Sentenced to Life
by Black Breath
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
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  1. Drowned In Sound
    Apr 30, 2012
    90
    A surefire contender for metal album of the year and certainly worthy of some crossover recognition, Sentenced To Life deserves some adulation purely for reminding us that metal doesn't need bells and whistles to be thrilling, even in 2012.
  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    Mar 28, 2012
    90
    It's like the best bits of every extreme metal subgenre: a deathly crossover of sludgy, blackened thrash that will put hairs on your chest.
  3. The New York Times
    Apr 3, 2012
    80
    Everything it has done, including the EP "Razor to Oblivion" and the album "Heavy Breathing," has been better than good. But Sentenced to Life (Southern Lord), its second album, reaches a new level of--how else to say it?--professionalism.
  5. Delusions of Adequacy
    Mar 30, 2012
    80
    I cannot overstate enough the cross genre appeal that is contained within Sentenced to Life. There is literally enough here for everyone; while it lacks a black metal vibe I feel it would still be relevant enough for those that jam out with corpse paint.
  6. Exclaim
    Mar 28, 2012
    80
    The album brings the dead back to life with the best kind of dark thrash, which is dripping with West coast hardcore aggression.
  7. AllMusic
    Mar 28, 2012
    80
    With Sentenced to Life, Black Breath have crafted a no-nonsense slab of modern hardcore that draws from a diverse set of rules, but yields to none of them.
  8. Alternative Press
    Mar 28, 2012
    80
    These shifting dynamics increase the record's overall potency, and while it makes an abrasive mark on first exposure, it grows more and more absorbing with each successive listen, making Black Breath one of premier heavy bands to be watching in 2012.
  9. Pitchfork
    Apr 26, 2012
    76
    Throughout, the much-improved vocalist Neil McAdams leads plenty of shout-along choruses.
  10. PopMatters
    Apr 26, 2012
    70
    The key difference this time round is the reduced field of fire. By discarding some of the sinuous fuzz of d-beat, the resulting bare bones tracks are darker, more intimidating, and deliver the uppercut with lightening speed.
  11. Austin Chronicle
    Aug 9, 2012
    67
    Sentenced to Life mostly retreads 2010 Southern Lord debut Heavy Breathing, but with boosted boom and production clarity.

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Best Album of 2012

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