Vicky Psarakis of Sicksense collaborates with Nathan Bulla and Jacob Umansky of Intervals for Call Of Duty song ‘Slave’
12th December 2024“Killer V” Vicky Psarakis of Sicksense has joined forces with Intervals rhythm section Nathan Bulla and Jacob Umansky for the epic djent metal epic ‘Slave’, composed by critically-acclaimed songwriter Kevin Sherwood. The song has gained huge attention thanks to being featured as the “hidden Easter Egg song” in the game Call Of Duty, on the latest Black Ops 6 Zombies map, “Citadelle Des Morts”.
‘Slave’ has amassed over 200k views on YouTube and 180k streams on Spotify within a few days of release.During the pandemic, Vicky received many requests to cover Call Of Duty songs during her live Twitch streams. Flash forward to a couple of years later, Kevin Sherwood personally reached out to Vicky to sing an original song for him and the Call Of Duty franchise.
Sherwood was so impressed with the sound of the latest Sicksense singles, he enlisted their producer Joey Doherty to mix/produce ‘Slave’.
Sicksense will release their debut full-length album, Cross Me Twice, on 14th February 2025 via Earache Records.
From the maleficent minds of dual vocalists Killer V and Rob The Ripper, Sicksense are leading the charge of the new wave of nu-metal. With the added arsenal of guitarist Agent Phil [Philip Lykostratis], bassist The Gothfather [Richard Regier] and drummer Smokin’ J [Joseph Polizzi], Sicksense follow up their highly acclaimed two EPs with with their heaviest record yet, melting nu-metal elements with metalcore and electronic touches for a unique spin on the rejuvenated genre.
Killer V comments on the record: “Our upcoming album, Cross Me Twice, takes the listener on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey. We evolved from our traditional nu metal sound, by incorporating more modern metal and electronic elements into this album. The heavy parts got heavier, the soft parts got softer and the catchy parts got catchier. ‘Cross Me Twice’ explores a wider dynamic range, which leaves the listener not knowing what to expect with each release. We were going through numerous personal issues amongst ourselves as a band while working on this record, which inevitably led to us parting ways with former members and bringing in new ones to complete it. These issues inspired the lyrical themes for each song. It wasn’t easy to go through and create, but we’re extremely proud of the end result.
“I remember spending countless hours working on keys and the overall sound design of ‘Cross Me Twice’, on top of all the vocal arrangements I normally task myself with. Teaming up with our producer, Joey Doherty, was the final step and best decision we could have made to bring you guys what we believe will be one of the absolute best sounding albums of 2025.
“There’s something for everyone to enjoy here and we hope it means as much to our listeners as it does to us. It’s truly special.”
It’s rare that a debut album inspires such fervent anticipation, but the thrill surrounding a full-length from Sicksense is concrete. A band that has nurtured their community from seedlings to an army of “Deli-boos” (if you know, you know), Sicksense made instant waves in the metal scene upon the release of their two EPs Kings Today and Fools Tomorrow.
These collections saw their music garner support from metal connoisseurs such as TankTheTech, feature in the ring with ex-NXT and NOAH pro-wrestler Stallion Rogers and hit Spotify‘s Alternative Metal and New Nü playlists alongside other trailblazers in the future of metal. These two small portholes into their vibrant world have turned heads in the industry and metal fandom alike, receiving comparisons to nü-metal titans like Slipknot, Evanescence and Limp Bizkit in the process.
Sicksense has now announced their debut album Cross Me Twice, news which will see anticipation on all sides finally relieved. With Cross Me Twice, the band takes their nü-metal influences and Frankensteins them into a hydra monster that sees the heads of metalcore, progressive metal, and power metal combine into a modern experiment gone very right. The album is all a nü-metal fan could hope for while bringing new color to the genre.
It’s this versatility that sets Sicksense apart in the nü-gen surge. The adventurous Cross Me Twice is as fantastically otherworldly with luminous keys and glacial melodies as it is gritty with nü-metal grooves and stomach-lurching djent. Conjurers of jeweled light and chroma, commanders of shadow and moonbeams, Sicksense create such a thickly immersive atmosphere that it feels as though you can see the album just as much as you can hear it.
Sicksense are:
Killer V – vocals
Rob The Ripper – vocals
Agent Phil – guitars
The Gothfather – bass
Smokin’ J – drums
