Review of Tears Laid in Earth the Excellent Doom Metal Album by the 3rd and the Mortal

1. Vandring
2. Why So Lonely
3. Atupoema
4. Death Hymn
5. Shaman
6. Trial of Past
7. Lengsel
8. Salva Me
9. 09 Song
10. In Mist Shrouded
11. Oceana

Tears Laid in Earth is the beautiful 1994 album by Norwegian experimental doom metal band called The 3^rd and the Mortal. That’s what this band started out as in the beginning. This is the only album that I have from this band so far but it really is a beautiful work made even better by the very soothing yet powerful vocals of Kari Rueslatten. The album cover shows one lone tree standing in a very big grassy area. That may be the band trying to express that in this world there are many lonely people that just need love and support. The 3^rd and the Mortal add to a long list of excellent Norwegian metal bands such as Dimmu Borgir and Theatre of Tragedy. The 3^rd and the Mortal would disband in 2005 but with their debut album, they showed that they could create a doom metal album that is melodic, beautiful, and powerful.

Unlike bands such as Dreams of Sanity (Austria) or Nightwish, The 3^rd and the Mortal for this album focus mainly on slower, darker, melodic songs rather than the symphonic nature of the two bands I mentioned. After an average mostly instrumental song called Shaman, we are treated to a beautiful song called Trial of Past which begins with beautiful acoustic guitars before transitioning into a slow, riffing section.

The opening song “Vandring” is a vocal performance by Kari entirely in Norwegian. Why So Lonely is about someone who is lonely but can rest assured for the fact that they will be taken care of by our Creator, GOD himself, for GOD’s love for us is unconditional. In about the three minute mark of the song, there is a beautiful kind of twin melody that we hear! In the song called “Death Hymn,” there are some male vocals by one of the guitarists Finn-Olav. Meanwhile, Kari continues to chant as this creates an atmospheric kind of feel to the song.

After an average mostly instrumental song called Shaman, we are treated to a beautiful song called Trial of Past which begins with beautiful acoustic guitars before transitioning into a slow, riffing section. But with the song “Why So Lonely” that is an example of how to write beautiful, atmospheric metal. Atupoema is a song that showcases once again the doom metal atmosphere and Kari’s vocals provide a soothing kind of atmosphere. Sometimes in life, we take walks alone because we want to do so. “Shaman” is the first of back to back instrumental songs and this is something that we normally don’t see in a heavy metal album that isn’t primarily of the instrumental type. Shaman is a song that consists of chanting style vocals by Kari and electric guitar. “Trial of Past” is an even better instrumental song that starts out with guitar play that has the potential to soothe you. As of 2019, it may seem that I am discussing these two instrumental songs again but we have to give this band enough credit because they really are talented. Trial of Past is a song that shows this band was talented enough to thrill and excite us.

Even though Tears Laid In Earth is a primarily doom metal album that is soft and atmospheric, you don’t get the sense that this is the type of album that will depress you.

Lengsel is another short song that features vocals by Kari in Norwegian but this time there is just bass guitar playing and it is slow. Salva Me is about someone who is having an anger problem and because of this, there are adverse effects to her health and one of the consequences is that her skin is aging as we hear it in the song. She is asking for prayer and salvation to get through this. The last song Oceana begins with the noise of water gushing down a waterfall as the stage is set for a VERY long song, so long that it seems that this band decided to experiment and take a page out of Fates Warning’s playbook. This album is one of the best doom metal albums out there in terms of the songwriting quality and most importantly, it will not bring your mood down, thus helping you have a lifetime of listening enjoyment!

However, there is one song that we did not really discuss in this review and that is the 9^th song in this album simply known as 09 song or just “Song.” After about two and a half minutes of what seems like it is going to be a full instrumental song, the band surprises us as the tone really quiets down and Kari starts singing with her soothing, gentle as heck voice which is so charming!