Sentenced

The Finnish heavy metal outfit Sentenced put out its first full-length effort, Shadows of the Past, during the early '90s via a modest French imprint. Unhappy with the fairly generic black-metal approach that defined their early work, the group brought in bassist/vocalist Taneli Jarva to inject greater individuality into 1992's North From Here. That release displayed heightened melodic qualities along with improved technical execution, drawing attention across the border in Sweden. In 1993 a four-song EP titled The Trooper arrived, its opening track an interpretation of the Iron Maiden staple. The move signaled an ongoing turn toward a still more melodic sound shaped by British metal influences, an approach that found fuller expression on 1995's Amok as well as the companion EP Love and Death. Jarva departed soon afterward, shifting the creative center of Sentenced to guitarist Miika Tenkula and fresh vocalist Ville Laihiala. Down, issued in 1997, became the initial recording from this reconfigured roster and was succeeded the next year by the career-spanning collection Story: A Recollection. The band resurfaced at the start of 2000 with Crimson before delivering The Cold White Light two years later.