Review by SzejkElRopa on January 12, 2026.

As a young metalhead, I have never heard of gothic metal. The first time I came across it was when a person who got me into metal recommended me Sentenced. Immediately after coming home, I clicked on a random Sentenced album, which turned out to be "The Cold White Light." At first, I found this sound quite interesting, sounding quite like pop, but, unlike many songs of that genre, I felt it had soul in it. Enough of backstories; let's move to the musical content of this brilliant album.

Starting with the lead guitar, I must admit that Miika Tenkula (RIP legend) was a master at making melodies. He managed to balance sweetness and seriousness. For example, in 'Cross My Heart And Hope To Die,' the melancholy is indescribable. Melodies fit songs very well and are emotional, dark, and sometimes hopeful, depending on the song. As mentioned previously, on some songs, the atmosphere created by Miika is rather dark, and sometimes, like a glimmer of hope on this album full of depression. His guitar solos are very varied and don't feel like uninvited guests but like must-haves in this album. While the one on 'Aika Multaa Muistot' is rather slow and depressive, the one on 'Neverlasting' is very fast and energetic; both fill the atmosphere very damn well.

Ville Laihiala, the frontman and singer, does a very good job on this album. Contrary to previous albums, his voice is much cleaner and pleasant. He does a great job shouting, whispering, and barking. The variety of singing styles doesn't make Laihiala boring. His singing works well with instruments and is another strong point on this album. Sami Lopakka on rhythm guitar and Sami Kukkohovi on bass guitar do everything necessary on this album. Their work is hard to hear because Miika Tenkula steals all the show with guitar work, and the bass isn't highlighted in production (exception: 'Neverlasting'). Vesa Ranta doesn't do anything special but does his job well enough. Differently from bass, drums are very highlighted in production.

The album is very simple but done fricking well and is very memorable. For example, the energy in 'Brief Is The Light' or 'Neverlasting' can be comparable to many thrash metal bands. Most of the songs are made very simple, with choruses and usually with two/three verses. What is vital is that they don't become boring with time, only more interesting. After two fast songs, the album slows its tempo on 'Aika Multaa Muistot' and brings the listener back to the depressive atmosphere heard previously on 'Cross My Heart...'. Another example could be 'You Are The One' - after three songs with rather depressive lyrics and, in the case of two, sounds, this song feels like a break and a moment of rest from all bad emotions. Finns were also masters in singing about suicide, as if it was nothing serious. 'Excuse Me While I Kill Myself' and 'The Luxury Of A Grave' are songs that I wouldn't ever think were about this hard topic.

Speaking about lyrics, I will come back to 'Excuse me...' and 'The Luxury...' because these are the essence of Finnish dark humour. My favorite is "Oh, no... a see-through plastic bag will do just fine". In other songs, the lyrics are also emotional. For instance, in 'Brief Is The Light,' the lyrics are very uplifting, but in 'Blood And Tears', not very much so. The lyrics are also bloody simple, but enough to fit the atmosphere. If I had to choose my favorite, I'd go for 'You Are The One' - the best declaration of love I have ever heard in my short life.

In conclusion, "The Cold White Light" is a very emotional album that I would recommend for every person who wants to start the journey with metal music. This is the kind of album you listen to when you fail your exam or something bad happens - it is like a musical hug. Simply perfect work.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Michael on July 23, 2002.

Very few (and I won’t say metal) ‘hard rocking’ albums have hit a nerve with me in recent times, especially from bands like Sentenced who are still pumping the sound that was popular in the early nineties, but their latest offering ”The Cold White Light” blows me away every time I hear it. Every facet of this album is cliché, from the standard eighties style drum beats, to the glorious hair swinging chorus’ and last but not least the fine use of claps! ...but isn’t that what we are all looking for somewhere deep inside? To feel great hearing the classic 1-4-5-1 Cadence...?

After swinging my hair around and playing air guitar during the first spin, I decided to really sit down and listen to this record. I very quickly came to the conclusion that it sounded basically exactly the same as any other Sentenced album. But hey, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing! Sentenced have definitely earned themselves a spot in the hard rocking metal pages.

One thing I always hear in Sentenced is Metallica. Obviously they are different bands, but on so many occasions while listening to ”The Cold White Light” I was reminded of the vocals of James Hetfield and the guitar lines off say for example Metallica’s ”Black Album”.

Aside from this album being a stock standard hard rocker, it really does have some brilliant moments when you come to realize why we all loved the 80’s so much when we were there, the world needs bands like Sentenced who for whatever reason think they are still rocking out in ’89.

The production is by far the best production I’ve heard from Sentenced, there are the same kinds of ideas as on previous albums, but the actual recording is much better quality. More bottom end has been incorporated which has helped them take at least one step away from the traditional sound they are so famous for.

Bottom Line: This is a great hard rock album. Good production, classic riffs and catchy vocal lines. If you liked anything from the late 80’s to the early 90’s then you will like this.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 8
Originality: 5
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.2 out of 10