Sentenced
The Cold White Light (Century Media)
by Martin Popoff
For some reason, Sentenced seems to rile the cockles of the morbid metal heart, folks siding with or against the new singer versus the old, the harsh semi-death churn of old versus the elegant, melodic Enter Gothman of new, or more accurately, everybody liking the characteristics of the mid-years and approximately 64.5% of those on board for the here and now. Last record Crimson was lambasted for auto-pilot drift, and this one’s receiving critical mood swings to the yays and nays. But man, if you are all inclined toward the band’s dreamy Finnish sentiments, there are choruses on here for miles, notable those fist-pumping “Cross My Heart and Hope To Die,” “Brief is the Light,” “Blood & Tears” and showstopper “Excuse Me While I Kill Myself,” each a powerful anthem exhibiting the band’s morose sense of humor, each crouching for the verse and then tugging the blood muscle through a shower of sad, loud guitars for the choral pay-off.
(2323 W. El Segundo Blvd. Hawthorne, CA 90250)