HACKTIVIST // Blow Up Speakers With ‘Outside The Box’

Djent/hip-hop chimera Hacktivist release Outside The Box today and it’s been a long time coming. Stream the album below:

We’ve heard the term “rap rock” before – Rage Against The Machine and Linkin Park come to mind – but Hacktivist have both feet firmly in the future, fusing the molten metal of djent with fast and furious hip-hop. Outside The Box is the Milton Keynes, UK scrappers debut for leading Australian heavy music label UNFD and their first long player overall. Forming in 2011 and releasing a jaw-flooring self-titled EP in 2013 the stage primed for world domination.

Hacktivist invaded Australia for the first time, conquering Soundwave 2014 stages. It was a house united at Triple J – both short.fast.loud and The Racket embraced their aggressive tunes. At home in the UK, the support was even stronger from all sides of the media – Kerrang!, Rock Sound, Metal Hammer and BBC Radio 1 kicked things off until The Guardian, XFM and legendary hip-hop publication Insomniac ran the ball into the end zone. Their relentless touring landed them main stage appearances at Reading, Leeds and Sonisphere festivals in the UK, as well as Rock Am Ring & Rock Im Park in Germany.

The disc has gathered no shortage of big names as guest stars, including Rou Reynolds (Enter Shikari), Jamie Graham (Heart of A Coward) plus MCs Astroid Boys and Jot Maxi. As for the future…who knows?

Outside The Box is out now via UNFD.

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Hacktivist – Outside The Box review

By Jonty Simmons

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Outside The Box has more than enough hip-hop and rap elements to cater to core fans of these genres.

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Although Hacktivist may have been relatively quiet on the release front, their debut album Outside The Box is a definite statement of intention. From the initial gratitude for listening to their album during intro track Our Time, the band have ensured that fans will be more than satisfied. With a reliance on the djent-side of things, Outside The Box occasionally leans toward walking down the same path that many have been down before. Hacktivist are decidedly heavier than nu-metal ever became however, and the rapid-fire delivery from vocalist J Hurley saves it from becoming another trite melding of rap and metal. Adding soaring clean vocals during No Way Back and False Idols works firmly in favour of the group, and adds an element of catchiness that can be lacking throughout the album’s runtime. Guitarist Timfy James also adds a notable solo in the album’s title track, melding ambient elements with the wailing of his guitar that gives the record a sense of scope at its tail end. Outside The Box has more than enough hip-hop and rap elements to cater to core fans of these genres, with Rotten using only a basic beat for Hurley and guest vocalists Astroid Boys to bounce off of. Moments like this may prove frustrating for those wanting breakdowns rather than beats, but they also allow the listener to take a step back and appreciate the ability of the band to bridge the gap between musical styles. Potentially divisive, Outside The Box may not be an easy album to be introduced to, but Hacktivist were never going to be about accessibility in the first place.

Standout tracks: False Idols, Buszy, No Way Back

For Fans Of: Limp Bizkit, Enter Shikari, Djentlemen and Djentlewomen

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH HACKTIVIST IN HYSTERIA #40, OUT NOW!