In Memory of SENTENCED guitarist Miika Tenkula (March 6, 1974 – February 18, 2009)

Miika Tenkula (Sentenced) - Mar 6, 1974-Feb 18, 2009

When I think of Sentenced, I feel like they were the most unpredictable metal band ever, period. They weren't "crazy" or "experimental" in the traditional sense; they were just restless! One cannot simply ask, "What does Sentenced sound like?" Instead, one must change the question to, "What did Sentenced sound like in this or that year?"

They were not the only band changing during that era. For example, at times Paradise Lost seemed rather unpredictable as well. However, Sentenced's album-to-album shifts felt more abrupt, and for some reason, the quality remained remarkably high; the music was just consistently good. Eventually, their sound settled into a signature gothic-morose rock metal style. While they found their niche by 1996, the period from 1989 to 1996 was a total roller coaster.

Below, I have included some sample songs so you can hear the evolution for yourself. Just for fun, I am going to sequence these backwards—starting from the later days of gothic rock and heading back toward the brutal death metal of their early years. Get ready for a bumpy ride; this is not going to be a smooth transition!

Miika was born in Oulu, Finland, and founded Sentenced in 1989. The band's early output was pure death metal, beginning with the demos When Death Join Us... (1990) and Rotting Ways to Misery (1991), followed by their debut full-length, Shadows of the Past (1991).

After the Journey to Pohjola demo (1992), Miika shifted the band toward a more technical death metal sound on the landmark North from Here (1993) and The Trooper EP (1994). By the mid-90s, he led the music into melodic death metal territory with Amok (1995) and the Love & Death EP (1995), before finally moving entirely in a gothic direction.

Metal Archives says about Miika: Lead guitarist and main songwriter for the band Sentenced until it disbanded. He was also the band's original vocalist from 1989 to late 1992.

After Sentenced disbanded, Miika Tenkula withdrew from publicity and died 4 years later to a sudden heart attack caused by genetic heart disease at his home in the town of Muhos on February 18th, 2009. His former band members remembered him by publishing an obituary on the official Sentenced homepage on February 22nd, 2009:

"Sentenced mourn the loss of Miika Tenkula, a dear friend, a truly remarkable artist and musician, and the very soul of what used to be Sentenced. Rest now, brother – in your music and our hearts you will live forever. R.I.P. Miika Tenkula [1974–2009]"

An open memorial was held at Club Teatria in the city of Oulu on April 18th, 2009, the same venue where Miika Tenkula and Sentenced held their last concert before disbanding in 2005. During the ceremony, music from Miika Tenkula's favourite artists were heard. In addition, cover versions of Sentenced songs were performed by various Finnish artists and bands.

Sentenced - May Today Become the Day (gothic rock metal sound) (2005)

Sentenced - Bleed (remastered 2007) (the shift towards gothic heavy metal) (1996)

Sentenced - New Age Messiah (melodic death metal) (1995)

Sentenced - Capture of Fire (technical death metal) (1993)

Sentenced - Rotting Ways to Misery (old school death metal) (1991)