SENTENCED
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Think that the new album of sentenced
titled “The Cold White Light” is one of the best releases this year so
far. It more than a very good album with interesting band and he
has concept. This time we have Sami Lopakka the main guitarist of thesomething
interesting for us. Hi Sami, my name is Kostas Meidanis, and I want to
congratulate you personally for THE COLD WHITE LIGHT. I think it's one
of the best albums this year so far,,, Enough talk for me, it is now the
"Hard" time to answer my 15 questions! :)
1) Sentenced have been for over
a decade in the metal scene and we have seen that you have changed a lot
since your start and amazing debut as a group. Do you think that Sentenced
are an unsettled band that always seeks an identity or an evolving band
that has the ability to shape its style in order to have "fresh ideas"
on the appropriate time.
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- You're right, we have changed a lot
during the years and are pretty far from where we started from. It's just
the way we are. I don't think it would be even possible for Sentenced to
make the same kind of album twice. However I would say that the steps have
not been that big since "Amok" (1995), we are still reborn in the same
kind of style we started with that album. With "Amok" we found the band's
identity and something we can call our own. But still we seek for something
new each time we make an album, and want to conquer new grounds with every
release. That way we can keep this interesting for the band members and
for the listeners.
2) In the past, they were critics about
your songs, that the Riffs look alike Iron Maiden or Queensryche.
Do you think that these groups had influenced the song-writing of
Sentenced?
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- Maybe in the early years, but since
the first album we have always seeked for something of our own. Iron Maiden
was an easy choice for the critics because we had recorded a cover version
of "The Trooper" in 1993. I don't think that we actually had that much
influence from their riffs anyway. Both bands that you mentioned
are great and we have a lot of respect for them,but I wouldn't say
that you could call them our direct influences.
3) Which groups do you think that determine
the course of metal?
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- Of course the ones who take a certain
course first, and later the ones that refuse to follow the course that
is already taken. I don't think that metal should be some defined course,
to me everything new is at least in principal welcome. Differences are
richness.
4) In the past Sentenced were given
the stamp of a "Suicide Band", do you agree with that term?
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- It is at some level understandable
because we had and have so many death- and suicide-related songs. In my
eyes Sentenced is however much more than that, and in fact we sing more
about life than about death. Death is just a natural part of every life,
and that's why it is so much present in our lyrics, even the ones that
actually deal with life. I don't agree with any stamps we are given, because
we are so many things at the same time - you can't really say what we are
about with only a couple of words.
5) What's the meaning of THE COLD WHITE
LIGHT, and whats that «freaky» sound in the end of the last
track? It seem to me as a quite opposite than the beginning of the first
track. Is it an effect that symbols life and death;The Beginning and The
End perhaps?
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- The meaning of "The Cold White Light"
can be a lot of things, we chose that title because it's open enough for
personal interpretation. It can be the light of death, the light of life,
the light of hope, the light of despair. Still it somehow gathers together
the album's songs that are quite different from each other. The sound in
the intro and outro is a Finnish loon (a bird). For the beginning
of the album we wanted to have something peaceful and for the end something
shocking. Your interpretation about life/death is one way to look at it.
6) If someone told you to make a Dream
Team of Metal, Which musicians would you choose and what kind of
music would you like to play?
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- Here we go:
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Vocals: Peter Steele/TYPE O NEGATIVE
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Guitars: Jesper/INFLAMES and Miika/SENTENCED
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Bass: Steve Harris/IRON MAIDEN
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Drums: Dave Lombardo/formerly SLAYER
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Maybe they could come
up with only senseless shit together but at least the line-up would
be killer, heh heh...
7) Do you think that the metal genre
or the music genre generally realy benefits from the «Progressive»
groups like Dream Theater?
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- In my opinion it's not a question
of the music genre benefiting from them. If at least some people enjoy
listening to them, their existence is justified.
8) Do you read books? Do you have a
favorite Book?
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- Yes, I read quite a lot. I like realistic
writers most, I'm not into fantasy, sci-fi or horror. I can't name one
specific favorite book, but one of my absolute favorite writers are Finnish
cult authors Juha Sepp?l? and Markku Heikkil?. Those guys aren't afraid
of saying ANYTHING.
9) Are you satisfied from the production
of the album from Hiili Hiilesmaa?
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- Yes, we are. Hiili has produced a
lot of bands but he's always able to come up with something different.
And as we wanted to have an album that has a lot of variation even inside
the same package, he was definitely the right choice.
10) I will say 10 words and you must
find something similar, the first think that comes up to your mind.
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a) Sentenced - melancholy
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b) Suicide - release
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c) Women - beauty
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d) Religion - worthless
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e) Love - hope
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f) Nu-Metal Groups - ………..
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g) AMOK - a turning point
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h) Death Metal - a starting point
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I) Sex - pussy
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J) Friends – laughter
11) Do you think that when a group
has nothing more to offer and keeps repeating itself should retire from
the music genre?
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- No. Take a look at Slayer for example.
They haven't changed a lot over the years and are still killer.
12) If someone didn't see his life
so optimistic and asked you for an advice,what would you say to him?
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- Bathe in your own melancholy deep
enough, and you'll experience a katharsis.
13)We reached the 13th question, are
you superstitious?
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- No, I'm not. 13 sounds very good
though, as it is the symbol of bad luck in many cultures.
14) If I had a time machine and I told
you that you have one chance to change a mistake you made in the
past. What would be it? Do you think that we must regret for our mistakes?
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- I think it's good that we are not
able to do that. We learn from our mistakes and become wiser because of
them. So if you gave me a chance with a time machine I'd go to the future
and check out next week's lottery numbers.
15) We reached the end of the interview,
do you have a special message to the Greek fans of Sentenced?
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- Thanks for your support, I know there
are a lot of our fans in Greece. I very much hope we have time to come
to Greece this year and play for you. Ifand when that happens, see you
all Greek bangers there!
The last lines are for you, thank you
for the interview, it was a great honor for me, keep up the good work and
take care
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- Thank You Kostas!
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/Sami Lopakka/SENTENCED
Kostas “C.O.B”
Meidanis