Band:	Sickera
Album:	The Story Begins
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	October 2023

01. Nowhere To Go
02. Betwen You And Me
03. The Story Begins

Sickera have long been followers of classic hard rock and heavy metal, and this EP is proof of that.

I think that the agreement of a vocalist of such quality as David Reece (ex-Accept/Bonfire) to sing on this release says a lot. The founder, composer and lyricist of the band is Alexey Tarasov, a long-time fan of David's work, and also a fan of Accept's creativity. This is clearly expressed in the music, which is stylistically very similar to the 1989 album Eat The Heat. But this is not a bad thing at all; on the contrary, it is a fitting tribute to the veterans of the stage.

In general, Sickera's music is very harmonious and listenable. Strong lyrics, especially in the ballads. It seems to me that there will be something interesting in the future from this group. With the very soulful and gentle "Between You And Me", when you listen to it, you fly somewhere beyond the edge; romantic pictures and scenes from films are drawn inside your mind. But it is impossible not to mention other songs as well. The opener "Nowhere To Go" is also inspired by the classic heavy metal style of the 80s, and
with a voice of Reece's calibre, it sounds perfect. This is a real action movie in the genre.

It is a pity that there is no full-length album featuring this creative pairing, but I can hope for more in the future. If the band had released this EP on CD, I would have purchased it. In fact, it is a very solid, mature and high-quality work. A rather explosive mix of Accept, Deep Purple and Iron Maiden: the associations are clear, but it's wonderful.