Kari Rueslåtten (born 3 October 1973) is a Norwegian soprano singer, songwriter and keyboardist, who was well known for being the former lead singer and songwriter for the now disbanded Norwegian doom metal/experimental band,
The 3rd and the Mortal
The Third and the Mortal were a Norwegian metal band from Trondheim, founded in 1992. The band started out as doom metal, mixing distorted guitars and heavy drumming with clean guitars and vocals from Kari Rueslåtten. The band went on to experi ...
from 1992 to 1994. The 3rd and the Mortal was one of the early bands that used a lead female singer in the metal scene, in which inspired bands such as
The Gathering,
Flowing Tears and
Nightwish.
Musical history
The 3rd and The Mortal and Storm (1994–1996)
Rueslåtten was born in
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
. After taking part of some local bands, she was only 19 when she joined the cult progressive
doom metal band
The 3rd and the Mortal
The Third and the Mortal were a Norwegian metal band from Trondheim, founded in 1992. The band started out as doom metal, mixing distorted guitars and heavy drumming with clean guitars and vocals from Kari Rueslåtten. The band went on to experi ...
with whom she recorded the demo ''The 3rd and the Mortal'' in 1993, the EP ''
Sorrow'' in 1993 and the full-length album ''
Tears Laid in Earth'' in 1994 through the record label
Voices of Wonder
Voices of Wonder a.k.a. Voice of Wonder Records was one of the most important rock record labels in Oslo, Norway in the early 1990s. The label was fronted by a small and intimate record store on Olaf Ryes plass, which in addition to the labels own ...
. The music was strongly atmospheric mixing progressive and metal elements.
After she left the band she joined the project
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...
and recorded ''Nordavind'' before she released her first solo project ''Demo Recordings'', both being Nordic-folk-music styled.
Solo career and retirement (1997–2005)
''Spindelsinn'', her first official solo album came out in 1997 through Sony Norway, sung entirely in the
Norwegian language
Norwegian ( no, norsk, links=no ) is a North Germanic language spoken mainly in Norway, where it is an official language. Along with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a dialect continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regio ...
making honour to the Nordic folk music style. She was nominated for best vocal artist in the Norwegian Grammy Awards as best female artist at the Norwegian Hit-Awards. The following year the second release ''Mesmerized'' came out. A mellower album, with more personal lyrics in which she left the folk-acoustic style in favour of exploring more modern sounds. The singing style is reminiscent in some parts of
Tori Amos
Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
mixed with her own style.
Tired of relying on producers to get the sounds she wanted for her songs, she decided to study production and went to London, England, for a couple of years. After joining the Swedish label
GMR Music Group Rueslåtten released a comeback album, the experimental ''Pilot'' which contains a lot of modern sounds. It bears some resemblance to
Björk, but with the more passionate feel which has always characterized Kari's music. In January 2005, ''Other People's Stories'' was issued, showing a simpler side of her music but without losing the modern feel, quality and passion in her performance. At the end of 2005, after performing live in support of her last album, she took a break from her artistic career.
Comeback; ''Time to Tell'' (2013)
In 2013 Kari Rueslåtten made a comeback with the remake of The 3rd and The Mortal's classic "Why So Lonely", featuring
Tuomas Holopainen
Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen (born 25 December 1976) is a Finnish songwriter, record producer and musician, best known as one of the founders and the leader, keyboardist and songwriter of symphonic metal band Nightwish. He has stated that hi ...
from
Nightwish on piano and keyboards, and followed up with the full-length album ''Time to Tell'' in 2014, on the Swedish label Despotz Records.
''To The North'' (2015)
On 22 October 2015, Kari Rueslåtten released her sixth full-length album ''
To The North'', fusing the acoustic work of her older releases with the darker atmospheres inspired by her home country of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
. Singles released from this were a cover of
The Byrds
The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
1965 song "
Turn, Turn, Turn" showcasing it in a darker and more melancholic way
and "Battle Forevermore".
''Silence Is the Only Sound'' (2017)
Released 25 September 2017, ''Silence Is the Only Sound'' was Rueslåtten's seventh solo album in English, following up the style and atmospheric sound from ''To The North''. The album spawned the three singles "Chasing Rivers", "Spellbound", and "The Harbour". The second single was an English version of "Spindelsinn" to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her album, also titled ''
Spindelsinn''.
''Sørgekåpe'' (2020)
On 18 February 2020 Rueslåtten announced her ninth full-length album titled ''Sørgekåpe'', her first album in Norwegian since the debut ''
Spindelsinn'' in 1997. The title track "Sørgekåpe" was released as the album's first single on March 8 to mark the
International Women's Day, and featured a music video by the Norwegian director
Troll Toftenes shot in the mountains of
Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell is a mountain range in Central Norway that forms a natural barrier between Eastern Norway and Trøndelag. The mountain range is located in Innlandet, Møre og Romsdal, and Trøndelag counties in Norway. As a result of its central ...
.
Other works
Rueslåtten has also been featured in a handful of
drum 'n' bass tracks by the Norwegian duo
Rawthang. Her vocals of "Hør Min Sang" (Hear My Song) is also featured on a
hardcore
Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to:
Arts and media Film
* ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film
* ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott
* ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
record, by
Art of Fighters, called "Artwork". This track was included on Dutch
Hardstyle
Hardstyle is an electronic dance genre that emerged in the late 1990s, with origins in the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy. Hardstyle mixes influences from techno, new beat and hardcore.
Early hardstyle was typically written at 140 BPM (''bea ...
DJ,
The Prophet's Dj Mix, "Hard 3"
Discography
Solo albums
* ''Demo Recordings'' (1995)
* ''Spindelsinn'' (1997)
* ''Mesmerized'' (1998)
* ''Pilot'' (2002)
* ''Other People's Stories'' (2005)
* ''Time to Tell'' (2014)
* ''To the North'' (2015)
* ''Silence is the Only Sound'' (2017)
* ''Sørgekåpe'' (2020)
With The 3rd and the Mortal
* ''
Sorrow (EP)'' (1994)
* ''
Tears Laid in Earth'' (1994)
With Storm
* ''Nordavind'' (1995)
References
External links
*
Norwegian Progrock Discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rueslatten, Kari
1973 births
Living people
Women heavy metal singers
Norwegian heavy metal singers
Musicians from Trondheim
21st-century Norwegian singers
21st-century Norwegian women singers
The 3rd and the Mortal members
Norwegian sopranos