Russell HughesHacktivist – Outside The Box (UNFD)
Genre: Grime Metal
It’s taken Hacktivist four years to get Outside The Box made but you can’t help and think this is only the beginning.
The five piece from Milton Keynes aren’t quite Enter Shikari, nor are they Qemists – they’re both of these combined, but they’re so much more than that at the same time.
Yes, Outside The Box delivers a lot of electronic metal – but lead singer J Hurley could easily step back into the grim scene and not miss a beat. Hacktivist bring connections old and new into their debut, with Rou Reynolds from Enter Shikari and Jamie Graham (Heart of a Coward) featuring on individual tracks.
At the same time these guest appearances introduces something different to the sound, all while keeping to the board musical direction of the band.
Prime among the tracks are Hate and Taken, while False Idols is a huge tune that references the hacking collective Anonymous.
When a band fuses so many genres together it can either sound disjointed or come together perfectly. Thankfully, Hacktivist have achieved peak harmony and a noise that suggests they are going to have plenty of legs.
RUSHONROCK RATED: 8/10 Outside The Box