Kansas City thrashers HELLEVATE will kick off 2023 with the release of The Purpose is Cruelty. The band’s newest EP features five aggressive tracks of classic speed/thrash metal with a modern attack. A violent hybrid of East Coast and Bay Area thrash, The Purpose of Cruelty shows why HELLEVATE has been called “a new hope for thrash” (All Around Metal).

The band has is offering the first taste of The Purpose of Cruelty in the form of a lyric video for the album’s title track. Guitarist Joshua Cole comments.

“’The Purpose is Cruelty’ is a song we’ve been working on and playing live for a while. A lot of our songs can get pretty elaborate and intensive musically, and it felt like a good change of pace to strip it back a bit. Take more of a sledgehammer approach for a song, ya know? Necessarily we needed an equally vicious vocal approach. The lyrics are about the inherent cruelty built into society and leadership; the way so many seem to enjoy inflicting pain on others. Rob [Browne, vocals] does a fantastic job bringing the venom! This is just a taste of what’s on the EP, and we know you’ll like the rest of what we have in store!”

The Purpose is Cruelty will be out on January 14, 2023.

Tracklist:
The Purpose is Cruelty
Dagon
Buried Under Mistakes
Die or Be Killed
(No) Further Action is Required

Playing melodic thrash metal with a mixture of extreme and power metal thrown in to keep listeners on their toes, HELLEVATE draws from across the spectrum of sounds to forge the most potent of heavy metal. The band was formed in the late 2000s by guitarist Dan Whitmer, and while it has experienced several lineup changes, the band has found its superior form with the addition of Zack Burke, Joshua Cole, RJ Whitmer, and new singer Robert Browne.

HELLEVATE’s debut was released in 2012 and followed up in 2014 with the EP Kill Confirmed and the album Weapons Against Their Will in 2016. Singles “Last of the Fell” and “Krampusnacht” were released in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The band’s new EP, The Purpose Is Cruelty, is the culmination of the work the band has put in up to this point. Packed with riffs across a spectrum of sounds and the razor-sharp vocals of Robert, HELLEVATE seeks to make a statement with the release.

The band has established itself by sharing the bill with many nationally touring bands, including Exodus, Kreator, Accept, Overkill, Destruction, Ghoul, Venom Inc., and Danzig, just to name a few. With a great lineup and a bright future ahead of them, HELLEVATE continues to grow as a musical force in the metal world, and intends to dominate and annihilate for many years to come.