Biography
Enslaved was formed in May 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 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 black 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. The album Eld (1997) 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 (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.[3] 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, 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. 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.
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. 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.
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
Studio albums and EPs
* Hordanes Land (EP) (1993)
* 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)
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