The 3rd and the Mortal were one of the forerunners of the atmospheric metal scene having been one of the first to have a leading female singer, they inspired bands such as The Gathering, Flowing Tears and Nightwish. Their first EP Sorrow was released in 1993 followed by the album Tears Laid In Earth in 1994. After Rueslåtten's departure in 1995 the band had Ann-Mari Edvardsen join as vocalist. With her the band released full length albums Painting on Glass in 1996 and explored an even more experimental sound in 1997 with In this room.
After an absence of 5 years and the departure of Edvardsen, the band returned in 2002 with Memoirs, an album with recordings made during previous years. A new female vocalist was found in Kirsti Huke, who is present on the majority of songs, with second vocalist Andreas Elvenes backing her up on a couple of tracks. Memoirs differs from previous albums by being more electronics based and trip-hop influenced. After Memoirs the band did a small tour in september and october 2002, playing eight shows in Germany and one in the Netherlands.
In 2004 the band released EP's And Rarities. This is a compilation consisting of the Sorrow and Nightswan EPs + the b-side of the Stream single and the bonus-track from the japanese In This Room album. In 2005 the band released Project Bluebook: Decade of Endeavour, which is a compilation album with two new studio tracks, another unreleased song performed live in 1998 and four different live versions of 'Mortal classics recorded on the European tour in 2002.
Members:
Kirsti Huke - vocals - session musician (Lightball System)
Andreas Elvenes - vocals - session musician (The School)
Finn-Olav Holthe - guitars, keyboards
Trond Engum - guitars - (The Soundbyte)
Geir Nilsen - guitars, keyboards
Rune Hoemsnes - drums - (Manes)
Past members:
Kari Rueslåtten - vocals - (Storm)
Ann-Mari Edvardsen - vocals, keyboards - (Tactile Gemma, Antestor (session))
Jarle Dretvik - bass
Bernt Rundberget - bass
Frank Stavem - bass
Discography:
1993 The 3rd and the Mortal (Demo)
1994 Sorrow (EP)
1994 Tears Laid in Earth
1995 Nightswan (EP)
1996 Stream (Single)
1996 Painting on Glass
1997 In This Room
2002 Memoirs
2004 EP's and Rarities (Compilation)
2005 Project Bluebook: Decade of Endeavour (Compilation)
http://www.mortal.info
The City
The 3rd and the Mortal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A not too discontented citizen
Of a metropolis
Obviously modern
Because every known taste
Has been aborted in the furnishings
And in the outsides of the houses
As well as in the layout of the city, of the city
Here you will not discover the least sign of any monument of superstition
In short, morals and speech are reduced to the simplest expression
These millions of people who have no need of knowing one another
Conduct their education, their trade and their old age in such similarity
That the duration of their lives must be several times shorter than
According to some insane statistics
Is the case with people on the continent
From my window, from my window
From my window I see new ghosts rolling through thick, everlasting, cold smoke
Our shadow in the woods, our summer night
New humanities...., new humanities...., new humanities....
In front of my cottage, which is my country and my heart
Since everything here resembles it, death without tears
Our active daughter and our servant
Our desperate love, our desperate love, our desperate love
And the pretty, pretty cry
Cry in the mud of this street
Death without tears, death without tears
Death without tears, death without tears
The entire universe is now open to us!
The 3rd and the Mortal's song The City speaks of the modern metropolis where individuality is sacrificed for uniformity, and convenience takes precedence over beauty. The singer in the song reflects on the city from their window, describing it as obviously modern, with every known taste aborted in furnishings and the layout of the city. The lyrics also highlight how the city’s people live a life of conformity, not needing to know one another, but conducting their education, trade, and old age in similarity. Their speech and morals are reduced to the simplest expression.
The singer also highlights the absence of superstitious monuments in the city, making it look ghostly and desolate, with only the thick, everlasting, and cold smoke permeating everywhere. They also express their emotions – the death without tears, a desperate love, and a pretty cry, all lost in the mud of the street. Through the repetition of some phrases, such as the description of the “new humanities,” “new ghosts,” or “death without tears,” the singer emphasizes the idea of the city as a cold, impersonal place devoid of human warmth and emotion.
Overall, the song echoes a critique of the modern world's obsession with convenience and uniformity at the expense of individuality and beauty, culminating in a challenge to explore the entire universe.
Line by Line Meaning
I am an effort mirror
I reflect the image of an average, unremarkable citizen
A not too discontented citizen
I am not unhappy with my life, but not completely satisfied either
Of a metropolis
Living in a big city
Obviously modern
Clearly contemporary
Because every known taste
All preferences and styles
Has been aborted in the furnishings
Are absent in the decoration and design
And in the outsides of the houses
As well as in the exteriors of the buildings
As well as in the layout of the city, of the city
Even the urban planning of the city is devoid of personality
Here you will not discover the least sign of any monument of superstition
There are no religious symbols or memorials to be found
In short, morals and speech are reduced to the simplest expression
People are not concerned with complex issues of morality or language
These millions of people who have no need of knowing one another
The large population doesn't require individuals to form relationships
Conduct their education, their trade and their old age in such similarity
They follow similar paths for schooling, work, and retirement
That the duration of their lives must be several times shorter than
Their lives are likely to be much shorter than expected
According to some insane statistics
Based on unreasonable or absurd numbers
Is the case with people on the continent
In contrast to those living on the mainland
From my window, from my window
Looking out from where I am
From my window I see new ghosts rolling through thick, everlasting, cold smoke
I see strange, ethereal images moving through dense, endless, frigid fog
Our shadow in the woods, our summer night
Memories of past experiences in nature
New humanities...., new humanities...., new humanities....
The emergence of different ways of living and thinking
In front of my cottage, which is my country and my heart
My small dwelling is my beloved home
Since everything here resembles it, death without tears
The similarity of everything around me makes me feel indifferent to death
Our active daughter and our servant
A reminder of my child and our hired help
Our desperate love, our desperate love, our desperate love
The intensity of our relationship, fraught with desperation
And the pretty, pretty cry
Expressing emotions through a beautiful yet painful cry
Cry in the mud of this street
Suffering and tears amidst the unremarkable surroundings
Death without tears, death without tears
Indifference towards dying
Death without tears, death without tears
Acceptance of mortality
The entire universe is now open to us!
We are free to explore the vast cosmos
Contributed by Harper S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.