HELLEVATE Share Video for “Killicon Valley (Silicon Dust)”

Kansas City thrash masters HELLEVATE have posted the official music video for the title track off their new album, Killicon Valley. This five-minute thrash-fest aims its rage at the use of AI in today’s culture.

“This song is the result of several years of us watching the development of AI and ranting about it with each other. So many songs out there about AI have their hearts in the right place, but they always sing about it like it’s Skynet or SHODAN; some unstoppable robot overlord coming to bring the apocalypse,” comments guitarist Joshua Cole about the song. “Then you actually use it and it’s a crappy productivity tool that only helps create more noise and BS that we all have to wade through, all because some idiot billionaires decided they liked the idea of a computer that could do all their thinking for them and replace those pesky employees. The lyrics fit the music perfectly, as it’s nasty, aggressive, relentless, and fast! If you like your thrash metal played pissed off and at warp speed, we’ve got you covered with this one!”

Vocalist Robert Browne expands on the song’s lyrical theme, “The so-called “leaders” of the tech industry have made shit more expensive, turned a multitude of careers upside-down, and gotten this moronic presidential administration to give them access to sensitive systems. And for what? It fucks up simple tasks. It fills our news feeds with garbage and lies. It gives mediocre idiots with no skill the delusions that they can make art with no effort, all at the cost of the planet that sustains our lives. Older folks who fear AI think it’ll be like a Terminator 2 thing. It’s much worse; I’d rather be blown up than starve.”

Killicon Valley is relentless in execution. Eleven tracks of the bullshit-free, ‘thrash-or-be-thrashed’ attitude the band has cultivated over their nearly 20 years of existence. Today, that fury has escalated beyond the breaking point. The result is an album that true fans of old-school thrash can blast with pride.

Watch the video for the album’s first single, “In the Long Grass,” at youtu.be/4pvJtJcOrvo.

Killicon Valley is set for release on May 22. Pre-order the album at hellevate.bandcamp.com/album/killicon-valley

HELLEVATE will mark the release of Killicon Valley with an album release show at Warehouse on Broadway in Kansas City, MO. Support will come from Jackson Country 5, Meat Shank, and Bloodscent. Check the event page for details.

Stream more from HELLEVATE on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

Tracklist:

1) D.T.C.
2) In the Long Grass
3) Invoke Apocalypse
4) Demagogue
5) The Rampart
6) Holy Man
7) Jorogumo
8) Part of the Tribe
9) Killicon Valley (Silicon Dust)
10) The Lost Pages
11) Thou Shalt Kill
12) Curse God and Die

HELLEVATE is a thrash metal band from Kansas City, MO, known for their unique blend of melodic thrash, extreme metal, and power metal influences. Formed in the late 2000s by guitarist Dan Whitmer, HELLEVATE maintains a commitment to writing unforgettable music that hits hard and leaves a lasting impression.

Lyrically, the band continues to deliver powerful messages with directness and intensity. Together, they have crafted a sound that is both expansive and undeniably thrash, incorporating influences from speed metal, power metal, death metal, and hardcore to create something truly unique.

HELLEVATE’s discography includes their debut self-titled album (2012), Kill Confirmed (2014), Weapons Against Their Will (2016), The Purpose Is Cruelty (2023), and their newest album Killicon Valley (2026).

Since their debut in 2012, HELLEVATE has built a reputation for delivering electrifying live performances, sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in metal, including EXODUS, KREATOR, ACCEPT, OVERKILL, DESTRUCTION, HAMMERFALL, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, GHOUL, VENOM INC., and DANZIG, among others.