| Enslaved | |
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Enslaved performing live at Norway Rock Festival 2010 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Sveio, Norway |
| Genres | Progressive metal, black metal, viking metal |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | Deathlike Silence, Voices of Wonder, SPV GmbH, Osmose, Tabu, Relapse, The End, Candlelight, Nuclear Blast |
| Website | www.enslaved.no |
| Members | |
| Ivar Bjørnson Grutle Kjellson Arve Isdal Cato Bekkevold Herbrand Larsen |
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| Past members | |
| Trym Torson Roy Kronheim Per Husebø Harald Helgeson |
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Enslaved is a progressive black metal band formed in June 1991 in Sveio, Norway, and currently based out of Bergen, Norway.[1]
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Enslaved was formed in June 1991 by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson (also known as Kjell Grutle) when they were 13 and 17 years old, respectively. The band name was inspired by an Immortal demo track, "Enslaved in Rot".[2] After many line-up changes throughout their career, Bjørnson and Kjellson are the only remaining original members. By 2004 the line-up solidified with guitarist Arve "Ice Dale" Isdal, drummer Cato Bekkevold, and keyboardist/vocalist Herbrand Larsen.
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.[2] 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. As such, the band has rejected the black metal genre label and prefers the term 'extreme metal'.[3] The album Eld (1997) is often considered to be the beginning of the band's shift towards progressive metal. The band's shift toward progressive viking metal was rendered complete with Mardraum (2000), 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.[4] Mardraum, Monumension (2001), and Below the Lights (2003) can be regarded as having somewhat similar styles, although there is a clear progression of sound between the albums regardless; however, Isa (2004) and Ruun (2006) show a marked departure from previous sounds, most notably, with inclusion of sharp dynamic shifts.
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.
In 2007-2008 Bjørnson, Kjellson, and Isdal collaborated with the Norwegian noise duo Fe-Mail, under the name Trinacria. Enslaved released the album Vertebrae in September 2008. On this particular album, many of their techniques, particularly harmonies, have been compared to Pink Floyd. After touring Europe extensively, Enslaved embarked on a North American tour with the progressive death metal band Opeth in May 2009.[5] Enslaved released their eleventh studio album, Axioma Ethica Odini, on September 27, 2010 in Europe and the following day in North America.[6] In 2011 Enslaved announced and released two new EPs. The first EP, entitled The Sleeping Gods, which was produced in partnership with Scion Audio/Visual, was released on May 10, 2011 and made available as a free download consisting of 5 original tracks.[7] The second EP, entitled Thorn, was released on August 27, 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.[8] Enslaved will be starting 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.[9]
Enslaved also has two DVD releases, primarily consisting of concert footage.
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