Enslaved is a Norwegian
extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
band formed by
Ivar Bjørnson and
Grutle Kjellson in
Haugesund in 1991. They are currently based in
Bergen
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 20 ...
. The band's lineup has changed many times over the years, with Bjørnson and Kjellson being the sole constant members. The current lineup also includes lead guitarist
Arve Isdal, keyboardist/singer Håkon Vinje, and drummer Iver Sandøy.
The band's music draws heavily on the Viking cultural and religious heritage of their home country of Norway for inspiration, and most of the band's lyrics relate to
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...
.
Though they began as a traditional
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
band, their sound has undergone significant changes over time resulting in a more progressive sound. In 2014, members of Enslaved were commissioned by the Norwegian government to create a musical piece in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the
Norwegian constitution. This was later released as a studio album called ''Skuggsjá'' (lit: Shadow watch) in 2016. To date, the band has released sixteen full-length studio albums; the most recent of which, ''
Heimdal'', was released in March 2023.
History
Formation and early history (1991–2007)
Enslaved was formed in 1991 by
Ivar Bjørnson and
Grutle Kjellson (also known as Kjetil Grutle) when they were 13 and 17 years old, respectively. The band name was inspired by an
Immortal demo track, "Enslaved in Rot."
Prior to forming Enslaved, Bjørnson and Kjellson had been playing in a
death metal band called Phobia, but like many in the burgeoning extreme metal movement, they were looking for new sources of inspiration and expression.
Though Enslaved began as a prototypical
Norwegian black metal band in 1991, by 1993 they were incorporating song structures unusual for the genre; several of their earlier songs reach the ten-minute mark (their debut album, ''
Vikingligr Veldi'', has only one song that is under ten minutes). As such, the band rejected the black metal label and preferred the term "
extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
". After several line-up changes throughout their early career, Bjørnson and Kjellson remained the only original founding members. By 2004, the line-up was solidified with guitarist
Arve "Ice Dale" Isdal, drummer Cato Bekkevold, and keyboardist/vocalist
Herbrand Larsen. The albums ''
Isa'' (2004) and ''
Ruun'' (2006) marked a departure from previous sounds, most notably with the inclusion of sharp dynamic shifts, and Bjørnson considers the former a turning point for the band. Following ''
Ruun'', Bjørnson, Kjellson, and Isdal collaborated with the Norwegian noise duo Fe-Mail under the name Trinacria in 2007.
International recognition (2008–2015)
Enslaved released the album ''
Vertebrae
Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spinal ...
'' in September 2008, their tenth studio album and their first on
Nuclear Blast. ''Terrorizer'' magazine named it the album of the year in 2008, notably above other metal releases such as
Meshuggah's ''
obZen'' and
Opeth's ''
Watershed''. After touring Europe extensively, Enslaved embarked on a North American tour with the progressive death metal band
Opeth in May 2009.
The album is noted for its shift in its approach and its diverse sounds; Sammy O'Hagar from MetalSucks.net even says that "to call
ertebraeblack metal would be quite a stretch" because "there's an impressive depth to
tthat surpasses the sour misanthropy so often (and rightfully) associated with the genre", and furthermore describing their sound as "heavy and surprisingly soft, focused and curious, true to their roots and longing to forget them".
The album's sound has been said to be akin to
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
's sound on a few occasions,
as well as other black metal releases in a similar vein.
The band's eleventh studio album, ''
Axioma Ethica Odini'', was released on 27 September 2010 in Europe and the following day in North America. In 2011, Enslaved released two new EPs. The first EP, entitled ''The Sleeping Gods'', which was produced in partnership with
Scion Audio/Visual, was released on 10 May 2011 and made available as a free download consisting of 5 original tracks. The second EP, entitled ''Thorn'', was released on 27 August 2011 in partnership with Soulseller Records in fulfillment of a decade-old agreement. The ''Thorn'' EP, released on seven-inch vinyl, was strictly limited to 1,000 copies and featured a more atmospheric sound than the band is currently known for. Enslaved started their 20th anniversary tour "Circling Above and Within North America Tour Part IV" in September 2011 with
Alcest and
Junius in the United States and Canada. An official tribute album called ''Önd – A Tribute'' was released on Pictonian Records in July 2012. It contains covers from twenty bands (including Dordeduh,
Fen, Kraków,
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 ...
and
Wodensthrone) to celebrate the two first decades of Enslaved's career.

After having signed to
Nuclear Blast in Europe, Enslaved released their 12th studio album, ''
RIITIIR'', on 28 September 2012 in Europe and 9 October in North America. The album received positive reviews from music critics. In 2013, they contributed to the book ''Tenk som en rockestjerne'' (''Think Like a Rockstar''), written by
Ståle Økland. Enslaved released their 13th full-length studio album, ''
In Times'', on 10 March 2015 through Nuclear Blast. The album received positive reviews from music critics, with
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Thom Jurek noting that the band are "still pushing at the boundaries of the music that inspired them back in 1991 when guitarist Ivar Bjørnson and vocalist/bassist Grutle Kjellson (13 and 17 years old at the time) first formed the band."
Recent history (2016–present)
In 2016, the band celebrated their 25th anniversary with a series of exclusive shows and merchandise designs. Their Spinning Wheel Ritual tour across Europe with
Ne Obliviscaris and Oceans of Slumber will take place from late September to early November. They also announced their plans to release a new compilation album on 11 November 2016, titled ''The Sleeping Gods – Thorn''. The album compiles rare and experimental material from 2010 to 2011 which were previously available as two separate EPs released in 2011: ''The Sleeping Gods'' and ''Thorn''. In December 2016, keyboardist Herbrand Larsen left the band amicably after 12 years. The band then recruited Håkon Vinje of Seven Impale, a Norwegian band that previously opened for them at a concert in
Bergen
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 20 ...
. In May 2017, Enslaved released their first live album, ''Roadburn Live'', recorded during their performance at
Roadburn Festival in 2015. Enslaved's 14th studio album ''
E'' was released on 13 October 2017. In June 2018, drummer Cato Bekkevold retired from the band amicably, and was replaced by Iver Sandøy, who had previously played in Bjørnson, Kjellson and Isdal's side project Trinacria and co-produced several recent Enslaved albums. The band's 15th album ''
Utgard'' was initially announced for spring 2020, but was delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
until October 2020. The four-song EP ''
Caravans to the Outer Worlds'' was released in October 2021; the EP was described by the band as a bridge between ''Utgard'' and their next full-length album in the future. Their sixteenth studio album ''
Heimdal'' was released on March 3, 2023.
Musical style and influence
The band's early music was rooted in traditional black metal and Viking metal, however the band moved away from this sound with 2001's ''
Monumension'' and 2003's ''
Below the Lights''. It was at this point that the band was reduced to its two founding members, Bjørnson and Kjellson. They began to incorporate elements of progressive rock, jazz, and other distinct influences into their sound, and over time have continued this progression.
Kjellson has named
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
,
King Crimson
King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...
,
Rush,
Genesis,
Darkthrone
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band hailing from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991, Darkthrone transitioned to a black metal style influenced by Bathory (band), Bathory and Celtic Frost and ...
, early
Mayhem, and
Bathory as important influences on the band's sound.
Members
Current
*
Grutle Kjellson –
unclean vocals, bass, occasional
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
*
Ivar Bjørnson – guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals , keyboards, clean vocals
*
Arve "Ice Dale" Isdal – guitar
* Håkon Vinje – keyboards, clean vocals
* Iver Sandøy – drums, clean vocals, keyboards
Former
*
Trym Torson – drums, percussion
* Harald Helgeson – drums
* Dirge Rep (Per Arild Håvarstein Husebø) – drums, percussion
* Christian "Roy" Kronheim – guitar
*
Herbrand Larsen – keyboards, clean vocals, live guitar
* Cato Bekkevold – drums, percussion
Former session musicians
* Inge Joakim Ripdal – additional guitars, effects, backing vocals
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Vikingligr Veldi'' (1994)
* ''
Frost'' (1994)
* ''
Eld'' (1997)
* ''
Blodhemn'' (1998)
* ''
Mardraum – Beyond the Within'' (2000)
* ''
Monumension'' (2001)
* ''
Below the Lights'' (2003)
* ''
Isa'' (2004)
* ''
Ruun'' (2006)
* ''
Vertebrae
Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spinal ...
'' (2008)
* ''
Axioma Ethica Odini'' (2010)
* ''
RIITIIR'' (2012)
* ''
In Times'' (2015)
* ''
E'' (2017)
* ''
Utgard'' (2020)
* ''
Heimdal'' (2023)
References
External links
Official website*
(review of Enslaved's concert in
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...
).
*
ttp://www.metal-tv.com/ Interview with Grutle Kjellson"Album Review: Enslaved RIITIIR" ''www.MetalMouth.Net'', 8th Sept 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Enslaved
Norwegian black metal musical groups
Norwegian viking metal musical groups
Norwegian progressive metal musical groups
Relapse Records artists
Musical groups established in 1991
1991 establishments in Norway
Musical groups from Haugesund
Norwegian musical quintets
Musical groups from Hordaland
Musical groups from Bergen
Nuclear Blast artists
Metal Mind Productions artists
Spellemannprisen winners
Candlelight Records artists