Sentenced
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Sentenced is a heavy metal band formed in 1989, in the town of Muhos, Finland.
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Biography
Sentenced's predecessor Deformity got started back in 1988, but in 1989 as the band's line-up changed, the name also changed to Sentenced. The original line-up consisted of Miika Tenkula (lead guitar & vocals), Sami Lopakka (guitar), Vesa Ranta (drums) and Lari Kylmänen (bass) and they recorded two demo tapes When Death Joins Us... in 1990 and Rotting Ways To Misery in 1991. The band actually got their very first record deal (with the infamous French label Thrash Records) already with their first demo.
In 1991 bassist Taneli Jarva joined the band (replacing Kylmänen) just before the band was going to record its debut album Shadows Of The Past. Their musical style at that time was fast, pure European style death metal. In springtime 1992 they recorded new three song promotional tape Journey To Pohjola to shop around labels. As a result they made a deal with the Finnish Spinefarm Records which was just starting its career.
The sophomore album North From Here saw the light of the day in spring 1993 and it showed the world totally renewed face of Sentenced. Technical and aggressive, straight to your face burst of northern hatred would probably be the best way to describe it. The boys' playing skills had taken a huge step onwards and this time they really had their own thing going on. Later the same year The Trooper EP was also released. North From Here was also the first album that got attention from the staff of a German record label Century Media Records and later in 1994 Sentenced abandoned Spinefarm and headed for wider market with new multialbum contract with Century Media.
In 1995 the band made its real breakthrough with Amok, considered by many the best of their albums. Compared with earlier albums the music was slower, more melodic and Jarva's vocal working had matured greatly. Now the deal with Century Media also showed what it was worth. Music video of the track Nepenthe was made and two full lenghth European tours followed the release of Amok. Later in the autumn 1995 the Love & Death MCD was also released. Musicwise it kept similar concept as heard on Amok as the songs had been written in the same period of time. As soon as Sentenced had achieved a fine foothold on melodic death metal markets, Jarva surprised fans by leaving the band. Few years later he resurfaced with his new band The Black League).
Baritone Jarva was replaced by much more cleaner singing Ville Laihiala (of Breed fame) in 1996 just three weeks before they were heading to Germany's Woodhouse Studios to record their third album Down with producer Waldemar Sorychta. Once again, the music became more melodic and for the first time they had a real singer in the band, which of course gave them myriads of new possibilities to develope their music into. At this point bassist Sami Kukkohovi also joined the band, but only as a session member on gigs. In spring 1997 he was granted a permament slot in the line-up.
Sentenced's fifth full-length album Frozen (1998) was once again recorded at the Woodhouse Studios and it continued pretty much on the same path with Down, but with more depth to the songs. This time Laihiala and Kukkohovi were already real members of the band and could participate in the composing which resulted in Frozen being much more of a band album. In 1999 a special edition of Frozen was released, containing a recoloured (gold) cover and rearranged track running order with four cover songs added as bonus.
The next Sentenced album to be released was Crimson in 2000. As the single Killing Me, Killing You showcased, the band's sound had once again taken a turn for the lighter direction. Two years later, the release of The Cold White Light saw the band in a slightly more creative light, the lyrics even displaying extremely rarely-seen positive edge, in sort of "there's is light at the end of the tunnel after all" way.
It was after The Cold White Light's release that Sentenced were rightly considered the pioneers of catchy, twin guitar-driven metal. It is easy to see pop influences in many of their later songs, and it is with this style that the suicidal themes of the lyrics are diluted somewhat.
In early 2005, the band announced that their following release The Funeral Album would also be their last. It was also stated that there would be no reunions. Ever. The plan is to perform few farewell gigs during the spring and summer and then have a funeral gig after that sometime in autumn. This plan also includes making of a DVD, which is going to be concentrate mainly on their last gig in their hometown Oulu. The working title of the DVD is "Buried Alive". After that, Sentenced shall cease to exist, like they often have sung.
Final line-up
- Ville Laihiala - Vocals (1996-2005)
- Miika Tenkula - Guitar (1989-2005)
- Sami Lopakka - Guitar (1989-2005)
- Sami Kukkohovi - Bass (1996-2005)
- Vesa Ranta - Drums (1989-2005)
Previous members
- Lari Kylmänen - Bass (1989-1991)
- Taneli Jarva - Bass & vocals (1991-1996)
Session members
- Niko Karppinen - Bass (live) (1995-1996)
- Tarmo Kanerva - Drums (summer 1999)
Discography
- When Death Joins Us... (Demo, 1990)
- Rotting Ways To Misery (Demo, 1991)
- Shadows Of The Past (1991)
- Journey To Pohjola (Promo demo, 1992)
- North From Here (1993)
- The Trooper (EP 1993)
- Amok (1995)
- Love & Death (MCD 1995)
- Shadows Of The Past Century Media reissue (1995)
- Down (1996)
- Story - Greatest Kills (Compilation 1997)
- Frozen (1998)
- Killing Me, Killing You (CDS 1999)
- Crimson (2000)
- Amok / Love & Death Reissue (2001)
- North From Here / Shadows Of The Past Reissue (2001)
- No One There (CDS 2002)
- The Cold White Light (2002)
- Routasydän (CDS 2003)
- Ever-Frost (CDS 2005)
- The Funeral Album (2005)
Videography
- Nepenthe (1994)
- Noose (1996)
- Bleed (199x)
- The Suicider (1998)
- Killing Me Killing You (1999)
- No One There (2002)
- Ever-Frost (2005)
- Despair Ridden Hearts (2005)
External links
- Official site (http://www.sentenced.org)de:Sentenced