Down

“I'll drink the booze to depress myself
then I take the rope and express myself
I'll leave this world without shedding a tear
without hope, without fear”




First off, let me just point out that there really aren’t any labels for this. It’s not gothic rock or gothic metal as their much later releases are often labeled as, yet, it is a departure from the harsher sounds of their early days. But it’s not the label or genre of this album (or any albm for that matter) that’s important, it’s its effect on the listener. But if I really must describe this record, I’d label it as nothing other than “heavy rock” or "suicide rock", solely based on the lyrical content and the dark, brooding atmosphere. Down is a loosely woven conceptual album based around grieving, loss, death, frustration, hopelessness etc, all done on a level of high attitude despite the the fact that the singer sounds as if he's about to cut his veins or blow his brains out at any moment.

Stylistically, Down is a traditional hard rock/heavy metal album that’s oozing in melancholy. The bass and guitars are down tuned to a rumble, while still maintaining a clean sound that's not too overbearing. It’s still somewhat easy to see at this point how they have evolved from an early Death Metal outfit, now playing a more sophisticated style. After all, it is Ville Laihiala’s first performance with the band as lead vocalist, and there's no way in hell that he can be compared to Taneli Jarva, as they both present masterful, yet completely different styles. Ville’s vocals are heavy-hearted and gloomy, emulating feelings of despair and misery. The guitars, on the other hand, are razor sharp and heavy, carrying on the weight of the subject matter in a doom-esque manner, often times border lining on the genre without stepping both feet into its territory.

Tracks like “Shadegrown”, “Keep My Grave Open” and “Ode To The End” move at a slow, sorrowful pace, immersing the listener into the depths of sorrow. “Crumbling Down (Give Up Hope)” and “Ode To The End” also incorporporate a few clean sung female passages that are quite effective, taking us back to the Amok days. The remaining tracks are all mid to fast paced metal numbers. There are two fan favorites on here, “Noose” and “Bleed”. The former contains a virtuous main riff that’s undeniably catchy and serves as a great opener for the album, and the latter consists of harsh, death metal-type backing vocals that blend well with the song’s aggression on a whole.

Although Down is an album where every track flows smoothly like a thick river of blood, each and every song has its own identity and its own specialty. I can’t go without mentioning “Sun Won’t Shine” and “Warrior of Life (Reaper Redeemer)” for their ambiguous choruses and solid riff work. The last song, “I’ll Throw The First Rock”, sounds like something that could have easily fit on their Amok album with its speed metal-ish approach and general melodic arrangements. However, it does leave you desiring for more, as the album seems to finish just a little too early. But hey, the year was 1996. Can’t really complain.


Despite the sad and depressed nature of this record, this is an album for any mood or occasion. And just as with Amok, or any other of their releaes, there is not another record out there that even comes close to sounding like it. It is uniqueness, quality, diversity, creativity and atmosphere all blended into pure perfection. This is the ultimate Sentenced album! A MUST HEAR!




“Don't hold your sight - I know there's no heaven
...I believe we all have our personal Hell
and don't be scared, take death with open arms
and you'll feel so warm and peaceful…”