Sentenced — Frozen

intothewellsabyss
Jul 15, 2023
4 min read

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

25 years ago today, “The Suicider” spilled blood on the “Frozen” ground!

Like Miika Tenkula, Sentenced may be gone, but neither the band or him will be forgotten! Not at Into the Wells!

On this day (July 15) in 1998, Sentenced released their fifth full-length album, “Frozen” via Century Media Records.

Background:

“Frozen” was recorded at the Woodhouse Studios style is similar to “Down”. Laihiala and Kukkohovi had become initiated into the band, so they participated in the composition process of the album.

In 1999, a special edition of “Frozen” was released, containing a re-colored (gold) cover and rearranged track running order, with four cover songs included.

An official music video was filmed for “The Suicider”.

The Wells Perspective:

For Death Metal elitists, Sentenced ended after the release of their album “North From Here”, and for Sentenced purists, it was when Taneli Jarva left the band. Like Paradise Lost with “Icon” or Anathema with “The Silent Enigma”, Sentenced had begun to evolve with the album “Amok”, and progressively began to march forward out of the realm of Death Metal and into the Gothic arena, with many screaming into the ether that the band had sold out to the commercialism of Gothic Rock.

But, like the aforementioned bands before them, the realm of Death Metal had become overgrown with many similar sounding bands, and it was ultimately time to tread new ground.

For me, this was an overwhelmingly positive move in a new direction. The magic of Sentenced was still very present, just on a more sullen and depressive plain, filled with a murky elegance, and mournful guise.

“Frozen” was the second album to feature Ville Laihiala on vocals, and while “Down” was the next step in the evolution of Sentenced, “Frozen” was the final stage of the bands metamorphosis into the fully bloomed Gothic Metal entity we know them to be today. Leading off the album is the instrumental track, “Kaamos”.

The title of the song is Finnish for the Polar Night, a period of darkness north of the Arctic Circle when the sun does not rise over the horizon. A perfect intro to the biting, frigid refrains that await you.

Sentenced then falls into the finality of “Farewell”, a track that is seemingly a goodbye letter from a tortured soul who can no longer face the emptiness inside.

And then we have “Dead Leaves”, like the cold air of autumn brings the scent of death, this track details the misery of loss and the emptiness one feels, like that of the winter frost upon the ground, our hearts are “Frozen”. The lyrics here are simple, yet they are powerful and impossible to forget. Who hasn’t, at some point carried these fillings around inside.

You would be hard-pressed not to feel a connection to either of these songs. “The Suicider” is an upbeat Rocker, telling the tale of a vengeful warrior who claims the lives of others in order to be reborn upon his own death.

My personal favorite is the following song, “The Rain Comes Falling Down”. This emotional song will suck you in with its catchy chorus and then spit you out with its depressive lyrics of a broken hearted soul who can no longer live on without the one he loves.

“Drown Together” is a classic tale of “Romeo and Juliet”, filled with a catchy groove, haunting keys and an ethereal choir.

The album ends with Mourn, another instrumental featuring lead guitar by the late Miika Tenkula (R.I.P.). Dedicated to his grandfather, this song is filled with some the most heartfelt guitar melodies and harmonies ever in Gothic Metal.

In conclusion; every song featured on “Frozen”, including the ones that I have not mentioned, will sweep you up in their crash of melancholy and despair, and though you are filled with sorrow throughout the entirety of the album, you won’t want to stop listening, as the crush of the emotional waves seemingly wash away your own desperation’s. — E.N. Wells

Critical Reception:

In his review for AllMusic, Steve Huey states;

“With “Frozen”, Sentenced align their melodic Metal sound with the "symphonic" gothic sounds of groups like Tiamat, Moonspell, and Paradise Lost. It's not really Black Metal, but the bleakness and depression of the music will certainly provide a similar appeal.”

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

▶ Listen to “Frozen” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/frozen/1045618808

▶ Listen to “Frozen” via Spotify: Frozen https://open.spotify.com/album/0xdSf6KFTkFciT8kK3gD2e

▶ Watch the official music video for “The Suicider”: https://youtu.be/v8bbD68Umvo

▶ Follow Sentenced on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sentenced.org

▶ Follow the alternate Facebook page for Sentenced: https://www.facebook.com/Sentenced89/

▶ Follow Sentenced Fans on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sentencedfans/

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells

Sentenced — Frozen

Background:

The Wells Perspective:

Critical Reception:

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

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