Sicksense – Funerals (EP)
Release Date: 25th September 2026
Label: Independent
Bandcamp
Genre: Metalcore, Nu-Metalcore, Nu-Metal, Rap Metal.
FFO: Lacuna Coil, Blackgold & Poppy.
Review By: Ross Bowie
Sicksense are back with not only their first new music since their debut album, Cross Me Twice, but also back to their DIY independent roots as the band continue their genre blending across four new tracks. The band look to draw on a lot of nostalgia but run those ideas through modern filters and production.
Sicksense have an air of familiarity around them; maybe it’s the dual vocals or the early Sumerian Records guitar tone or the previous work the band has done, with both vocalists both having prominent careers in other projects. But, something about the band seems familiar, like Michael J Fox yelling at the TV that he’s “seen this one”.
The band waste no time dialling into the nostalgia, but in an exciting way, as Artificial Irrelevance kicks off the EP with some synths that sound like they’re ripped straight from a PS2 racing game OST. This is before you are smacked out with a thickly compressed and noise-gated guitar that demands attention. Vocalist Vicky Psarakis is commanding as her screams play off the djent bounce as the song breaks into what I wrongly assumed was a pre-chorus before other vocalist, Robby J. Fonts, jumps on the track. The vocal play between the two, despite being so opposite, really works on the opener, especially when Vicky delivers a knockout chorus, mixing her different vocal styles a lot with Robby constantly keeping the energy high.
But before I knew it, that familiarity was peeking its head out, and then it clicked. There was a period of a couple of years when every band who wanted to be metalcore decided that instead of trying to write choruses better than Killswitch Engage, they would just bump the riff from Architects’ Doomsday and whack a bunch of stuff over the top and call it a day. Now that has slowly faded away, as bands in the genre at the moment are chasing a more R&B-influenced pop coattail, so it was a strange feeling hearing a band chase that riff again when in every other department they don’t seem short of ideas.
The good thing about Nu-Metal is that it doesn’t have to be serious. Yes, you can have some emotionally scarring moments from the genre’s best bands, but it’s also a fun excuse to turn your brain off for a while and just go with the vibe, and the second track, Newsflash, has that sort of vibe. It’s high energy, and yeah, it can feel silly at points, but is it fun? Yeah, it is, and that’s what this kind of music is supposed to deliver. The blend of the djenty influence doesn’t quite work as well, as everything is so tight instead of having that loose nu-metal bounce.
By the time Seller’s Remorse rolled into town, I was poised and was picking up what Sicksense were putting down, a fun mix of the genres I grew up loving without necessarily adding anything new to the mix, and that’s fine. Not everything has to break the wheel, because at times someone just has to steer the damn thing! The song has another strong chorus, and the outro really lets Vicky’s voice fly. It would have been nice to get some more of that across the four tracks, as she really leaves her all on the songs’ outro.
The EP’s closer has some nice orchestral touches and playful violin playing against the song’s dramatic opening before descending into the more djenty metalcore we have come to expect. However, the song just sort of ends. After having a broad and dramatic opening, the band just sort of tied things up with another heavy part and called it a day. The atmosphere could have been utilised to linger a little bit more, adding more layers to the overall output. It’s clear that Sicksense are competent players and have enough energy and vocal power to galvanise crowds on festival stages all summer, but they’re just missing that ingredient that separates them from the back. Funerals feels more like a game of spot the reference rather than taking in a new band’s exciting new take on things. The vocals really stand out, but the guitar work leaves little to be desired, and the rhythm section isn’t up to much either, which when you’re trying to balance the fun hip-hop-inspired beats of nu metal and cut it with the tight precision of djent, just feels lackadaisical.
(3 / 5)
