HELLEVATE are from Kansas City, Missouri, and have been going since 2007. So that is almost sixteen years of making music without me knowing of them. They have just today  (January 14^th, 2023), released their latest EP called "The Purpose Is Cruelty". During the build-up of typing this review, I listened to some older songs of the band through YouTube. And I found out that their debut album "Hellevate" from 2012 was not exactly blessed with a good production. Their second album, which saw the light of day in 2016, was called "Weapons Against Their Will", did have a good sound, but was lacking in exceptionality. . I was wondering what I had let myself in for when I started to listen to "The Purpose Is Cruelty", their latest effort. Will this be another nice try? Even their 2019 EP "Krampusnacht" didn't make my heart flutter

Well, that changes with "The Purpose Is Cruelty". HELLEVATE hasn't just progressed, they have leapt ahead a few lightyears in one go. Not only is the sound absolutely buzzing, the music is outstanding. It took me some ten minutes before the penny dropped. This was just like listening to EXODUS at their best and heaviest. The way the riffs are made up, the breaks, the bridges, the drumming, it all fits. This was like reliving the times of "Fabulous Disaster" and "Pleasures Of the Flesh" with a few added extras. Those are quite easy to dictate, as I am talking the intensity of the music. Plus of course about the voice of vocalist Robert Browne. He isn't as manic as Paul Baloff was, just as angry as Rob Dukes and with a better melodic voice that Zetro Souza, but he is all three in one. Mind blowing is too soft.

Musically I can't find one flaw. I like the opening title song and "Dagon", as they make me lose all sense of time, enjoying every second. Yes, it  is a lot like EXODUS, but once we get to "Buried Under Mistakes", you also hear OVER KILL come by, and some other influences. The icing on the cake is "Die Or Be Killed", which could have been a CRISIX and EXODUS collaboration. This song is a classic in the making. And the last song "(No) Further Action Required" is the perfect finish for the "The Purpose Is Cruelty" EP. Here's to hoping that they can live up to my expectations for their next endeavour. If they are, I can only say: EXODUS, you are allowed to retire. Your successors are ready to take over!