Posts Tagged ‘Djent’
Fistful of Metal # 32
My guests are Rohan Stevenson aka I Built the Sky and Jake Howsam Lowe (Plini/The Helix Nebula). I spoke to them about their friendship, their collaborative EP Coalesce and much more.
Tracklist
The Last Martyr – Afterglow
Mirage
Ascendant (feat. Andre Nieri)
Lord – Moon and Back (Savage Garden cover)
Horns Up Podcast: Episode 12
Hacktivist hacked the music industry in 2011 with their Rap meets Djent sound. There was a polarizing response to the band but they kept going and have performed around the world including in Mumbai, India at the Big69 festival in 2015 where Animesh and I caught them live.
We spoke to vocalist J Hurley about their meteoric rise to success, their latest single Reprogram and also their upcoming plans
We also discuss the Indian band Bloodywood and their addition to the Wacken Open Air line up. Hit the Play button and raise those Horns Up!
Hacktivist
UK rap metallers Hacktivist performed for the first time in India at the BIG69 festival. They were headliners of the Red Bull Tour Bus on 18th January.
Me with 4/5th of the band
After performing at festivals like Sonisphere, Download, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, UK rap metallers Hacktivist will be performing for the first time in India. They will headline the Red Bull Tour Bus on 18th January.
“It feels amazing,” said vocalist Ben Marvin about their first gig in India at the BIG69. “It’s crazy we have a fan base already in India! None of us have been there before so we’re really looking forward to embracing the culture. Even if we are only there for a few days!”
The band got together in 2011. “J [Hurley, rapper] was recording his solo stuff at Tim’s [James, guitarist/vocalist/producer] studio and while he was there he spat some bars over a metal project Tim had been working on,” said Ben about how the band started out. “I then jumped on the tune as well and we put it online. The rest is history!”
The band also has Josh Gurner on bass and Rich Hawking on drums. Last month they toured UK with Dead Harts and The One Hundred. Ben said, “The tour went really well. It was very intense and there was hardly any days off. It was very full on. Both support bands were sick and good to be on the road with.”
Hacktivist’s self-titled EP was critically acclaimed across the world. “It started as just me, Tim & J,” said Ben about the release. “After releasing ‘Hacktivist’ & ‘Cold Shoulders’ we then got Josh & Rich on board and wrote the rest of the EP. It all came together and we were extremely happy with every track. We got a big reaction to the release, worldwide, like you said. We never thought it would be so well received. It started as an experiment, just us fucking around with different genres and now we’re in a serious touring band.”
One of the most popular tracks by the band is a cover of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s ‘N***as In Paris’. “Tim originally did the cover himself aside from Hacktivist,” said Ben. “It went down really well with fans so we then decided to cover it properly as a band and play out live. I’m happy we did this as it’s brought us to the attention of many people who may not have heard us otherwise. Our fans go crazy to this tune at our shows!”
The band is working on their first album. They have released 2 singles from the album so far, ‘False Idols’ and ‘Deceive and Defy’.
“The album still has the Hacktivist sound but is different from the EP,” said Ben describing the album. “Our sound has evolved. I think existing fans will dig it but it will also bring in new fans. We’ve experimented more. There’s heavier shit and also softer shit. There’s both technical and simple aspects.”
There is have no release date as yet but they plan on releasing the album as early as possible this year. Currently the band are touring with Enter Shikari around Europe and will then head to India to perform at BIG69. “We’ll then finish off the recording for the album.” said Ben about their plan for the rest of the year. “Other than that we have no plans set in stone but hopefully will be touring as much as possible and starting to write album number 2!”
“We look forward to coming to your country and showing you what Hacktivist is about!” said Ben signing off.
Interview with Aliases
Aliases are British technical metal band that took everyone by surprise with the release of their demo track “We Never Should Have Met” last year. Their debut release, “Safer Than Reality” is out on August 15th via Basick Records. Read on to find about more about their debut album, playing at Euroblast festival and their upcoming tour.
Hey guys congrats on the release of your debut album “Safer than Reality”. Tell us a bit about the album
Thanks! We’re very pleased to finally be releasing it on August 15th. “Safer Than Reality” is a product of our crazy imagination and personalities. When we started writing these 8 tracks, we tried to create what we would like to hear and mix everyone ideas into it.
What was the recording process like?
The recording was great fun, we were still bonding as a band and getting to grips with the parts as everything came together, so for us it was a really organic process. We only recorded drums and vocals outside the comforts of our home studios so the majority of time spent recording was massively chilled, we then went back into the studio with Rick Powell to mix and master and the end product has definitely captured the intensity we were looking for.
Are you happy with how the album has turned out?
Yes, we definitely are. It’s the beginning of something great. Hopefully people will like it too. We set out to let the music push our capabilities and yet retain proper songs! That’s what it’s all about, not just crazy technical stuff for the sake of it. More than just the music, we were very lucky to have Seldon Hunt on board to produce some amazing artwork for us.
You recently released the video for “What’s left for us” produced by international film-maker Benjamin Cappelletti. How was experience?
We learnt never to trust an artistic French producer with crazy concepts and ideas! It was loads of fun working with Ben though; he pushed us beyond belief to achieve the best results possible. Although we had the absolutely freezing ‘glowing water’ thrown all over us at 4am in march in a sub zero barn…..we forgave him and can’t wait to work with him in the future!
For Pin: How did Aliases come together after the demise of Sikth ? How did you meet the other members of the band?
After putting together and working on various projects, constantly searching for members and often working with people in other countries I just wanted a functional band that could write next level music and actually spend time writing together to get the best of each person’s abilities.
It seemed the answer was obvious and staring us in the face. I was living with Leah and we were both trying to get bands up & running, it seemed simple to take advantage of the home studio and put together a kick arse band! After a few weeks writing we realised we had hit the nail on the head with the members we had found & went on to find Jay Berast who although living in Paris was definitely the man for the job. The band and the members just work. We write what we want to hear and the personalities just work together perfectly.
How did you get signed to with Basick Records?
Everything went really fast for us. It seemed we were hunting each other down as we contacted them only to find out we were already on their hit list! Things kicked off for us at Euroblast Festival where we caught up over many a Jagermeister! And we plied Barley with a lot of drinks … that may explain why we got signed…
What equipment did you use on your album and also live?
*insert world’s longest list of gear ever here*
Pre-dominantly Blackmachine, Parker, ENGL, Diezel, TC Electronics, Warwick, Ampeg, Pearl & Zildjian
How was it performing at the Euroblast Festival in Germany alongside bands like Monuments Chimp Spanner and Vildhjarta ?
Fantastic, what a night! Not only to play along such talent but they’re good friends of ours and the more time spent touring alongside them, the better! It was our first gig ever and we travelled from the UK to Germany in a VW Polo with all of our gear so it was an experiment. The crowd was excellent and it was maybe one of the best organised gigs we have seen so far. We are playing there again this year and I am sure it is gonna be huge!
There are many new technical metal bands coming out of the UK in the past couple of years, which are your favourite bands?
To be honest we don’t listen to a lot of technical music. I know that sounds weird with the music we’re making! We have an Ace of Base, Lady Gaga, 80’s and 90’s best songs (made by Darren) mix CD in our van. I think it’s not only the UK, all over Europe there are good metal bands whatever genres or names you want to give them. A few of our personal favourites would include Mask Of Judas, Chimp Spanner, Visions, Cyclamen, Chronographs, in Ireland you’ll find Censura or Hero in Error and in France, you’ll have Beyond the Dust or Hord.
Do you have any upcoming gigs/tours??
We will be on tour in the UK in September with our label buddies Visions then we’ll be rearing our ugly heads once more at Euroblast Festival in October and after that we will hit the UK again with Textures and The Ocean in November/December. Hopefully loads more to come….we’ll play wherever you want us! India we’re looking at you 😉
You have already started writing a new album, how will it compare to “Safer than Reality”?
It’s shaping up to be mental….early days as it is but we intend to push everything forward, more melody, more chaos, heavier, softer. It’s exciting as writing this time we have spent time playing together and really know how to push each other and get the best out of a group of extremely talented and creative musicians! Hopefully ‘Safer Than Reality’ will leave you hungry for more!!
Any final words?
Strongbow Shoes
Thanks to Lisa from Hold Tight PR for hooking me up with the interview.
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