique. It depicts horrors and violence, everything evil related outside or inside the human mind.”
The album starts with a short instrumental track that feeds into a lively riff to open up Right By Might, before a big jumpy riff takes over in support of wild vocals. The album is packed with aggressive metal goodness, including the delicious Grip & Grudge, which features fun chugging riffs. That’s followed by The Abolishment, which opens up with a fun riff and relentless cymbals that continue in support of Carlos’ intense guttural vocals. Check it out in the video here:
The band’s intensity is summarised by the excellently titled Aggression Paid With Aggression, which opens up with cymbal hits and a noodling guitar line that leads into a big headbanging smash of guitars and drums led by big growled vocals. Crushing cymbals dominate as the vicious track continues through to a more “laid-back” section with mini drum rolls, which explodes into heavy guitars and drums feeding into a big conclusion..
We also have to shout out the superbly titled Dismembering Clowns, which opens up with intense guitars, then lone drums and a chunky bassline before descending into absolute chaos. While the album concludes in style with the excellent Suicide Messiah (also a great song name).
The Hate Ritual sound has been shaped by bands like Lamb of God, Gojira, Sepultura, Carcass, Bolt Thrower, Sleep, Acid Bath and Pantera. And Carlos adds: “We all listen to very polarizing kinds of music. In the end, that transforms and reflects on each one of our parts. As I said before, there is no secret formula. We play and write exactly what we take out of our own musical baggage.”
It’s been a little while since we spoke to any Mexican bands, so we asked Carlos for his thoughts on their scene. He told us: “It’s small, but thriving. There are pretty badass bands making titanic efforts to make the dream come true, and we’ve had the pleasure of sharing the stage with many of them. Our country has been incredibly kind to us so far, and our fans and friends are genuinely supportive and caring. We want to keep representing Mexican heavy metal for a long time, in our country and the world.
“(Support) doesn’t come by often internationally, but sometimes it’s surprisingly well-received. Once that happens, and people learn about the unstoppable talent that grows in this land, there’s absolutely no doubt they’ll fall in love.”
Hate Ritual played Hell and Heaven Open Air last December, which opened plenty of doors for the band, including gigs and mini-tours across Mexico. They’re currently in the writing and recording stage and, hopefully, will be back with new music before the end of the year.
And Carlos added: Calling all Metalheads! Let’s show support for local and up-and-coming bands. Every famous band started small, and there’s so much talent waiting to be discovered. Don’t let geography define the quality of music. Join us in exploring new musical horizons. Our album Compelled By Evil has already garnered 160k listenings on Spotify, but with your help, we can reach even more.”
You can follow Hate Ritual on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp and YouTube.
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