标题：Sentenced
乐队简介
乐队名: Sentenced 
音乐风格: Melodic death/doom metal, later depressive hard rock (旋律死亡/厄运金属,晚期低调硬摇滚) Death Metal/Black Metal（死亡/黑色金属） Heavy Metal（重金属） Power Metal（能量金属） Scandinavian Metal（斯堪的纳维亚金属） 
音乐主题: Doom, Nature, Depression, Love (厄运,自然,消沉,爱情) 
国家: Finland (芬兰) 
成立时间: 1988年 
所在场牌: Century Media (世纪传媒) 
乐队现状: 解散
现乐队成员
Ville Laihiala - Vocals (Poisonblack) 现任成员(20张)
Miika Tenkula - Lead guitar 
Sami Lopakka - Guitar 
Vesa Ranta - Drums (Anthony) 
Sami Kukkohovi - Bass (Solution 13)
前乐队成员
Taneli Jarva - Vocals/Bass up to Love and Death. (Chaosbreed, The Black League, ex-Impaled Nazarene) 
Lari Kylmen - Bass (1989 - 1991) 
Session/Live members: 
Niko Karppinen - Bass (1995 - 1996) 
Tarmo Kanerva - Drums ((Poisonblack) (summer 1999)
简介
1990年他们录制了第一个小样之后，新的主唱兼贝司手Taneli Jarva加入了乐队，他帮助乐队找到了更好各个成员(20张)的音乐创作方式和风格走向。在十年的歌词创作中，Sentenced总试图将听者带入一个失落，自杀的消沉和通体否定的世界，这是一种用语言无法描述的感觉，只有随着Sentenced的音乐才能感受到。虽然他们的风格越来越软化下去，但他们高素质的音乐，是谁也不能否定的。Sentenced在其音乐与歌词中体现出的才能使他们远远区别于金属运动中诸多平庸之辈，他们是真正意义上的前卫死亡！ 
1993年，芬兰的独立厂牌Spinefarm为他们录制了第二张专辑“North from Here”，专辑的封面可能给人Black Metal的感觉，但这的确是一张Death Metal的专辑，的确也有Black Metal的成分在里面，吉他运用了很多Tremolo Picking的手法，主唱的嗓音也时而有Black Metal的影子。乐队把气氛掌握的很好，而且旋律不俗。值得一提的是，在“North from Here”里，有少量弦乐作为背景出现，但不是很明显。同年的晚些时候Sentenced发行的一张EP“骑兵”（顾名思义，EP里翻唱了Iron Maiden的这首经典歌曲）。这几张唱片的风格基本都是北欧风格的Death/Black Metal，又硬又重，速度并不很快，实际上，乐队受早期Iron Maiden的影响是很明显的。
EP发行之后，德国的著名的死亡金属厂牌Century Media与乐队进行了联系，并与乐队签定了一份世界范围的合同，包括重新发行乐队的前两张专辑。Sentenced加入Century Media后发行了专辑“杀气”，这一次是乐队音乐风格上的重大突破，专辑甚至卖出了35,000张。这张专集里的音乐异常丰富，旋律性很强，女声，弦乐，原音吉他层出不穷，经常出现同时有6，7种乐器合奏的场面（两种节奏吉他，贝司，鼓，主音吉他，主唱...），而且有条不紊，非常协调。很难想象这是一支死亡金属乐队玩出来的音乐，同时期有很多乐队都开始尝试这种PROGRESSIVE DEATH（前卫死亡金属）的风格，象Therion，Samael等等，但似乎这张“Amok”是做得最为彻底，风格变化最突然的专集。可惜并不是所有乐迷都接受这种改变，一些老歌迷对乐队的这种旋律化倾向感到失望，尽管乐队技巧的提高是那么无法抵御的诱惑。
后来，乐队主唱Jarva表示退出乐队，Ville Laihiala加入了进来，很快他与众不同的音乐品味给乐队增加了更多戏剧化的音乐成分。新的贝司手Sami Kukkovi加入后，Sentenced开始创作并录制专集“向下”。专辑中的演唱完全用了“清喉”演唱，音乐更加的旋律化，完全屏弃的早期的风格，丰富的音色和效果的运用，证明了他们的音乐才华。从这张专辑开始，乐迷及乐评已经开始接受并欣赏这种Sentenced的风格了，以至于几个知名杂志（如德国的Rock Hard和Metal Hammer），将这张“Down”评为当月最佳专集。这使得乐队名声大噪，并在更大范围的巡演中和诸如The Gathering，My Dying Bride和Therion这样的乐队一起合作，并作为头牌乐队在芬兰进行了巡演。
1998年Sentenced在德国著名的Woodhouse录音室开始了他们最新专集的创作，即由Waldemar Sorychta制作的“冰冻”。这一次乐队尝试了新的吉他和效果器，并大大加强了感情在歌曲中作用，看起来乐队在这张专集中达到了颠峰状态。随着比以往作品更为出色的旋律进行，Sentenced在每首歌中都尽力去抓住那种痛苦和悲哀的情绪，“Frozen”无疑音乐风格上更加多元化了。
乐队的出版物
When Death Join Us Demo, 1990 
Cronology of Death Split, 1991 
Rotting Ways to Misery Demo, 1991  
Shadows of the Past Full-length, 1991 
Journey to Pohjola Demo, 1992 
North From Here Full-length, 1993 
Demo 1994 Demo, 1994 
The Trooper EP, 1994 
Amok Full-length, 1995 
Love and Death EP, 1995 
Down Full-length, 1996 
Story: A Recollection Best of/Compilation, 1997 
Frozen Full-length, 1998 
Killing Me Killing You Single, 1999 
Crimson Full-length, 2000 
No One There Single, 2002 
The Cold White Light Full-length, 2002 
Routasyd&auml;n Single, 2003 
promo split MCD Split, 2005
Ever-Frost Single, 2005 
The Funeral Album Full-length, 2005 
Buried Alive DVD, 2006 
Buried Alive Live album, 2006 
Buried Alive (Box) Boxed set, 2006 
The Glow of 1000 Suns / Amok Run EP, 2008 
来自官方的告别信.... 
Dear Assembly, 
We have now gathered here, with heavy hearts, to lay SENTENCED to rest. Therefore let us cast an eye on those sixteen glorious years of this band's life. 
Following a short prelude, the two guitarists Miika Tenkula and Sami Lopakka as well as drummer Vesa Ranta came together in the provincial town of Oulu in the cold north of Finland in the year 1989 to baptize their death metal newborn, and gave it the name: SENTENCED. Only one year later, this child of death let loose its first startling scream in the shape of the demo "When Death Joins Us..." (1990). When its voice developed an extremely charismatic touch with the recruiting of singer and bass-player Taneli Jarva, a first record-deal followed soon, which led to the release of the traditional death metal debut "Shadows Of The Past" (1991). Two years later SENTENCED took a more melodic turn on "North From Here" (1993) and created a true milestone of their deadly genre. Just a small amount of time elapsed until this rapidly growing whelp honoured its Iron Maiden roots with "The Trooper" (1993). This MCD also saw a strengthening of the band's melodic side at the expense of its harshness. With a fresh worldwide contract of German label Century Media in their pockets and the release of their third masterpiece "Amok" (1995), the Finns were getting their deserved breakthrough. It was emotional, melancholic but still harsh. Taneli's smoky voice breathed life into the album and the fans loved it. Another hint of a change in style was given by the second MCD "Love & Death" (1995). Just coming out of his infancy, this precocious youngster opened up to more rock influences and broadened his musical horizon. SENTENCED had reached a first peak in their career, but the fast and furious rock 'n' roll lifestyle demanded a sacrifice: rough-throated Taneli Jarva was too worn out to continue and took some years off before returning with his own band The Black League. An era had reached its end. SENTENCED had built the base of the Finnish boom in metal, alongside Amorphis and Waltari, paving the path for such diverse bands as Children of Bodom or Nightwish. 
Still there was no rest for the wicked, and SENTENCED were not satisfied to rest on their earlier succces. They recruited the charismatic Ville Laihiala and returned with the sensational "Down" in 1996. "Down" finally ended the chapter "death metal" for the reformed five-piece band. Taneli's deep rumpling voice was replaced by Ville's warm and clear delivery. The dark-maned Finn immediately put his own touch to the new melancholic and pain-ridden songs. Caught between anger and despair, "Down" offered more than once suicide as the only way out. While that theme became something of a trademark, SENTENCED more or less toyed full of self-irony and biting sarcasm with the melancholic stance of their fellow countryman - likely caused by too many dark days in wintertime. A simultaneous change of singer and style meant truly taking a dare, but for SENTENCED it turned out to be a lucky one. The band kept most of their old fans and added a considerable number of new followers to their camp. From now on SENTENCED released top-records in a quiet regular rhythm of two years. "Frozen" (1998) followed "Down" and delivered a more precise and refined version of the new formula. Next up "Crimson" (2000) added a mighty dose of bitterness and finally "The Cold White Light" (2002) took this special SENTENCED-sound to a new peak: The perfectly interlacing stringwork of guitar-duo Lopakka & Tenkula gave the band抯 desolate picture a shining silver frame. Melodic beasts of groove were driven by Ville's electrifying voice, embodying the pain of broken hearts and seeming to drown easily in streams of alcohol at the same time. SENTENCED manage to use all those clich閟 of their homeland to better effect without ever appearing stereotyped. It was quite the other way around - while the band matured into a young adult it created some of their most breathtaking songs like the poison-dripping "Excuse Me While I Kill Myself" or the sadness filled "Cross My Heart And Hope To Die". It is beyond doubt, that SENTENCED as masters of melancholy in their second incarnation delivered a decisive impulse, that others successfully turned into poppier sounds like HIM, Charon or even The Rasmus - yet SENTENCED remained always true to the metal-genre. 
And now it is supposed to be all over. Just like in their songs, the five Finns commit collective suicide as a band and part ways with each other. At the end of this year, SENTENCED will no longer be among us. What a painful thought full of drama and tragedy. Only one hope remains, before the end we will once more enjoy the happiness of a new SENTENCED-release. Dear assembly, behold "The Funeral Album", which the Finns from Oulu luckily leave as their final testament. "We decided to end the band's career with this record, and already knew what was going to happen when we were writing the songs", admits guitarist Sami Lopakka. "So we agreed to make this one final round, to make a farewell album and a funeral tour." Knowledge of their mortality and the end firmly in sight led SENTENCED to an outburst of unexpected powerful creativity: "The Funeral Album" oozes with self-confidence, variety and a barely restrained hostility. It was recorded at Finland's Tonebox and Finnvox Studios and mastered at Finnvox Studios by the acclaimed Mika Jussila. Manning the producer's chair was Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, Moonspell, Apocalyptica, Theatre Of Tragedy and many more), who also produced SENTENCED's two previous albums "Crimson" and "The Cold White Light". Right from the sparkling opener "May Today Become The Day", an uptempo rocker with brilliant solo-parts, the album hits home. The following ice-breaker "Ever-Frost" reminds immediately of "Frozen" in its most distilled form, while "We Are But Falling Leaves" continues the Finns' great tradition of sad half-ballads. Only one track further down the album, "Her Last 5 Minutes" explore even greater depths of despair, underlined by fragile solo-guitars. This song leaves the listener with the frosty feeling of standing in a cold winter's rain and a truly freezing shower is soon to follow: "Where Waters Fall Frozen" proves to be a short instrumental reminder of SENTENCED days in the realm of death metal. "There are some references to the things we have done in the past", agrees Sami. "However, those pieces came out naturally. For example "Where Waters Fall Frozen", which somehow links to "North From Here", was born in rehearsals when we were waiting for someone to show up - kind of a live burst of aggression." This nostalgia is also present in "Despair-Ridden Hearts". Once this song takes up speed after its surprising harmonica intro, and those fingers fly over the strings one feels returned to the grace of "Amok". The same feeling points towards the angry impetus of "Down" while listening to the nicely coarse "Vengeance Is Mine". At this point it is necessary to state, that these songs are not even close to ordinary copies of gone glories, but only mildly hinting to the past while still being full of fresh ideas. Just marvel about this insane choir of children in "Vengeance Is Mine" for example. 揅onsider Us Dead?and the dirty groove of "A Long Way To Nowhere" both take another turn off the band's road and treads on the melodic path in between metal and gothic rock. One step ahead, "Lower The Flags" demonstrates clearly that SENTENCED are well able to deliver a stunningly dark piece of rock, which makes their more commercial Finnish colleagues look rather pale in comparison - and not only because of the classic piano-intro. In a last struggle before the looming end, the lively "Drain Me" stubbornly refuses to give in to tearful moods, but now it is time for the inevitable: After the thoughtful acoustic piece "Karu" allows a last pause, the stone is finally and firmly placed on the grave by "End Of The Road". Ville sings with a tender voice of this journey's end, then a grave-bell tolls and the guitars set in for a dark requiem like the last beats of a heart surrounded by silence. The choir of children returns and "End of The Road" makes a final stand, rising beautifully before slowly fading into eternity. "Obviously the overall feeling of the album is very final and every song has the words 慻ood bye?written upon it", remarks Sami. "After making "The Funeral Album" we can look back on our career with the knowledge that we kept the flame burning at its brightest till the very end and let it die with dignity." 
There is nothing to add to these last words. So let us praise and celebrate "The Funeral Album" now, for it is the grandiose peak of SENTENCED's too-brief but wonderful and glorious life. When attending the band's last rites at this year抯 summer festivals, we shall all turn those concerts into a worthy memorial of both laughter and tears. Amen. 
- Gunnar Sauermann 
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