Sentenced is known for their rockish heavy metal, but their debut was something really different. Shadows of the Past is, simply, pure death metal. It is hilarious to hear lead guitarist Miika Tenkula try to sing while the rest of band play really low and extremely slow, as is the way in their genre. However, the members of Sentenced are quite young while they recorded this debut album, so it is understandable that they didn't make gold. Shadows of the Past should come with a warning: "Only for fans."