Rap and Metal, yes it’s been done so let’s get this bit out of the way. Run DMC teamed up with Aerosmith for a re-working of their classic “Walk This Way” back when I was about 10 years old in 1986, since then there have been numerous projects that have used rock or metal fused with rap such as the Judgement Night soundtrack which saw bands like Faith No More team up with Boo Ya Tribe, Helmet and House of Pain and even Slayer and Ice-T. I’m going to totally ignore the whole Nu-Metal thing because personally I don’t think they did this fusion of styles any justice but one band that really hit the nail on the head was Rage Against The Machine with their unbounded energy and thought provoking lyrics. For me noone has come close to Rage since until now but I think Hacktivist’s fusion of 8 string Djent riffs with UK Rap has managed to capture the same vibe that Rage Against The Machine had back in 1992 when they released their eponymous album.
The EP contains 5 tracks with furious 8 string staccato riffs, complex time signatures and haunting background sound effects. Although this is what most people would call technical metal the riffs have a head nodding rhythm to them and the rapid-fire vocals keeps a constant momentum as the rapping sets a kind of metronome over the top of the track, this adds a groove that you sometimes loose with the screaming vocals usually associated with this kind of music. To me this is a very fresh approach to the genre and although opinion will definitely be divided anyone who enjoys rap as much as metal will definitely enjoy this EP.
