After nearly five years, The Third And The Mortal release their latest offering, entitled Memoirs. During this long period, two members quit the band, most importantly vocalist Ann-Mari Edvardsen, leaving the band relying on various guest singers (both male & female) for studio recordings.
With this release The Third And The Mortal makes the final step away from their metal roots. Of course the previous album In This Room, already moved away nearly completely from the bands metal past and therefore this can only be seen as a logical next step in the bands evolution. Describing the music itself is quite difficult, due to the variety of different influences and styles on offer here, ranging from jazz to electro, goth and more, with some songs even relying on spoken word passages rather than real vocals.
However, all of this isn't necessarily a bad thing when used correctly, which is the case with this album. I did quite enjoy the different soundscapes and moods memoirs has on offer, but honestly speaking also have to say that for me, this is more the kind of music which I'll play in the background when reading instead of actually listening to it with full attention. (which this album does deserve - as it is very well performed, but will not be every metal-heads cup of tea).
Definitely worth giving a try if you enjoy a variety of musical styles or are open minded enough to handle this. The bands songwriting skills are raised above any doubt, as is the quality of the album as a whole, I just doubt if this will appeal to most metal fans.