Band:	Sentenced
Album:	Amok
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	1995
Guest review by:	iaberis

01. The War Ain't Over!
02. Phenix
03. New Age Messiah
04. Forever Lost
05. Funeral Spring
06. Nepenthe
07. Dance On The Grave (Lil 'Siztah)
08. Moon Magick
09. The Golden Stream Of Lapland
10. The Way I Wanna Go [2001 Re-Release bonus]
11. Obsession [2001 Re-Release bonus]
12. Dreamlands [2001 Re-Release bonus]
13. White Wedding [Billy Idol cover] [2001 Re-Release bonus]
14. Love And Death [2001 Re-Release bonus]

"Amok" is the last full-length album of "Sentenced" with the singer Taneli Jarva which ended their Death Metal chapter. It was followed by a last EP ("Love & Death"), later that year which officially closed this era. Both albums can be found today as one compilation, which includes remastered, all fourteen songs (nine from "Amok" and five from "Love & Death") and the two original booklets in a one new. It's considered by many fans, as the best album in their Death Metal era; it's also included, by many magazines, in "The best albums ever" lists. Comparing to older albums of the band, it's by far their best, since here the sound and the vocals are significantly improved. The melodic guitar riffs and the female vocals give a different atmosphere and the sense of a professional band, a band that is one of the best in its kind.

The album begins with "The War Ain't Over!" under the sounds of a "modern" battle which tries to prepare you for the upcoming song. I was never fan of these kind of intros, but I have to admit, that this one has a good taste! I don't know wether it achieves its purpose to infuse the sense of amok in a battle to you, but it gets along really well with the song. Now, if you are a fan of Iron Maiden and their music, you'll find this album very interesting. From the first till the last song, the influences are obvious to anyone. Songs like "New Age Messiah," "Forever Lost" or "Nepenthe" reminds me of many famous Maiden's songs, from albums like "The number of the beast," "Seventh son of a seventh son" or even "Powerslave." Sometimes they sound like "Judas Priest" or even like "Iced Earth" in their early works. I don't know who influenced who in this case, but it sounds really good to my ears and hopefully to yours. The sound of the whole album is so similar to "Iron Maiden" that if you mute the vocals and just listen to the guitars and the music, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The resemblance is undeniable and that's more clearly if you have a look on their earlier EP, "The Trooper." I don't know if this resemblance is good, because if you don't like "Iron Maiden" you'll probably find this album boring, just another band trying to copy Maiden's music?

Influences in music are something very common. Every musician has his influences and with his turn, he influences other musicians. So "Amok" in general lines, is an album with "Maidenish" music and death metal vocals? Although, not so original, it made many fans and many bands of that time, were inspired by this work. An example is "Septic Flesh," where you can see similarities in vocals, but in their albums of later time. Taneli's great vocals in the song "Moon Magick" will remind you of Septic's Flesh "Science" in the album "Revolution DNA" (1999). So as you can see, similarities and influences are something usual in music, so there's no need to judge a band quickly, just because there is resemblance with other bands?

If you ask my opinion, "Amok" is one of the best albums in Melodic Death Metal history and it shouldn't be absent from any metal collection. Furthermore, as I said in the beginning, it's available in a very attractive compilation "Amok & Love and Death EP - Deluxe Edition," so it's a very good choice.