Sentenced was a Finnish metal band that played melodic death metal in their early years before moving on to gothic metal. The band formed in 1989, in the town of Muhos, Finland, and broke up in 2005. Sentenced started in 1989 as Deformity and changed their name to Sentenced in 1989, after a few line-up changes. The original line-up consisted of Miika Tenkula (lead guitar and vocals), Sami Lopakka (guitar), Vesa Ranta (drums), and Lari Kylmänen (bass). They recorded two demo tapes: When Death Joins Us… in 1990 and Rotting Ways to Misery in 1991. The band actually got their very first record deal (with the French label Thrash Records) after their first demo.