Minneapolis, Minnesota death metal based band Sentenced 2 Die made their debut in the summer of last year. Their debut EP “No Reason To Live” was released in November 2021 and followed up that release with a Spring Promo.
Sentenced 2 Die will be making their return to Tulsa, OK next month. They will be performing at the Act Like You Know Festival on Sunday the 20th with Spaced, Anxious, Scowl, Pummel, Si Dios Quiere, Cell, Anklebiter, Strange Joy, and more!
I had a chance to ask the band some questions about their debut EP, the Minnesota music scene, their favorite releases of the year, and more! Read the full interview below!
Hi! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer some questions! Would love to start off with a quick intro. Who is Sentenced 2 Die? Introduce the band to For The Punks and our readers.
Yo what’s up this is Eli I play guitar in S2D. We’re a death metal band from Minneapolis, MN and we’re on Maggot Stomp.
You’re a newer Minneapolis based death metal band who released a debut EP back in November 2021. The EP has gained a good amount of attention. What does the support mean to you as a band?
This support was something we were super grateful to get especially coming from a part of the midwest where there isn’t a big scene compared to other cities like Chicago. For me it’s been pretty unexpected, because I initially intended this to be a more chill project, so people caring means even more.
One of your recent announcements is your collaboration with Maggot Stomp to put out your debut LP in 2023 and to rerelease your debut EP. Can you describe the debut LP in three words?
Old school mosh
Along with that, you released a 3 song Spring promo in May. Talk to us a little about these songs whether that be the songwriting process, collaboration, inspiration, etc.
These were really straightforward writing-wise. I wrote and demo-ed them out on my computer, and then brought them to practice where we hashed them out. The promo was very Skinless and Internal Bleeding inspired. I really wanted to lean into the late ‘90s early ‘00s mosh metal crossover.
For the artwork of the promo, you worked with Dave Sikorski. It looks super cool. Can you talk about the process for this artwork? How does the artwork relate (or not relate) to the songs on the promo?
Thank you, Dave goes off on design work, he’s done almost everything for us. I can’t speak on his process, but I believe he showed us a couple sketches he had drawn and we picked the one we liked best, and I think it was almost exactly like how the promo art is. I think the expression of the face in the character’s chest in the art describes how these songs make me feel very well.
What is the scene in Minneapolis like? What does it mean to be part of the scene there?
The Minneapolis scene is super sick, I’m really proud to be from here. Once shows started happening again last year a lot of new faces have started showing up, and we’ve had new bands start popping up too. Shout out to Gnaw who just did their first tour a few months ago.
One of the main reasons for this interview is to highlight your expected performance at the Act Like You Know Festival in Tulsa. How does it feel to be included on such an amazing festival lineup?
We’re super stoked to get the opportunity to play. I played with a few of my other bands last year and it was sick, and I only imagine that this year will be even better. The line up is awesome and it’s sold out, what more can you ask for.
Before the festival in November, you will be playing some shows with Gates To Hell in October. They’re another band playing the fest. What are you looking forward to when it comes to these shows?
Unfortunately these dates were canceled, but we love everyone in Gates to Hell, those are long time homies, and we were looking forward to getting to know the Slowbleed crew.
Going back to the festival for a second, what are you looking forward to in Tulsa? Have you had a chance to play there yet? Any restaurants or stores you’re going to check out?
We played at Tulsa on our very first tour as a band. Need to hit Chimera and the place that is down the street from the Vanguard that had the best falafel I’ve ever had but can’t remember the name of.
What other bands on the festival lineup are you excited about?
Super stoked to be playing the same day as our homies in Anxious, Wide Man, and Constraint. Very stoked to see Gridiron, our friends in Terminal Nation, and Snuffed in Sight.
When you’re traveling, what is your go-to music for the road?
Most mornings in the van Dave will for better or for worse play Paul Wall, but we listen to a lot of rap, hardcore and adjacent bands, and ‘90s/00’s indie and emo. Dave and I are the big death metal heads in the band, so we are prone to punishing everyone with death metal on the way to shows.
What are some of your favorite 2022 releases so far?
The Vomit Forth, Mutilatred, and Tribal Gaze LPs are all super sick. The Anxious LP that came out this year is a must-listen. I really enjoyed the Conservative Military Image, Terminal Nation, Damnations Domain, Militarie Gun, and Prize Horse (Minneapolis pride) releases too.
If you had to share one last thing with us, what would that message be?
Start bands with your friends and put on for your scene, new jacks study up on your hardcore history, and always keep the faith!
