Sicksense Champion Nu-Metal, Heavy Influences – Interview

2021-04-11

Nu-metal band Sicksense

Sicksense – Story by Anne Erickson, Photo by Chris Kells, edit by Ash To Life

Meeting upcoming nu-metal band Sicksense in this in-depth interview

There’s no denying that nu-metal is alive and well. Just look at bands such as Korn that came up in the nu-metal area and area still topping the rock charts and headlining major festivals.

Now, there’s also a new generation of artists making their own brand of nu-metal, inspired by the greats of the genre and a range of other sounds. One of those bands in Sicksense.

Sicksense features vocalists Killer V (Vicky Psarakis) and Rob The Ripper (Robby J. Fonts), who are married, as well as guitarist Breakdown Bran (Bran Panic), drummer The Trve Cody Taylor (Cody Taylor) and bassist Spot-On Sam/SOS (Samuel Bedard). Their debut EP, “Kings Today,” arrives April 22.

Vicky and Rob spoke with Audio Ink Radio about the band’s debut EP, what they hope they bring to music and what it’s like being in a band their significant other. Read the full interview below. For more information on Sicksense, go here.

Anne Erickson: Congratulations on your debut EP on the way, “Kings Today.” A debut release is always really important for a band. What did you guys want to accomplish and get across on this debut?

Vicky Psarakis: I want to put our name out there. I want to say, “Hey. We’re Sicksense. This is what we do. We don’t exactly know what we do- it’s absorbing a lot of things we love in heavy music and mainstream music. We do have, when it comes to our lyrics, a more serious tone and a lot of themes that I think can make people think. So, I would hope to accomplish that- to grab people’s attention and bring them in and have them notice what we’re doing and embrace it.

Do you feel like nu-metal is coming back as a genre?

Robby J. Fonts: I don’t know if it’s coming back, but from my end of things, I’m keeping an eye on the hip-hop and pop scene, and I think a lot of more mainstream artists are incorporating this nu-metal sound. I think things are taking a darker turn with mainstream music.

Vicky: I feel like it almost never really left. I think there have been a lot of bands doing this on a more underground of midlevel status. I feel like we haven’t had as many new bands blow up and become as big as Korn or Limp Bizkit or Linkin Park, but I feel like it’s always been lingering there and is something people have always loved.

What do you think it is about nu-metal that makes is such a longstanding genre?

Vicky: I think it has something for everyone. If you have an open mind and can say, “I like rapping in my metal” and “I like singing” and all those things, then I think it has something for everyone. It’s light-hearted fun to listen to and bop your head to. It’s groovy and easy to get into and super catchy, and then deep down under all that, there are often very serious tones with the themes and lyrics. So, it encompasses a lot of both sides of life, from the serious moments to the really fun moments.

Robby: Absolutely. It’s music that’s easy for people to relate to.

You two are married! What’s it like being in a band with your significant other?

Robby: It’s incredible. We have a really great relationship together and people and partners. Being able to work together on these songs comes easily, and we have respect for how each of us works. Like, I can’t sing whatsoever, but I can rap and my write lyrics, but my wife is like a female Mike Patten, so has a huge singing range and can do it all.

Vicky: It’s really easy writing music with Robby, because we also live in the same house, so at any given time we can sit down and be like, “Hey, let’s work on this song together.” It makes working together really easy and convenient, and we have that respect for what each person does, so we don’t have any arguments about it. When it comes to lyrics and rapping, I completely trust what Robby is doing. He really supports what I do with my singing and melodies. There’s never been one time when we’ve said, “I don’t like that at all. Scratch it,” to the other person.

Do you have a favorite song off the new EP?

Robby: My favorite is “Heart of Stone.” I think we incorporated a great interplay vocally in that one, and lyrically, I was calling out some people in the scene and calling out some friendly competition with people, letting people know this is what we do and what we’re about.

Vicky: The one I’m emotionally attached to the most is “Make Believe,” because that was the first song we wrote together for Sickness knowing we were both going to be in this band. It was the first real glimpse into the future of what we could sound like, and it was exciting.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future of the band?

Vicky: We just want to keep creating music and hopefully tour around the world and share this music with more people. I often struggle with this, like, What is success? I feel like it’s this unattainable thing. The more this grows, you’re like, I have this many followers, but I want more. There’s never really a point in time where someone can say, “I made it.” For me, it would be being able to keep growing. The sky is the limit. I just want to be growing and reaching more people and having our music go to them and connect with them and help them in life and allow us to create even more music and play around the world.

Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Features, Interviews, Music, Rock