Enslaved (band)

Enslaved is a progressive black metal band formed in 1991 in Haugesund, Norway, and currently based out of Bergen, Norway.

History

Enslaved was formed in May 1991 by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson when they were 13 and 17 years old, respectively. They had been playing in a death metal band called Phobia, but like many in the burgeoning black metal movement, they were looking for new sources of inspiration and expression. Though Enslaved began as a prototypical Norwegian black metal band, they always incorporated song structures unusual for the genre, with several of their early songs expanding past the ten-minute mark. The record Eld is often considered to be the beginning of the band's shift towards progressive metal; that album's sixteen-minute track "793 (Slaget om Lindisfarne)" is often regarded as one of the peaks of the band's career. The band's shift toward progressive black metal was rendered complete with Mardraum, which contained several multi-part epics such as "Større enn tid - Tyngre enn natt" and "Entrance - Escape"; from that point onward, the band's influence from progressive rock became stronger on each successive record, with several tracks (most prominently, "As Fire Swept Clean the Earth" from Below the Lights) even using Mellotron. Mardraum, Monumension, and Below the Lights can be regarded as having somewhat similar styles, although there is a clear progression of sound between the albums regardless; however, Isa and Ruun show a marked departure from previous sounds, with the latter almost abandoning any trace of black metal whatsoever, apart from Kjellson's vocals.

Although the band has used mainly English lyrics since Monumension, their albums before that were mostly recorded in Norwegian except on their first full-length album, where three songs had Icelandic lyrics, while the lyrics on Heimdallr was an Old Norse excerpt from Gylfaginning by Snorri Sturluson. Most of their lyrics relate to Norse mythology.

The band were also reported to have appeared in an episode of the American cartoon program South Park, but this was later revealed to be a practical joke at the expense of the Norwegian press.

The name was inspired by an Immortal demo track, "Enslaved in Rot".

They are currently collaborating with the Norwegian noise duo Fe-Mail, under the name Trinacria

Members

Current members

• Ivar Bjørnson - guitar, keyboards (1991-)
• Grutle Kjellson - bass, vocals (1991-)
• Arve Isdal - guitar (2002-)
• Cato Bekkevold - drums (2003-)
• Herbrand Larsen - keyboards, vocals (2004-)

Former members

• Trym Torson (Kai Johnny Mosaker) - drums (1991-1995)
• Harald Helgeson - drums (1995-1997)
• Per Husebø (also known as Dirge Rep) - drums (1997-2002)
• Richard Kronheim - guitar (1997-2002)

Discography

Full-length 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)

Demos

• Nema (1991)
• Yggdrasill (1992)

Splits

• Hordanes Land (split with Emperor) (1993)
• Yggdrassil (split with Satyricon) (1995)

DVDs

Enslaved also has two DVD releases, primarily consisting of concert footage.

• Live Retaliation (2003)
• Return to Yggdrasill (2005)

Trivia

• Grutle Kjellson and Cato Bekkevold are avid sport fishing enthusiasts; in fact, the two met at a related event.
• The band's song "Havenless" from Below the Lights was featured in the film Metal: A Headbanger's Journey.
• Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson were featured on Norwegian news (TV2) when they 'downloaded' (kidnapped) a sheep from the Norwegian politician Lars Sponheim's (Venstre party leader) flock in the mountains, as a protest against Venstre's suggestion of legalizing downloading of all music.

References

External links

• Official website
• Free Stream of album Ruun at Mp3.com
• "On the Road to Spread the Word of Good, Old-Fashioned Evil," The New York Times, November 8, 2007 (review of Enslaved's concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania).