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SICKSENSE Cross Me Twice By Andrew Depedro, Ottawa Corespondent Saturday, March 15, 2025 @ 12:10 AM
We can't say that we never saw the oncoming nu-metal nostalgia of the early 2000's in pop culture three months already into 2025. And, like many a genre then and now in its wake, and often for better and for worse, it birthed a good number of solid mainstays while unintentionally creating ten times as many off-brand knockoffs with a limited shelf life. For some of those same latter-day bands latching onto the thunderous grooves of the likes of KORN and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE a couple of decades later, one can't blame them for missing the bus in this current musical climate, which, at this point, was drawing similarities to the musical climate of the early 00's a while ago anyway. But this is where a significant difference emerges in that with just about every catalogue of music being accessible to everyone at the touch of a button, many of these same bands have now transgressed beyond a tribute to their ADIDAS-clad heroes and are instead making their own mark with a greater incorporation of outside influences.
One such band would be Phoenix, Arizona-based quartet SICKSENSE, whose lineup boasts an impressionable range of both veteran and fledgling artists alike. Featuring dual vocalists Vicky "Killer V" Psarakis (ex-THE AGONIST) and Robby "Rob The Ripper" J. Fonts (STUCK MOJO), guitarist Phil "Agent Phil" Lykostratis, drummer Joe "Smokin' J" Polizzi and bassist Rich "The Gothfather" Regier, the band are fairly young, having initially formed in 2017 in Vicky's hometown of Montreal and with two EP's - Kings Today and Fools Tomorrow - to their credit to date. With the release of their debut full-length album Cross Me Twice, the band are marking not only a gradual shift from their initial nu-metal sound to a hydra monster that sees the heads of metalcore, progressive metal and power metal combine into a modern experiment gone very right, but also a literal uprooting in which the band made the move down south in the midst of writing and recording the album overall. "We took it upon ourselves to record the majority of the music from our home studio here in Phoenix, AZ," Robby confirms. "Cross Me Twice is also the first album in Vicky's career in which she had a bigger role in production. Working with our new producer, Joey Doherty (FALLING IN REVERSE, I PREVAIL), she left a huge impact on the album's sound design and sonic atmosphere."
With an overall theme of emotional manipulation and villainous scapegoating running like hot blood and an album cover depicting a delicate glass vase of flowers brutalized by a sharpened, chain-wielding bat stained with blood which would make Neral from The Walking Dead proud, Cross Me Twice is unabashedly an album that dons its scars with pride. Opening track "Sellout" commences with Vicky's soothing voice backed by a lush orchestral background (she's also the band's keysmeister) before a set of vicious-sounding death metal growls by Robby direct the song onto a heavier path. For someone who's been both the main melodic voice and the swift rhymes of STUCK MOJO for a good quarter century, Robby can sure hold his own when it comes to raging death metal vocals. Even just as impressive is how he can effortlessly switch back and forth between the two vocals throughout the album, as he does particularly on "Wildfires", "Throwback" and "Invisible". That said, his timing on his rhyme dropping could otherwise use a bit of work as he almost appears to miss his cue in parts on when to actually kick in his rapping skills at the right time as evidenced on "Masquerade Parade" and "In This Carousel". Chalk that up to perhaps still getting used to experimenting further with newer genres outside of his station, but sometimes debut albums also make for the best learning curve as well. Meanwhile, Vicky's own history with THE AGONIST has also helped shape her vocal style significantly on the album, with numbers such as "On Repeat", which could even pass off as almost anything from her former band's early years.
Closing out with the 5-minute track "Follow Me", SICKSENSE reinforce their fortitude of a band taking the reins of their own fate, exuding sheer confidence as they work against those who aim to take authority of how they lead their lives. Each track is a catharsis of poison that sheds an armor of scarred skin and the enrapturing instrumental talent heard on the album is also an exquisite match to the dual vocals between the couple, which only work to further the multitude of timbre contained within in bringing an infectious personality to their rapping and unite in primal metal screams, with Vicky also reaching jaw-dropping heights and harmonies with her equally melodic yet sinister vocals.
In summary, Cross Me Twice is worth investigating its crossover appeal for many a fan eager to revisit the halcyon days of nu-metal for the second time.
4.0 Out Of 5.0
And for anyone really eager to revisit those same halcyon days of nu-metal this coming summer, SICKSENSE will join THE UNION UNDERGROUND and SPINESHANK and fellow guests ADEMA on a US summer tour. More info can be found at linktr.ee/sickXsense.
Commenting on the tour, SICKSENSE co-vocalist Rob The Ripper says:
"We are super stoked to be opening up for THE UNION UNDERGROUND and SPINESHANK this summer for our very first tour! It's a real full-circle moment for me. THE UNION UNDERGROUND is actually one of the very first bands that got me into heavy music as a kid. Being a huge pro wrestling fan, I spent every Monday night of my childhood waiting for "Across The Nation" to play on TV. It's going to be a hell of a party every night this summer sharing the stage with them, and the legends in SPINESHANK and ADEMA!"
SICKSENSE Tour Dates:
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