Enslaved (band)

Enslaved is a Norwegian extreme metal band formed by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson in Haugesund in 1991. They are currently based in Bergen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The band's lineup has changed many times over the years, with Bjørnson and Kjellson being the sole constant members.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="metalsucks.net">Template:Cite web</ref> Though they began as a traditional black metal 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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."<ref name="tartarean" /> 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.<ref name="tartarean">Template:Cite web</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:CbignoreTemplate:Dead Youtube links</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Following Ruun, Bjørnson, Kjellson, and Isdal collaborated with the Norwegian noise duo Fe-Mail under the name Trinacria in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

International recognition (2008–2015)

Enslaved released the album Vertebrae 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After touring Europe extensively, Enslaved embarked on a North American tour with the progressive death metal band Opeth in May 2009.<ref name="Enslaved Events">Template:Cite web</ref> 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 [Vertebrae] black metal would be quite a stretch" because "there's an impressive depth to [it] that 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".<ref name="metalsucks">Template:Cite web</ref> The album's sound has been said to be akin to Pink Floyd's sound on a few occasions,<ref name=metalsucks /><ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> as well as other black metal releases in a similar vein.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The band's eleventh studio album, Axioma Ethica Odini, was released on 27 September 2010 in Europe and the following day in North America.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 and Wodensthrone) to celebrate the two first decades of Enslaved's career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Singer Grutle Kjellson at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2016 in Germany

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.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> In 2013, they contributed to the book Tenk som en rockestjerne (Think Like a Rockstar), written by Ståle Økland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Enslaved released their 13th full-length studio album, In Times, on 10 March 2015 through Nuclear Blast.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The album received positive reviews from music critics, with AllMusic'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."<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>

Recent history (2016–present)

In 2016, the band celebrated their 25th anniversary with a series of exclusive shows and merchandise designs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Their Spinning Wheel Ritual tour across Europe with Ne Obliviscaris and Oceans of Slumber will take place from late September to early November.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In December 2016, keyboardist Herbrand Larsen left the band amicably after 12 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The band then recruited Håkon Vinje of Seven Impale, a Norwegian band that previously opened for them at a concert in Bergen.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In May 2017, Enslaved released their first live album, Roadburn Live, recorded during their performance at Roadburn Festival in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Enslaved's 14th studio album E was released on 13 October 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The band's 15th album Utgard was initially announced for spring 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic until October 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Their sixteenth studio album Heimdal was released on March 3, 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Jillian Drachman of Loudwire said: "Ideologically, Enslaved have always walked a path distinct from black metal, though they were one of the key acts responsible for laying down the blueprint for the genre." The band's music frequently incorporates clean vocals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kjellson has named Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Rush, Genesis, Darkthrone, early Mayhem, and Bathory as important influences on the band's sound.<ref name="metalsucks.net"/>

Band members

Current

• Grutle Kjellson – unclean vocals, bass, occasional synthesizer Template:Small
• Ivar Bjørnson – guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals Template:Small, keyboards, occasional clean vocals Template:Small
• Arve "Ice Dale" Isdal – guitar Template:Small
• Håkon Vinje – keyboards, clean vocals Template:Small
• Iver Sandøy – drums, clean vocals, keyboards Template:Small

Former

• Trym Torson – drums, percussion Template:Small
• Harald Helgeson – drums Template:Small
• Dirge Rep (Per Arild Håvarstein Husebø) – drums, percussion Template:Small
• Christian "Roy" Kronheim – guitar Template:Small
• Herbrand Larsen – keyboards, synthesizer, clean and backing vocals, live guitar Template:Small
• Cato Bekkevold – drums, percussion Template:Small

Former session musicians

• Inge Joakim Ripdal – additional guitars, effects, backing vocals

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id:bvocals value:pink        legend:Backing_vocals,_synthesizer
id:guitar  value:green       legend:Guitar
id:drums   value:orange      legend:Drums,_percussion
id:keys    value:purple      legend:Keyboards,_clean_vocals
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at:02/28/1994
at:08/04/1994
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at:10/03/2000
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at:04/14/2003
at:11/01/2004
at:05/02/2006
at:09/28/2008
at:09/27/2010
at:10/09/2012
at:03/15/2015
at:10/13/2017
at:10/02/2020
at:03/03/2023

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bar:Bjørnson      text:"Ivar Bjørnson"
bar:Kronheim      text:"Roy Kronheim"
bar:Isdal         text:"Arve Isdal"
bar:Larsen        text:"Herbrand Larsen"
bar:Hakon         text:"Håkon Vinje"
bar:Torson        text:"Trym Torson"
bar:Helgeson      text:"Harald Helgeson"
bar:Husebø        text:"Dirge Rep"
bar:Bekkevold     text:"Cato Bekkevold"
bar:Sandøy        text:"Iver Sandøy"

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bar:Bjørnson    from:06/01/1991 till:end        color:guitar
bar:Bjørnson    from:06/01/1991 till:03/01/2004 color:keys width:7
bar:Bjørnson    from:06/01/1991 till:end        color:bvocals width:3
bar:Kronheim    from:08/01/1997 till:04/01/2002 color:guitar
bar:Isdal       from:04/01/2002 till:end        color:guitar
bar:Torson      from:06/01/1991 till:07/01/1995 color:drums
bar:Helgeson    from:07/01/1995 till:08/01/1997 color:drums
bar:Husebø      from:08/01/1997 till:06/01/2003 color:drums
bar:Bekkevold   from:06/01/2003 till:06/20/2018 color:drums
bar:Sandøy      from:06/20/2018 till:end        color:drums
bar:Sandøy      from:06/20/2018 till:end        color:keys width:3
bar:Larsen      from:03/01/2004 till:12/31/2016 color:keys
bar:Larsen      from:06/01/2010 till:12/31/2016 color:bvocals width:3
bar:Hakon       from:01/01/2017 till:end        color:keys

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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 (2008)
• Axioma Ethica Odini (2010)
• RIITIIR (2012)
• In Times (2015)
• E (2017)
• Utgard (2020)
• Heimdal (2023)

External links

• Official website
• Template:Musicbrainz artist
• "On the Road to Spread the Word of Good, Old-Fashioned Evil," The New York Times, 8 November 2007 (review of Enslaved's concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania).
• Interview with Grutle Kjellson Template:Webarchive
• "Album Review: Enslaved RIITIIR" www.MetalMouth.Net, 8th Sept 2012