“Cast out what you don’t understand.”
Since Sicksense dropped their debut EP Kings Today last year, it seems the urge of nu-metal revivalism has since gained further wind. There is the emergence of acts such as Swollen Teeth and Vended who deliver it as a blunt force trauma to the head or the likes of Graphic Nature and Omerta who push the envelope on the genre and into the modern day. Sicksense now look to throw their second contribution, Fools Tomorrow, into the shifting sands of a re-emerging genre.
Sonically here there is little that is developed on from Kings Today, the pincer approach of Psarakis and Fonts trading harsh vocals opens up “Feed Them To The Wolves“. The charmless rapping also make a return, which at second time of trying, the ability to deliver it well simply isn’t there. A decent bridge leading into a thumping closing stretch does give some life here, the somewhat bizarre lyricism of “When the wolves tear you apart, give them more” remerges to break the illusion.
The formula of Fonts on verses and Psarakis on chorus truly does hit on “Fools Tomorrow”, with everything sitting in a very nice contained structure, it’s track that passes by without any impact. “Invitation” has a bit more angst to it, even if the odd cliched lyricism including “Play with fire you will get burnt” and “You think ti’s all game, to me it’s all the same” does rear its head again. “Erase, Rewind” closes out on a full acoustic track, which gives flashbacks to when each record has one crowbarred in. And as listenable it is, it doesn’t really evoke much emotionally or creatively that sparks a desire for it to be revisited.
Underlying Sicksense there does seem to be genuine hard-work and enjoyment in what they do, which their relative success can be placed on, and does make it conflicting to sour on the record. Yet there does seem something cyclical about Fools Tomorrow, of seeing bands who have invoked nu-metal stylings and dredging up the nostalgia for it, who have come and gone over time. And with their second record failing to evolve on previous failings, it’s a struggle to see Sicksense evolve outside the confines of nostalgic flutterings.
3/10
Fools Tomorrow is out June 11th via Sound Escape.