I wasn’t sure what to make of SICKSENSE and their independently released EPs “Kings Today” (2022) and “Fools Tomorrow” (2023) as, at that point, the band was more in line with the 2000’s nu-metal scene than anything else. But my curiosity and admiration for Vicky Psarakis‘s incredible vocal abilities made me click on this new single, and god damn it, it slaps big time.
A whirlwind of poppy melodies and brutal soundscapes, “On Repeat” is the best of both worlds as the trade-offs between the two vocalists – Vicky Psarakis (ex-THE AGONIST) and Robby J. Fonts (STUCK MOJO) – add a lot of intensity to the music, intensity that is wonderfully counterbalanced by the most poppy, light, silky, and melodic chorus I have ever heard from an American band (yeah, they are from Phoenix, Arizona). Add to this some eerie spoken-word parts by Psarakis supported by some synths that create a great groove, Phillip Lykostratis’s razor-sharp guitars, thick and thundering bass lines, and a heavy-as-a-black-hole breakdown and you have yourself all the pieces of a musical jigsaw puzzle that add up to this killer track.
The uplifting chorus has a massive melodic hook going for it complementing the vicious growls nicely in a very yin and yang–type fashion. It’s like the growls represent anger and resentment towards something and the cleans are the hopeful and even joyful voice urging to go on (this dichotomy is wonderfully depicted in the video). Even if this is an overdone cliché in the heavy music scene, it works incredibly well here as you need that melodic break so as to catch your breath before being slammed by another aggressive section. The way everything ebbs and flows between these harsh passages and the lighter sections is just a testament to their songwriting skills.
Their full-length debut, “Cross Me Twice,” is slated for a February 2025 release on Earache Records and, based on this little song right here, I am super pumped for it. If this diversity of moods and influences in the songwriting is what the band has in store for the future, I am all here for it. Check out the video below:
Written by Andrea Crow
