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Ever
heard of Gothenburg styled death metal? No, I didn't
think so. It's a form of metal with gloomy lyrics and
very melodic guitars. Guttural vocals, although common,
are optional.
One
of the best examples of Gothenburg metal is the Finnish
band Sentenced. They started in 1991 with the record
"Shadows of the Past." The next release was
"North From Here" (a personal favorite). However,
these recordings were only released in Europe thanks
to their not so great label Century Media. They simply
did not try to promote the band in the US. That's what
you get from a German metal label. But finally, a few
years later, their first few records were re-released
in the States in the forms of single and double disk
compilations.
Almost
a decade of metal later, Sentenced's newest record "Crimson"
(Century Media), came out. If you are like me and buy
only the first two records and the latest offering,
you'll probably notice that they have really evolved
for the better. It's like listening to two different
bands. "North From Here" was great, but it
was grim and moody with guttural vocals singing about
such cheerful things as war and killing people. "Crimson"
is a masterpiece. The vocals are mellow and smooth.
It's simply wonderful. The guitar playing has changed
as well. Although there are not as many solos, the band
has definitely grown up in their performing. Plus, the
recording and sound quality have improved. It's almost
traditional for a band's first record to sound as though
it was produced in a bathroom, as "Shadows of the
Past" does.
When
you listen to this CD, if you are suffering from heartbreak
and sorrow, you will either (a) think, "Yeah I
know exactly what you're talking about" or (b)
cry your eyes out. "Crimson" is a very emotional
CD, which can be a dangerous thing.
The
best songs on the record are "Bleed in My Arms,"
"Fragile," "Killing Me Killing You"
and "My Slowing Heart." These songs make teenage
breakups sound downright eloquent -- and make one surprised
we're all not dead.
The
lyrics of "Bleed in My Arms" -- "No you
don't want me to be there … To kiss your eyes,
caress your hair… or kill that pain away"
make "Crimson" sound positively pop. But then
the lyrics of "Home in Despair" -- "And
yet in some twisted way, I enjoy my misery. And in some
strange way I've grown together with my agony"
smack us upside the head and remind us that Sentenced
is a metal band.
But
it's a different kind of metal. It's kind of like poppy-angsty-gloomy
metal. It's poetic almost, which seems to me to be a
more metallic quality than pop. But then it's got the
chorus-stuck-in-my-head quality of pop. Let's put it
this way: it could be played at a junior high dance
and at a rave and there would be no rioting.
Think
of it as the metal album that dared to cross into pop
… but it does not sound like an idiotic joke to
either party. It's unbelievable that they pulled it
off, but they did.
The
bottom line: If you like metal, you'd like "Crimson."
If you like pop, you'd like "Crimson." I am
not kidding.
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