Enslaved (band)

Enslaved

Enslaved at Norway Rock Festival 2010
Background information
Origin Haugesund, Norway
Genres Black metal, progressive metal,[1] Viking metal
Years active 1991–present
Labels Deathlike Silence, Voices of Wonder, SPV, Osmose, Tabu, Relapse, The End, Candlelight, Nuclear Blast
Members Ivar Bjørnson
Grutle Kjellson
Arve Isdal
Cato Bekkevold
Herbrand Larsen
Past members Trym Torson
Roy Kronheim
Per Husebø
Harald Helgeson

Enslaved is a Norwegian extreme metal band formed by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson in Haugesund in June 1991. Though the band's lineup has changed many times over the years, Bjørnson and Kjellson have been the sole constant members, and the lineup has remained the same since 2004.[2] They are currently based in Bergen, Norway.[3] To date they have released thirteen full-length studio albums, the most recent of which, In Times, was released in 2015 on Nuclear Blast Records. 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.[4][5] 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, Ivar Bjørnson and Einar Selvik (of Wardruna) 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 in 2016, which also featured Kjellson on vocals.[6]

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

History

Enslaved performing live in Oslo in October 2012

Enslaved was formed in July 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."[7] 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. Their albums in the 1990s were Frost in 1994, Eld in 1997, and Blodhemn in 1999.[8]

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.[7] 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 has rejected the black metal label and prefers the term "extreme metal."[9] Mardraum (2000) contained several multi-part epics such as "Større enn tid - Tyngre enn natt" and "Entrance - Escape." Several of the band's tracks (most prominently, "As Fire Swept Clean the Earth" from Below the Lights) have used mellotron.[10] Mardraum, Monumension (2001), and Below the Lights (2003) can be regarded as having somewhat similar styles. Isa (2004) and Ruun (2006) show a marked departure from previous sounds, most notably with the inclusion of sharp dynamic shifts, and Bjørnson considers the former a turning point for the band.[11] Following Ruun, in 2007-2008, Bjørnson, Kjellson, and Isdal collaborated with the Norwegian noise duo Fe-Mail under the name Trinacria.[12][13]

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.[14] After touring Europe extensively, Enslaved embarked on a North American tour with the progressive death metal band Opeth in May 2009.[15] The album is noted for is 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".[16] The album's sound has been said to be akin to Pink Floyd's sound on a few occasions,[16][17] as well as other black metal releases in a similar vein.[18]

Enslaved released their eleventh studio album, Axioma Ethica Odini, on 27 September 2010 in Europe and the following day in North America.[19] 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.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22] An official tribute album called Önd - A Tribute was released on Pictonian Records in July 2012. It contains twenty covers from twenty bands (including Dordeduh, Fen, Kraków, Vreid and Wodensthrone) to celebrate the two first decades of Enslaved's career.[23]

After having signed to Nuclear Blast in Europe, too, 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.[24] In 2013 they contributed to the book "Think like a rockstar" Tenk som en rockestjerne,[25] written by Ståle Økland.

Enslaved released their 13th full-length studio album, In Times, on March 10, 2015 through Nuclear Blast.[26][27] 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."[28] In 2016 the band celebrated their 25th anniversary with a series of exclusive shows and merchandise designs.[29] Their "Spinning Wheel Ritual" tour across Europe with Ne Obliviscaris and Oceans of Slumber will take place from late September to early November.[30] They also announced their plans to release a new compilation album on November 11, 2016, titled The Sleeping Gods - Thorn. The album compiles rare and experimental material from 2010-2011 which were previously available as two separate EPs released in 2011, The Sleeping Gods, and Thorn.[31]

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.[32] Kjellson has named Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Rush, Genesis, Darkthrone, early Mayhem, and Bathory as important influences on the band's sound.[5]

Members

Current

Former

  • Trym Torson – drums, percussion (1991–1995)
  • Harald Helgeson – drums (1995–1997)
  • Per "Dirge Rep" Husebø – drums, percussion (1997–2003)
  • Richard "Roy" Kronheim – guitar (1997–2002)

Timeline

Discography

Main article: Enslaved discography
Studio albums

References

  1. ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa (November 8, 2007). "On the Road to Spread the Word of Good, Old-Fashioned Evil". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  2. ↑ "Enslaved | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  3. ↑ "Enslaved Encyclopaedia Metallum entry". Metal-archives.com. 2002-07-17. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "10 of the best metal bands from Norway". Metal Hammer. 2016-08-08. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  5. 1 2 "ENSLAVED'S GRUTTLE KJELLSON: THE METALSUCKS INTERVIEW". MetalSucks. 2008-11-04. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  6. ↑ "Skuggsjá News: SKUGGSJA | Season of Mist, Metal Label". www.season-of-mist.com. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  7. 1 2 "Enslaved". Tartarean Desire. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  8. ↑ "Enslaved 1990 albums". AllMusic. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Enslaved Interview from 2009". Youtube.com. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  10. ↑ "Below the Lights review". BlackMetal.co.uk. 2009-02-26. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  11. ↑ "Enslaved Feature Interview At Blistering.com". www.blistering.com. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  12. ↑ "Trinacria". Myspace. Retrieved 6 Oct 2014.
  13. ↑ "Trinacria". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 6 Oct 2014.
  14. ↑ "ENSLAVED's 'Vertebrae' Crowned TERRORIZER Magazine's 'Album Of The Year'". Blabbermouth.net. 31 December 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  15. ↑ "Enslaved Events". Enslaved.no. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  16. 1 2 O'Hagar, Sammy. "Enslaved's Vertebrae: The Sound of a Band at the Top of Their Game". MetalSucks.net. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  17. ↑ "Enslaved - Vertebrae: A Momentary Lapse in Norwegian?". Encyclopaedia Metallum. marktheviktor. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  18. ↑ Metzengerstein, Frederick. "Nachtmysium's Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1 is a Solid Link between Psychedelia and Black Metal". Sputnik Music. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  19. ↑ "Enslaved: New Album Title, Release Date Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  20. ↑ "ENSLAVED to Release 'The Sleeping Gods' EP". Blabbermouth.net. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  21. ↑ "ENSLAVED To Release Seven-Inch EP on SOULSELLER RECORDS". Blabbermouth.net. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  22. ↑ "Enslaved: 2011 American tour announced, Release Date Revealed". facebook.com. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  23. ↑ "Tributes to Enslaved and Emperor". nrk.no. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  24. ↑ Riitiir by Enslaved, retrieved 2016-11-06
  25. ↑ "Katzenjammer | LivingByCamera". Cameratravel.wordpress.com. 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  26. ↑ "In Times". Encyclopaedia Metallum. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  27. ↑ Axl Rosenberg (15 December 2014). "Enslaved Announce New Album, In Times". MetalSucks. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  28. ↑ Jurek, Thom. "In Times - Enslaved - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  29. ↑ "WE ARE CELEBRATING 25 YEAR ENSLAVED WITH A SERIES OF EXCLUSIVE, COLLECTIBLE MERCHANDISE DESIGNS, SHOWS AND SPECIAL PROMOTIONS! - Enslaved". Enslaved. 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  30. ↑ "ENSLAVED - 25th anniversary European tour!". Nuclear Blast. 2016-09-07. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  31. ↑ "ENSLAVED To Release The Sleeping Gods/Thorn Compilation In November - Metal Injection". Metal Injection. 2016-09-07. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  32. ↑ "Interview – Grutle Kjellson of Enslaved". Retrieved 2016-11-06.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Enslaved.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.