The Funeral Album

Sentenced

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 31, 2005)
• Original Release Date: May 31, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Century Media
• ASIN: B0007Y08VK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,559 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars you will indeed be missed, June 4, 2005

By	Mark Rzeszutek (Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here we have a band of 5 warriors who know the wisdom of quitting while they're ahead. After being instrumental (and criminally overlooked!) in the development of the melodic Finnish death metal style (continued today by bands like Children of Bodom and Norther), after releasing one of the absolute best metal albums I've ever heard (Amok), and after proving that they can be just as catchy as the average power metal band (every album after that, particularly Cold White Light), they're calling it a day. And calling it in style. They've delivered a virtually flawless album. If there are imperfections here, it'll be a while before I find them! The production is squeaky-clean, every instrument is prominent. The guitars are a bit low in the mix, which is unusual for heavy metal. The bass is very full-bodied and you can hear it easily.

Sentenced have long focused on composing ear-catching melodies that you can sing along to with lyrical themes focusing mostly on death, suicide, and sorrow (and the occasional drinking anthem). While this album is basically a cleaner extension of The Cold White Light, it contains a few throwbacks to yesterday's Sentenced in the form of a short instrumental track (Where Waters Fall Frozen) which sounds like it's straight off of North From Here; and also Ever-Frost contains some anti-Christian lyrics, something I haven't heard since Amok (though I could have missed it somewhere). No technical showing off here, just melodies that will careen from one side of your brain to the other with deliriously catchy choruses and a cool choir that appears in two songs.

The ending is perfect. A great guitar solo is what we're left with when it's all over. I don't think we wanted Sentenced to leave us, but since they've made their decision, I couldn't have asked for a better swan song. Again: perfect.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rest In Peace Sentenced 2005, August 4, 2005

By	Ken Pierce "Editor, PiercingMetal.com" (Brooklyn,, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sentenced is dead and it is my task to bring you this solemn news. It seems that after 14 years the five members of this Finnish band have made the command decision and decided to end the bands existence. "The Funeral Album" released on Century Media Records is the closest thing to a suicide note that investigators could find. As original fans will remember, Sentenced was known for blazing Death/Black Metal but several years ago switched gears and took on a more Traditional & Gothic mannerism to their performance and style. This release continues along those lines, and this is fine with me since it shows how diverse bands have proven themselves to be over time. Amorphis recently delivered a similar thing to their fans with "Far From The Sun" as the record was not what their normal fan base had expected either. "The Funeral Album" is full of tracks that signify the ending of ones life and while morose as a topic, most of these tracks are excellent. Very moody and dark and yet poignant more often than they are not. The titles use cryptic metaphors such as "We Are Falling Leaves", or "Lower The Flags" and "End Of The Road" just by reading them you kind of knows what the band is getting at.

Starting off with "May The Day Become The Day" the piece wastes no time in bringing you into the sad journey that is the Death of this band. This is such a rocking that you end up listening a couple of times in a row before you continue further. You then have tracks like "Her Last 5 Minutes" and in this there is a very Type-O-Negative feel to it at parts. Especially from their October Rust CD. Fans will know the sound when it comes on. There is one blazing metal track which is the instrumental "Where Waters Fall Frozen". It is the closest thing from the bands early days that fans will find on the piece. As this is an almost theme album, it is best listened to from beginning to end and that is how I recommend it. Musically it is very strong and stylish at the same time due to the consistency of its production. The band members we mourn on this release are Sami Kukkovhani, Miika Tenkula, Ville Laihiala, Sami Lopakka and Vesa Ranta. The band has said their will be no returning from this as they are moving on. A live DVD is said to be forthcoming from some of these final performances. The music truly stands strong enough to make a good concert piece so I look forward to that.

I have to say that I loved the CD for it crossed a little more into Hard Rock than remaining entirely in the Gothic aspect. While I hope that this is some Marketing scheme going on in the band and we are being misled, it is entirely probable that the time has come for them to end. The Funeral Album serves as a profound headstone to their 14 year career. May They Rest In Peace....

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars R.I.P. Sentenced, and thank you., June 7, 2005

By	L. Zimmerman "Burning Angel" (Nebraska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

i first was introduced to sentenced with The cold white light,
it blew me away, an awesome cd. everything they have done has been so mellow yet catchy, sentenced are indeed in a class all of there own. it did not take me long to buy all of there other cd's from crimson down to amok/love and death.
me personally i love there more mellow music.
i'm sure there are fans that enjoyed there earlier day and thats fine, i have a collection of plenty of heavy cd's ranging from dark tranquility to bloodbath and so forth,
but from DOWN to THE FUNERAL ALBUM i love them all.
there are a ton of great songs on this cd.
this is just my opinion i know but i feel that there best song ever was on there last cd THE COLD WHITE LIGHT, and that song is AIKA MULTAA MUISTOT ( EVERYTHING IS NOTHING).
such a beautiful song and speaks to me on many different levels,
as does VENGENCE IS MINE, in my opionon that is the best song on THE FUNERAL ALBUM.

I could speak all day about this band, they are on my top 5 list of my all time favorite bands. if you love metal of any size shape or form, you really need to buy this cd, you will not be disappointed i promise. they are just so relaxing to listen to
a nice change of pace from my catalogue of mostly death and thrash and so forth.

we can only hope that like every band before them that "quits" ;] , they start to miss each other or something in a few years and comes back for a few more cd's.

good-bye sentenced.

R.I.P.