Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
In Victory we are either magnanimous to those have beaten, or we allow ourselves to be judged harshly by history as we drown them in a sea of disdain. In any situation, be it a game, in a fight, in war, how we see, and taste triumph is a reflection of our own inadequate nature. Heralding boastful triumph breeds the need to conquer, it damages the nerve of society, and the oppressor is soon adjudged to be on the side of evil, even if was said to have done so with good intentions.
Victory is not a trend; it is meant to be approached with humility and hubris. However, In Victory are the seeds of a different type of domination, one that is revered, accepted without force or the fear of being overwhelmed into surrender. This victory is assured because it is brought to the attention of those willing to be taken on the journey by one of Norway’s outstanding old-school metal bands, SINSID.
Old school metal may be one that doesn’t float the boat of all who come into contact with it, but its dominance has seen the genre continually influence and inspire, and it is in many respects the epitome of portraying humility, of being ready to accept its self-effacement, its perceived arrogance a well-worn mask as it assumes its right to be unpretentious but captivating at the same time.
SINSID dominate absolutely, and in their third album, In Victory, they go all out to bring the epic sound, headbanging, neck crunching, dynamic music to the fore, for this is the triumph of Terje Singh Sidhu, Sten Roger Knutsen, Evan Haavold, Grzegorg Urbanski, and Trygve A. Tvedt, they have gone past the gates of intrigue and stepped foot in the halls of the mighty; there is no other way to look at the band now, they have becomes the giants in which we sit on the shoulders of.
The epic album, containing beating heart and mesmerising iconic standards such as Iron Heart, Secret Of The Beast, Wrath of Destruction, No Fear, Cult Of Doom (Into The Fire), and the album title track, In Victory, are not just willing to be a frenzy of appeal, they explode with vengeance, with honesty, with the damnation of those who dare rise against decency and the passion for the integrity of the human soul; and in victory so shall you know them – for they are ones who will move the genre on once more.
An album of sheer class, SINSID are the old-school metal groove made of pure steel.
SINSID release In Victory on May 20th.
Ian D. Hall