Sentenced - The Funeral Album
Century Media Records - 2005
By Adam McAuley
A far cry from the classic sounds of Amok, the final album from these veterans sees them further delving into their straightforward heavy metal style that is not completely unlike what Metallica started to experiment with circa their self-titled album. And like the disappointment that came with that album, I must say that I am not convinced in the merits of the sound of this album. There is a nice array of acoustic guitars used in the background, and the album maintainas a fairly rollicking sound, but it just doesn't really raise a pulse like you might hope it would and does only on the rare occasion.
One of the major problems I have with the album is in fact the James Hetfield-esque vocals of Ville Laihiala which sound just a bit too much like Hetfield, except they aren't as good. Furthermore, with a name like The Funeral Album you would expect this material to be slightly more depressing than the mostly even keel material found here. It's relatively mundane stuff throughout, which sort of makes you question why the band hadn't stopped releasing albums a couple of them ago. The merits of the album are the aforementioned lively use of acoustic guitar and the occasional strong point, but it all just drags on a little too much for my taste, especially when you know these guys are very good musicians that have released some semi-classic material in the past.
Thankfully, the final track "End of the Road" is a standout, the crescendo closing off the album being one of its best moments and one in which you would wonder why they didn't utilize more of throughout the remainder of the album. Overall, The Funeral Album is a very ho-hum album that would score perhaps slightly higher if it wasn't by such a formerly outstanding outfit, but as it is this can't be recommended to even the most die-hard fans.
6.5/10
Official Century Media Website
Official Sentenced Website
Century Media Records - 2005
By Adam McAuley
A far cry from the classic sounds of Amok, the final album from these veterans sees them further delving into their straightforward heavy metal style that is not completely unlike what Metallica started to experiment with circa their self-titled album. And like the disappointment that came with that album, I must say that I am not convinced in the merits of the sound of this album. There is a nice array of acoustic guitars used in the background, and the album maintainas a fairly rollicking sound, but it just doesn't really raise a pulse like you might hope it would and does only on the rare occasion.
One of the major problems I have with the album is in fact the James Hetfield-esque vocals of Ville Laihiala which sound just a bit too much like Hetfield, except they aren't as good. Furthermore, with a name like The Funeral Album you would expect this material to be slightly more depressing than the mostly even keel material found here. It's relatively mundane stuff throughout, which sort of makes you question why the band hadn't stopped releasing albums a couple of them ago. The merits of the album are the aforementioned lively use of acoustic guitar and the occasional strong point, but it all just drags on a little too much for my taste, especially when you know these guys are very good musicians that have released some semi-classic material in the past.
Thankfully, the final track "End of the Road" is a standout, the crescendo closing off the album being one of its best moments and one in which you would wonder why they didn't utilize more of throughout the remainder of the album. Overall, The Funeral Album is a very ho-hum album that would score perhaps slightly higher if it wasn't by such a formerly outstanding outfit, but as it is this can't be recommended to even the most die-hard fans.
6.5/10
Official Century Media Website
Official Sentenced Website
