Anti-McEes introduction has an eerie feeling before going into an absolute banger of a tune. The eerie synths are still heard through the heavy rhythm section and guitars. As the vocals kick in, you’re treated with some of the best grime vocals I’ve heard.
The breakdown is just insane! Considering this is the first track, it’s setting the bar extremely high for the remaining 11 tracks.
Lifeform kicks in with a guttural ‘blegh’ and talks about going to see a Hacktivist show – something I want to do and will be doing next time I get a chance. The instrumentals between verses are groovy. The rhymes in the track put a number of lyricists to shame.
Turning Tables arrives like a welcome punch in the face and doesn’t let up from start to end.
Title track Hyperdialect takes aim at the political culture of elections and how people get elected and are force fed. It features former Betraying The Martyrs vocalist Aaron Matts who adds an extra element that may not have been needed but is way more than welcome.
On to Planet Zero and we have some interesting synths which are heard throughout. Lyrically it’s talking about the state of the earth with natural and manmade disasters.
As someone who’s ‘grime’ knowledge started with Blazin Squad back in the day and ended with Wiley who singlehandedly ruined the genre for me, I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed the record. But Hacktivist could have taken the metal out of this record and it would still be just as incredible as the finished product and would turn me back to grime. This is an album that is as ferocious lyrically as it is musically, with expertly rapped lyrics from both Jot Maxi and J. Hurley.