SICKSENSE is a collection of five musicians with a variety of experience in different bands that have come together to form an alternative/nu metal band that is hard to properly classify, but metric tons of fun to listen to. Killer V and Rob the Ripper, a.k.a. Vicky Psarakis of THE AGONIST and Robby Fonts of STUCK MOJO, who happen to be married, crush the vocal duties. Sam, Cody, and Bran round out the group and damn do they provide a fantastic platform for those killer vocals. Kings Today, their debut EP, was self-released on April 22, 2022.

The title track starts with some haunting keys and a few dark bass notes. Then the guitars kick in and the monstrous sounds truly commence. Killer V starts the vocal onslaught with some fast shifting clean to harsh vocals. Rob then begins a bit of clean rapping, followed by cleans from V. Those tradeoffs are times beautifully, shifting back and forth and twisting around each other liked they've been doing this for years.

"Forgotten Days" is a another fast-paced burner of a song. The guitar work under the first verse is pretty cool. The tones used are lighter and work well with the clean vocals. The second verse uses male clean vocals, and the bass takes over the lead work. The harsh vocals are scattered throughout sporadically, giving the vocals some extra punch in areas. Breakdown Bran can go from finely articulated lead work to brutal riffing with ease. His tones are excellent, and he fits into the songs perfectly.

"Make Believe" also has a few cool sections for Spot-On Sam. It seems like power metal and nu metal give the most love to the bass player, letting them get out there and flex their muscle for the crowd. SOS tales his time to shine and uses it to maximum effect. Even Killer V does a little rapping on this track. Those of us who are familiar with her work as Vicky knew she could do this because we think she can do anything.

For a little bit harder hitting song, we check out "Soul Snatcher." The guitar riff is brutal. The pre-chorus helps shift to the melodic sound of the chorus. The two vocal deities go from clean to distorted to harsh and back again so often that it feels like they need cue cards to keep up with the rapid-fire changes. They weave a massive tapestry of sound with the changing vocal styles, creating a fantastic soundscape with just their voices.

The final track on this 19-minute disc is "Heart of Stone." This is my favorite work on the record from The Trve Cody Taylor. The shifts in patterns and phrases are really interesting. His footwork both matches and contrasts what his arms are doing. He has an uncanny ability to alternate foot and hand work speeds in innovative ways. He has been a cornerstone on all the songs, but this is still my favorite drum track.

SICKSENSE is an excellent new band with a lot of potential. I understand this is probably a fun side project for most of these musicians, but it would be fun to see them tour, maybe even as the warmup for their regular bands. They appear to be having a lot of fun with these songs. The vocals are, for lack of a better word, playful. The interaction between the two is amazing. I loved hearing them both go from clean to harsh to distorted and back over and over again.

Not to be outdone, the instruments kept the pace, adding a layer of sound around the vocals. They managed to create something new and familiar at the same time. I hear the nu metal influences, catch pieces of the other bands, and hear new throughout this whole thing. Exceptional musicians create exceptional music.