Enslaved was formed in 1991, by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson. Joined by drummer Trym Torsson, they did their first demo in the summer of 1992. While working with the first full length, there came a call from England, resulting in the two 1993 legendary mini albums; Hordanes Land and Emperor These two mini-albums was released as a split-record "Emperor/Hordanes Land". Due to tragic circumstances, Enslaved’s debut album Vikingligr Veldi was held back until the spring of 1994. Enslaved moved their label base to French Osmose Productions, and Frost were released late in the 1994. Enslaved were now known outside the Black / Extreme circles of Northern Europe. This led to the "Winter War Europe Tour ‘95", and the first Norwegian Black / Extreme tour ever in the US, Canada and Mexico during ’95. The tours were a great success; but Trym Torson moved on to join Emperor as a drummer.
Eld was recorded with drummer Harald Helgeson in 1996, and released the year after. However, working with Harald was no permanent solution, so Dirge Rep (then Gehenna) and R. Kronheim were hired, becoming integral parts during the recording of Blodhemn (’98).
Enslaved released an important milestone in 2000 with Mardraum: Beyond the Within, which marked a turning point for the band; and sent shock waves through the Extreme Metal scene with a revolutionary experimental and innovative approach to their genre. The band kept adding fuel to the fire, and released Monumension in 2001, and again the band was shocked to see the positive response to their "no rules" approach to Extreme Metal. Gigs were still being played in Norway, Europe and the States, in front of a faithful and ever increasing audience.
After returning from the UK in March 2002, R. Kronheim had to leave the band. The band kept on working with new material, in which they now saw a synthesis between the original thesis (the "Blacker" Enslaved) and the anti-thesis forming from Mardraum onwards (the experimental, progressive and gloomier Enslaved) – Below the Lights was recorded in 2002 and released the year after, and presented the perfect blend of power, tradition, progressive elements and dark psychedelia. The process and hard work had taken its toll on drummer Dirge, and he left the band.
A new line-up were put together during and after the recording of Below the Lights, including old-timer Cato Bekkevold (Red Harvest founder), Arve Isdal (aka. Ice Dale) and Herbrand Larsen. With all the changes left behind, Enslaved reached new heights with their live performance, also adding strong visual elements in the shape of video art and more. English market leader Kerrang! rewarded their Inferno 2004 performance with a full house: 5 K!’s.
The new line-up recorded ISA during the autumn of 2004, and was released in Oct/Nov ’04 (Feb ’05 in the US). The album received raving reviews in all territories (except Finland obviously), and put Enslaved at the very forefront of contemporary Extreme Metal. A European Tour with fellow Norsemen Vreid took place in February and March 2005. The tour was rewarded with both great reviews and great turnouts. In absentia, during the tour, Enslaved also received both the Norwegian Grammy and the independent Alarm Price for ISA.
The band released the full length album Ruun in 2006, which received great critics world wide and Enslaved received the Norwegian Grammy (Metal) for the second time in a row. Ruun is an extreme progressive metal record with growl-vocals and quite different from the bands first records.
Enslaved released the album Vertebrae in 2008, which gained wide critical acclaim, including Terrorizer Magazine's album of the year and critic's choice album of the year award for 2008. Many of their techniques on the album, particularly harmonies, have been compared to Pink Floyd
Although the band now records in English, their early songs were mostly recorded in Icelandic or Old Norse, with one track on their first full-length album being performed in ancient Norwegian. Lyrics from Frost to Mardraum were mainly in their native Norwegian. Most of their lyrics relate to Norse mythology or history.
They have also recorded a collaboration with the Norwegian noise duo Fe-Mail, under the name Trinacria.
Current members:
* Ivar Bjørnson - guitar, keyboards (1991-) - (Desekrator, ex-Borknagar, ex-Phobia, Obnoxious, ex-Gorgoroth (as "Daimonion"), live session guitar for Taake)
* Grutle Kjellson - bass, vocals (1991-) - (Desekrator, ex-Phobia, guest for V:28, Insanity)
* Arve Isdal - guitar (2002-) - (Malignant Eternal, Audrey Horne, I)
* Cato Bekkevold - drums (2003-) - (Demonic, ex-Ashes to Ashes , Sirius, ex-Red Harvest, Dunkelheit)
* Hakon Vinje - keyboards, vocals (2017-)
Former members:
* Trym Torson (Kai Johnny Mosaker) - drums (1991-1995) - (Emperor, Zyklon, Imperium, Tartaros, Shadow Season, Paganize)
* Richard Kronheim - guitar (1997-2002) - (ex-Subtitles, ex-St. Satan, ex-Kliftones, ex-Desekrator)
* Per Husebø (aka. Dirge Rep) - drums (1997-2002) - (Gehenna, Orcustus, Gorgoroth, ex-122 Stab Wounds, Desspo Hallelujah, Neetzach, ex-Aura Noir, Secht)
* Harald Magnus "Rivheim" Helgeson - drums (1995-1997) - (Thundra, Zeno Morf, ex-Dwelling Souls, session for Evig Natt)
* Freddy Bolsø - drums (2003) - (ex-Blood Red Throne)
* Herbrand Larsen - keyboards, vocals (2004-2016)
* Øyvind Madsen - keyboards (live only) - (Sulphur, Vulture Industries, live for Black Hole Generator)
Discography:
Full-Length Albums:
1994 - Vikingligr Veldi
1994 - Frost
1997 - Eld
1998 - Blodhemn
2000 - Mardraum: Beyond the Within
2001 - Monumension
2003 - Below the Lights
2004 - Isa
2006 - Ruun
2008 - Vertebrae
2010 - Axioma Ethica Odini
2012 - RIITIIR
2015 - In Times
2017 - E (note that the official title of the album is actually the Elder Futhark rune ᛖ, or Ehwaz, which looks like the roman letter M, but the album title is often written as E for simplicity, including in official sources)
Demos:
1991 - Nema
1992 - Yggdrasill
Splits:
1994 - Emperor/Hordanes Land (split with Emperor)
Live albums:
2009 - Live at the Rock Hard Festival
2017 - Roadburn Live
DVDs:
Enslaved also has two DVD releases, primarily consisting of concert footage.
2003 - Live Retaliation
2005 - Return to Yggdrasill
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".
* The band were also reported to have appeared in an episode of the American cartoon series South Park, but this later transpired to be a practical joke at the expense of the Norwegian press.
Fenris
Enslaved Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chaos is everything; no time or place
Now when all light and life ends
When the wind now is killing
The chains has broken
The time has come
As the norns predicted
The battle at Vigrid shall come
There is no brothers
There is no strong bounds
The bound anger is loose
Inner coldness is free
A river of foam
Has dried up
The power of the wolf, obscure hate
No longer sees a limit
Angrboda beared
Her name justly
With LauyÃus son she breeded
Dread, hate and death
A cry of warning in the dark
The mountains roofs, bear tendors
Woman beard, the sound of catsteps
Breath from the fish, spit from the bird
Tamed forces from a forgotten time
Has held our world in chains
But not for ever!
Fenris is loose
Now our wisdom
Is swallowed by ancient hate
The nine steps are fulfilled
A new road is lain
The lyrics to Enslaved's song "Fenris" convey a sense of chaos and destruction, with references to Norse mythology and the end of the world. The opening lines encourage the listener to forget all laws and order, suggesting a world in turmoil. In this chaotic world, there is no semblance of light or life, and the winds themselves create death and destruction. This imagery of chaos and destruction in the natural world is a powerful symbol of the end times, and it is reinforced by the idea that the chains that once held back the forces of darkness have been broken.
The middle of the song speaks specifically about the end of the world as predicted by the norns, or fates, of Norse mythology. The battle at Vigrid represents the final battle between the gods and their enemies, and the lyrics suggest that there will be no brotherhood or strong bonds between those who fight in this battle. The power of Fenris, the wolf who was once bound but is now free, is represented by "obscure hate" that has no limits. This hate is the force that will drive the world towards destruction.
The final section of the song speaks about the birth of Fenris, a monstrous wolf who was the child of Loki and the giantess Angrboda. The tamed forces from a forgotten time once held the world in chains, but now Fenris is loose and the wisdom of mankind is being swallowed up by ancient hate. The nine steps suggest a reference to the nine worlds of Norse mythology, and the idea of a new road being lain suggests that this destruction is not the end, but rather the beginning of a new era.
In summary, Enslaved's song "Fenris" is a powerful meditation on destruction and chaos, drawing on imagery from Norse mythology to paint a vivid picture of the end times.
Line by Line Meaning
Forget all laws, all order and peace
Chaos governs everything; no structure or harmony can be found
Now when all light and life ends
A time of darkness and death has come
When the wind now is killing
The harshness of nature is taking its toll
The chains has broken
The restraints that held us back have been lifted
The time has come
The moment we have been waiting for has arrived
As the norns predicted
As prophesized by the fates
Nothing lasts forever
All things come to an end
The battle at Vigrid shall come
A great final battle is imminent
There is no brothers
There is no camaraderie between us
There is no strong bounds
Our connections to each other are weak
The bound anger is loose
Our repressed anger has been set free
Inner coldness is free
Our hearts have been hardened
A river of foam
A metaphorical current of chaos and destruction
Has dried up
The force causing chaos has evaporated
The power of the wolf, obscure hate
The ferocity of the wolf, and the hidden animosity within us, is becoming unleashed
No longer sees a limit
Our rage knows no bounds
Angrboda beared
Angrboda bore
Her name justly
Her title was well-earned
With LauyÃus son she breeded
She mated with Loki
Dread, hate and death
The offspring of Loki and Angrboda
A cry of warning in the dark
An ominous message in a time of turmoil
The mountains roofs, bear tendors
The roofs of the mountains resemble the sinews of a bear
Woman beard, the sound of catsteps
An unlikely combination of feminine features and feline movements
Breath from the fish, spit from the bird
Even the most unexpected things have become part of this new world
Tamed forces from a forgotten time
The forces of nature that we thought were tamed, are proving to be anything but
Has held our world in chains
We have limited ourselves by believing that everything is under our control
But not for ever!
All of this is temporary
Fenris is loose
The monstrous wolf of Norse mythology has been set free
Now our wisdom
Our intelligence and knowledge that once guided us
Is swallowed by ancient hate
Our understanding of the world has been overtaken by a formidable amount of malice
The nine steps are fulfilled
The prophecies have all come to pass
A new road is lain
A new path forward must be forged
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Ivar Peersen, Kjetil Grutle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ponrix
3:07 made smile. The 2 OG members playing old stuff and still feeling it.
@biorythmicshifter
I’ve always loved his lower growls…the sound is most excellent.
@waldenyy
Exactly, it touches the most on "The Watcher" track. Anger turns to melancholy sh
@cringelorddivine9337
I wanna kiss the sound engineer's hands.
@umbigbry
Why not his lips
@cringelorddivine9337
@@umbigbry Because he crafted this sound engineering masterpiece with his hands.
@umbigbry
@@cringelorddivine9337 if he can do that with his hands imagine what them lips can do 🥵🥵🥴🥴
@cringelorddivine9337
@@umbigbry Ok that's going a bit far.
@umbigbry
@@cringelorddivine9337 ok cringelord
@StevenMazz1
I am so stoked for this release, preordered (even with exorbitant fees to ship to Taiwan) and anxious beyond belief. This is an outstanding recording and performance. Peace and prosperity to all those involved in the project and all they hold dear.