Kjetil Tvedte Grutle, better known as Grutle Kjellson (born 24 December 1973 in

Sveio Sveio is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. Sveio is a border district that is sometimes considered to be located in the traditional district of Haugalandet since it is located on the Haugalandet peninsula, but it is also considered to ...

Hordaland Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Munici ...

, Norway), is the bassist and vocalist of the Norwegian progressive black metal band Enslaved. Together with

Ivar Bjørnson Ivar Skontorp Peersen, best known by his stage name Ivar Bjørnson (born 27 November 1977 in Etne), is a Norwegian composer/guitarist for the progressive black/viking metal band Enslaved. Biography Bjørnson is, along with Grutle Kjellson, ...

, they are the founding and the only constant members, as well as the main songwriters of the band.

Biography

In 1989, aged 17, Grutle and his 13-year-old friend, guitarist Ivar Bjørnson and other musicians, founded death metal band Phobia, but they left the project in mid-1991. At that time, both and drummer

Trym Torson Kai Johnny Mosaker (born 1974), known professionally as Trym Torson or just Trym, is a Norwegian drummer, formerly with Zyklon. Torson started playing in the Viking metal band Enslaved and was later invited to play in black metal band Emperor. ...

decided to form a band inspired by Norse mythology called Enslaved, in Haugesund. Kjellson and Bjørnson are the only permanent members of Enslaved since its inception to date. In 1996, Grutle together with Ivar,

Infernus Roger Tiegs (born 18 June 1972 in Umeå), better known by his stage name Infernus, is a Norwegian black metal musician and Satanist. He is the sole founding member and chief ideologist of the black metal band Gorgoroth, which was formed in 1 ...

and Tormentor created the short-lived

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band Desekrator, disbanded in 1999. In 2005, Grutle along with Ivar, Arve Isdal and other musicians created Trinacria. Grutle has a guest performance on the song "High on Cold War" on Darkthrone's 2006 EP, ''Too Old, Too Cold''. He also contributed, along with his Enslaved colleagues Arve Isdal and Herbrand Larsen and American actress Laraine Newman, in the animated television series ''

Metalocalypse ''Metalocalypse'' is an American adult animated television series, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, which premiered on August 6, 2006, followed by a musical one-hour special, '' Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem'', on October 27, 2 ...

'' as one of "The Klokateers" in 2009. He also participated in the documentaries ''Showman'' (2010) and ''

Metal Evolution ''Metal Evolution'' is a 2011 documentary series directed by anthropologist and filmmaker Sam Dunn and director, producer and music supervisor Scot McFadyen about heavy metal subgenres, with new episodes airing every Friday at 10 pm EST on Mu ...

'' (2014), as himself.

Controversies

Kjellson is known to be openly anti-Christian and non-religious, but not Satanist. He stated in multiple interviews, including in the Canadian

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

'' Metal: A Headbanger's Journey'' (2005), his opinion on the '90s church burnings in Norway. In one interview, he said:

Well in a way, I think that Christianity in Norway deserved it, you know? In the beginning, it was not something the Norwegians chose. It was forced upon them. So you can say that "That's a thousand years ago", but — I wasn't sad, I wasn't really happy either — but I mean, in a historical point of view Christianity deserved it.Dunn, Sam. ''Metal: A Headbanger's Journey'', 2005.

He’s also known to be a Norse pagan.

Discography

Enslaved

* ''

Vikingligr Veldi ''Vikingligr Veldi'' ( Norse meaning roughly ''In the Veld of the Vikings'' or "In the Viking Veld") is the debut studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Enslaved. It was released in 1994, through Deathlike Silence Productions, the record la ...

'' (1994) * '' Frost'' (1994) * '' Eld'' (1997) * '' Blodhemn'' (1998) * '' Mardraum – Beyond the Within'' (2000) * '' Monumension'' (2001) * ''

Below the Lights ''Below the Lights'' is the seventh full-length album by Norwegian heavy metal band Enslaved. Beyond it being their last full-length for production company Osmose (they would move to Candlelight for their next studio album), a few lineup chang ...

'' (2003) * '' Isa'' (2004) * '' Ruun'' (2006) * ''

Vertebrae The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates, Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristi ...

'' (2008) * '' Axioma Ethica Odini'' (2010) * '' RIITIIR'' (2012) * '' In Times'' (2015) * '' E'' (2017) * '' Utgard'' (2020) * '' Caravans to the Outer Worlds'' (2021)

Desekrator

*''Desekrator'' (Demo,1997) *''Metal for Demons'' (1998)

Darkthrone

* ''Too Old, Too Cold'' (2006)

V:28

* ''NonAnthropogenic'' (2003)

Vreid Vreid is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 2004 after the breakup of Windir following the death of lead singer and founder Valfar. The remaining members along with new guitarist Ese formed Vreid. The band's name is an archaic Norwegian word ...

*''

I Krig ''I Krig'' is the third album by the Norwegian black metal band Vreid Vreid is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 2004 after the breakup of Windir following the death of lead singer and founder Valfar. The remaining members along with ne ...

'' (2007)

Trinacria

*''Travel Now Journey Infinitely'' (2008)

References

External links

Enslaved's official website

Grutle Kjellson's official Facebook page
Norwegian black metal musicians Norwegian rock guitarists Norwegian heavy metal guitarists Norwegian multi-instrumentalists 1973 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Enslaved (band) members 21st-century Norwegian guitarists Musicians from Sveio {{Metal-music-stub