Review Summary: A fitting tombstone for a great band.
Ville Laihiala - vocals
Miika Tenkula - guitar
Sami Lopakka - guitar
Sami Kukkohovi - bass
Vesa Ranta - drums
Taneli Jarva - vocals (tracks 1-5 on CD 2)
What was the last band that retired? Many bands announce a farewell tour only to come back a couple of years later, many bands just slowly become more and more irrelevant until one day they announce on their website that they are no more. In that regard, Sentenced are unlike any other band; not only did they announce that
“The Funeral Album” would be their final studio album but they also recorded their final concert for a live CD/DVD. Now that’s going out on your own terms.
On October 1st, 2005 Sentenced held their final concert in their home country of Finland and recorded it for a live album. Exactly how “live” it is may be debatable as most “live” albums are retouched to get a better sound quality.
“Buried Alive” has a great sound, with the crowd noise and vocalist Ville’s interaction with the crowd(in Finnish), it leaves no doubt that this is a live album. Sentenced formed in 1989 and started playing death metal but slowly morphed into a gothic-tinged hard rock band similar to another Finnish hard rock band(also with a vocalist named Ville) but a bit heavier and with more of a metal edge. They gives us a taste of their early days when former vocalist Taneli Jarva makes an appearance for five songs and although it was a very nice gesture and must’ve been a treat for longtime fans, the death growls of Taneli really disrupt the continuity of the album since it sounds so different from Ville’s deep and a bit distorted vocals, he is the superior vocalist and things get back on track when he reappears.
The album flows smoothly with tracks spanning their fifteen year existence, a particular standout is the combination of ‘The Suicider’ and ‘Excuse Me While I Kill Myself’ with the crowd singing along. The subject matter is depressive and despair-themed but it’s done in such a catchy, rock and roll fashion that you’ll be nodding your head to lyrics like:
“I’ll kill myself, I’ll blow my brains onto the wall!” Suicidal lyrics and songs about heartbreak never sounded so good! Songs like the upbeat “Cross My Heart and Hope to Die” may talk about suicide but they are done in such a way that doesn’t really make them sound depressing. The musicianship is very good even if the songs aren’t very technical for the most part but the death metal tracks like “Northern Lights” show off some impressive guitarwork. It fittingly ends with the track “End of the Road” which was also the closer on their final album.
This album is a must for fans of Sentenced and it also serves as a great introduction to the band as it has all their best songs. Many of these songs sound better than the album versions because of the live atmosphere and Ville’s energy and passion really shines through on the vocals. A great end to a great band, Sentenced went out on top. In the liner notes they take a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche:
“Some die too young, some die too old;
the precept sounds strange, but die at the right age.”
Sentenced was one of the few bands that was able to do that…
Recommended Tracks:
The Suicider / Excuse Me While I Kill Myself
Neverlasting
Brief is the Light
