Joseph Fox is the guitarist behind the thunderous nu-metalcore duo hitbox. We talked with him about his musical background and his new grindcore project, EXFIL.
Who are you? Tell me two random things about yourself.
Fox plays guitar for hitbox and both sings and plays guitar in his new powerviolence / raw grindcore project EXFIL. He's got a pet hedgehog and is a huge Spawn fan.
If you had to put together a big 4 of hardcore, who would be in it?
Comeback Kid, Bulldoze, Terror, and Hatebreed.
What got you into music listening wise? What was the first heavy band that you remember hearing?
As young as 6 years old, Fox heard Brain Stew by Green Day and fell down the heavy music rabbit hole into nu-metal; one thing led to another and he's now a huge fan of powerviolence, deathcore and grind.
What's the genre you like the listen to?
Powerviolence, deathcore, raw punk/grind, but his main mood is softer: folk and singer-songwriter music. He likes to listen to a lot of singles and EPs.
What's your top 5 bands that inspire you?
hitbox draws from whatever they're current listening to at a given time, but as a guitarist Fox draws from deathcore and The Dillinger Escape Plan while the group's drums are more grindy and hardcore-rooted. EXFIL draws from the live experience of hardcore and powerviolence bands such as Ingrown.
Speaking of which, what's your best concert experience both performing and in the crowd?
Neither hitbox nor EXFIL are live bands yet and might never be - but in the crowd his best experience was seeing Ingrown play their album like it is on streaming; he moshed so hard messed up wrist and ribs. In general, he prefers to watch intently when he sees bands live.
What's your musical background?
Fox started to learn guitar at 10 started with the "usual suspects" of Black Sabbath and Pantera. He Joined a band in high school and learned to produce with GarageBand and FL Studio. Prior to hitbox, he made rap music.
What's a hobby outside of music?
Airsoft, graphic design, and playing video games.
What's a dream collaboration?
Realistically, Your Spirit Dies (metalcore from South Carolina); unrealistically Ingrown - or Slipknot, because he wants them to "not suck anymore."
Any news on upcoming releases?
EXFIL's first demo is done and in search of a label. He's currently in the process of writing new material for hitbox "in the vein of 18 Visions and Poison the Well."
The following playlist was curated by Fox:
hitbox's new album - Labor Vita, Necesse Mori - released this past December and can be heard on streaming or on their Bandcamp. You can follow hitbox on Instagram and X and EXFIL on their own Instagram and X.