When vocalist Taneli Jarva left Sentenced after the awesome Amok, it was almost certain that the band couldn't continue the path they had walked during the previous couple of years.
So that's why it's a surprise that their first album with new vocalist Ville Laihiala is actually even stronger than Amok.
That takes a lot, because Amok wasn't a poor album.
Down's sound is really wide -- producer Waldemar Sorychta's keyboards play a big part in the background and create definite ambition, while Miika Tenkula and Sami Lopakka smash with a craggy guitar wall.
Laihiala's voice sounds more depressed than Jarva's, and even if he doesn't use much variety in his singing, he is very convincing.
Especially in massive songs like "Crumbling Down (Give Up Hope)" and "Ode to the End," the whole band works great together -- the dynamic is perfect and no one is left in the background.
Everyone will surely notice the keyboards -- it's exciting that someone uses keyboards to create a diverse and somewhat experimental sound even in a genre like heavy metal.
That's why Sentenced's Down does the same thing to the heavy metal world that Radiohead did to modern rock with OK Computer.
Whatever Sentenced decides to do in the future, they'll be remembered for Down.
And that isn't a shame.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intro - The GateMiika Tenkula | Sentenced | Play | 01:21 | 0 MB | 8 MB |
| 2 | NooseSami Lopakka, Sentenced, Miika Tenkula | Sentenced, Ville Laihiala | Play | 04:01 | 0 MB | 30 MB |
| 3 | ShadegrownSami Lopakka, Miika Tenkula | Sentenced, Ville Laihiala | Play | 04:36 | 0 MB | 33 MB |
| 4 | BleedSami Lopakka, Miika Tenkula | Sentenced, Ville Laihiala | Play | 03:40 | 0 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | Keep My Grave OpenSami Lopakka | Sentenced, Ville Laihiala | Play | 03:53 | 0 MB | 30 MB |
| 6 | Crumbling Down (Give Up Hope)Sami Lopakka, Miika Tenkula | Sentenced, Ville Laihiala | Play | 05:26 | 0 MB | 40 MB |
| 7 | Sun Won't ShineSami Lopakka, Miika Tenkula | Sentenced, Ville Laihiala | Play | 04:16 | 0 MB | 30 MB |
| 8 | Ode to the EndVille Laihiala, Sami Lopakka, Miika Tenkula | Sentenced, Ville Laihiala | Play | 05:20 | 0 MB | 38 MB |
| 9 | 0132Sami Lopakka, Miika Tenkula | Sentenced | Play | 01:42 | 0 MB | 13 MB |
| 10 | Warrior of Life (Reaper Redeemer)Sami Lopakka, Miika Tenkula | Sentenced, Ville Laihiala | Play | 03:41 | 0 MB | 27 MB |
| 11 | I'll Throw the First RockVille Laihiala, Sami Lopakka, Miika Tenkula | Sentenced, Ville Laihiala | Play | 03:23 | 0 MB | 26 MB |
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| 41 mins | 307 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Siggi Bemm | Engineer |
| 2 | Ville Laihiala | Composer, Performer, Primary Artist |
| 3 | Sami Lopakka | Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 4 | Vesa Ranta | Drums, Vocals |
| 5 | Sentenced | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 6 | Waldemar Sorychta | Engineer, Keyboards, Producer |
| 7 | Miika Tenkula | Composer |
| 8 | Vorph | Vocals |
| 9 | Birgit Zacher | Vocals |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |