Hellevate is five-piece band based out of Kansas City who have been going since 2012 releasing an EP in 2014 and along the way releasing a few singles in years that followed. They recently released a 5 song EP titled The Purpose is Cruelty this January and from start to finish it is an absolute stunner. Hellevate is described as melodic thrash with some power and extreme metal influences intertwined. This mixture of sub genres is done very tastefully keeping us fully engaged through the entire listening session. The musicianship is top tier from every member of the band on this EP.
Hellevate have definitely set a new bar for themselves on this EP which makes sense considering the time between EP releases. The time and attention to detail is prevalent through the entire playthrough. The guitar work is razor sharp, the drummer is an absolute beast, the singer cuts right through the mix front and center.
One thing that stands out to me though on this EP is the bass work. In metal, bassist are kind of tucked into the mix and are mostly forgotten about because they are part of the rhythm section or just kind of mixed with the drums. They are an essential part of any mix and without it your favorite records would sound trebly, flat, and boring. The bass work on here is classic and raw. On the first playthrough I immediately started thinking about Cliff Burton from Metallica and early Suicidal Tendencies. The bassist really shines on this one and it was refreshing to hear actual solid playing happening instead of sub-base tones just matching guitars.
The entire EP is as good as it could be from the musicianship, song structure and even the album art. I want a poster of the EP artwork on my studio wall. The attention to every detail shows their abilities to take thrash into a new era. Lets hope they keep producing music and grace us with a full album in the very near future.
Overal Score: 9/10
Review by: George Joseph Bauman IV
