Formed by members of BIRDFLESH, GENERAL SURGERY, WORLD IN RUINS and DAMNED TO DOWNFALL, SICKRECY is a Death Metal and Grindcore band that released their debut EP on June 4^th 2021. The six-track release is a brief and brutal affair, lasting a little under seventeen minutes and encompassing elements from Crust Punk, D-Beat and Thrash alongside the Death Metal and Grindcore styles the band clearly aims for.

The EP starts with high energy and its longest track, "Man's The Leech", almost lasting four minutes. Martin Eriksson lays down a steady beat; a strong foundation for brutal harsh vocals and massive Death growls and grunts. The riffing is catchy and memorable. Things get Thrashy at times, with an almost Hardcore-ish feel, even if it remains deeply into Metal territory. A strong opener for this new project.

The title track comes next. "First World Anxiety" follows a similar structure and feel to "Man's The Leech", but that does not detract from the experience. It even ramps up the Punkish energy, highlighting the Crust Punk influences of the band. "I Am Paty" emphasizes Eriksson's drumming as a high point of the EP. He keeps going faster and faster, increasing in brutality. A deeply dissonant solo -and also sadly brief- by Marcus Dahl recalls the more dissonant moments of early Thrash, especially METALLICA and a little bit of ANTRHAX.

"Banner Of Contempt" moves along over a Thrash'n'Roll drum beat -if that's a thing-, a mix of MOTÖRHEAD's classic Hard Rock rhythms with "Big 4 of Thrash" manic flashiness. Not precisely complex rhythms when it comes to time signatures or even syncopation, but extremely fast paced and requiring a skill the band clearly has. The vocal delivery brings to mind Thrash too, even if the harsh attack of the vocals keeps it in the Death Metal realm. A mix of influences coming together to deliver a strong track.

The closest the band approaches pure Grindcore in this EP is with "Liberty". Under two minutes in length, it makes the most of its duration, fitting as many notes, lyrical content and punching rhythms as it can. SICKRECY flexes their muscles here, with top-notch musicianship and ultimate brutality. Keeping some of that Grindcore energy is the aptly titled closer "Last In Line". It strikes a balance between the Punkier/Hardcore-ish side of the band and its Death and Thrash Metal influences. A fitting closer that sums up the whole EP and the different elements the band brings into play.

The use of what seems to be police or ambulance radio samples throughout the record gives it a cohesive feel and adds to the manic vibe of it, sounding urgent and keeping the listener on edge. The musicianship is the strongest asset of the band, but the songwriting is strong, the riffs are memorable and the production values are more than enough for a scene that can be a bit to lo-fi at times. Overall, "First World Anxiety" lives up to its title and works as an awesome presentation for this new project.