Release Date May 22nd -, 2026
Format CD/Digital
Genre Thrash Metal
Origin USA
Kansas City’s Hellevate (nice name for rugby, baseball team by the way ha-ha) emerged in the late 2000s under the guidance of guitarist Dan Whitmer. They dropped their self-titled debut in 2012, following it up with "Kill Confirmed" in 2014, "Weapons Against Their Will" in 2016, and "The Purpose Is Cruelty" in 2023. Over nearly two decades, the band solidified a reputation for high-octane live shows, sharing stages with legendary acts such as Exodus, Kreator, Accept, and Overkill. Their sonic identity fuses fast speed metal aggression with death metal and hardcore elements, topped with melodic power metal vocals from singer Robert Browne, alongside guitarists Dan Whitmer and Joshua Cole, bassist Zack Burke, and drummer Ruben Lopez.
"Killicon Valley" is built on speed, aggression, sharp riffing, and choruses made for shouting at full volume after three beers too many. Hellevate throws a lot into the mix across these eleven tracks, thrash remains the core, though speed metal, hardcore rage, heavy metal melody, and darker death metal influences constantly crash into each other. The result is an album that rarely slows down and refuses to soften its attack. Even with all the different angles packed into the songwriting, the album avoids sounding scattered. The band sound locked in and hungry to rip through everything in front of them.
The guitar work is one of the album’s biggest weapons. Dan Whitmer and Joshua Cole tear through riff after riff with enough fire to satisfy old-school thrash maniacs while still throwing in melodic leads that stick in your skull after the album ends. Songs like "Invoke Apocalypse", "Demagogue", and "Jorogumo" hammer forward with sharp precision and violent energy, while "Holy Man" and "Part Of The Tribe" bring in darker atmosphere and heavier grooves without dragging the momentum into the ground. Robert Browne’s vocals attack every track with raw aggression, spitting venom at corruption, violence, insanity, and human stupidity.
What gives "Killicon Valley" extra force is how alive it sounds. The album never falls into autopilot riff recycling or fake modern thrash plastic surgery. Ruben Lopez keeps the drumming aggressive and relentless, Zack Burke’s bass rumbles underneath the riffs with serious force, and the entire band sound fully committed to making every track hit like a bar fight exploding in the middle of a speed metal festival. There is melody and groove though Hellevate never loses sight of the main target, pure thrash violence with enough hooks to stay stuck in your head for days.
"Killicon Valley" is not flawless. A few sections run longer than needed and some ideas hit harder than others, though the overall energy and songwriting easily carry the album through those moments. Hellevate sounds fired up, aggressive, and completely committed to delivering a thrash album built for metalheads who still want riffs, speed, gang shouts, solos, and total mayhem without watered-down modern trends getting in the way. This is the sound of a band sharpening their blades again, charging straight back into the war zone.
| 8.0
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