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, Enslavedâs 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 â95", and the first Norwegian Black / Extreme tour ever in the US, Canada and Mexico during â95. 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 (â98).
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) â 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!âs.
The new line-up recorded ISA during the autumn of 2004, and was released in Oct/Nov â04 (Feb â05 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)
* Ăyvind 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 á, 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.
Ground
Enslaved Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fangs into flesh
Panic and spit
Death unto life
Eyes wide
It sees itself through the layers of ice
Everything can not be happening on the inside?
An option not to listen
A nameless urge takes hold
Prey upon the weak
An aimless tale told
Pray upon the weak
Caught in a spiral of need
Act without the choice
Choose not to act
Caught in a spiral of need
Desperate and alone in a whole
Striving for higher ground
Carrying someone else's fears for tomorrow
Stay behind the line
Or eat from the bowels of reality
Grind the thorns to stardust
Gliding slowly across the abyss
Inside the inside the inside
There is a sound made by boiling blood
Above and below lay the levels
Above and below the ground
Ground
The song "Ground" by Enslaved delves into the concept of the internal struggles one faces and the option of rejecting these notions. The lyrics depict the image of fangs piercing through flesh, leading to panic and spit, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for the struggles within oneself. The eyes widen, indicating the realization of the situation happening within oneself. The following lines, "It sees itself through the layers of ice, Now; seal the cracks - reject the notions! Everything cannot be happening on the inside?", highlight the importance of identifying and addressing the internal conflicts and not ignoring them.
The nameless urge that takes hold of the weak is the inability to overcome the internal struggles. The lyrics, "Caught in a spiral of need, Act without the choice, Choose not to act, Caught in a spiral of need," illustrate the endless cycle of the urge taking hold, and the person being helpless to control it. The song encourages not being caught in this cycle and striving for higher ground, carrying one's fears, and facing reality without running away from it.
Overall, the "Ground" revolves around exploring the internal struggles, confronting them, and rising above them while overcoming the destructive and perpetual cycle of helplessness.
Line by Line Meaning
The defining sound
There is a sound that is the embodiment of something significant
Fangs into flesh
Sinking teeth into flesh, possibly violently
Panic and spit
A reaction of fear or frantic activity accompanied by saliva being expelled
Death unto life
Bringing something from a state of no life to life or taking it from life to death
Eyes wide
Eyes open wide in a state of shock or fear
It sees itself through the layers of ice
Looking at oneself through many barriers or obstacles
Now; seal the cracks - reject the notions!
Close up any gaps or openings and refuse to agree with certain ideas
Everything can not be happening on the inside?
Is it possible that everything is not just an internal experience?
An option not to listen
A choice to ignore what is being said or suggested
A nameless urge takes hold
An unidentifiable compulsion or impulse surfaces
Prey upon the weak
Hunting or exploiting those who are vulnerable or defenseless
An aimless tale told
A story with no clear direction or purpose
Pray upon the weak
Asking for divine intervention or guidance while targeting the vulnerable
Caught in a spiral of need
Trapped in a cycle of necessity or desire
Act without the choice
Performing an action without having an actual option to do otherwise
Choose not to act
Making the deliberate decision to abstain from taking any action
Desperate and alone in a whole
Feeling hopeless and abandoned in the midst of everything
Striving for higher ground
Working hard to attain a better position or improve one's situation
Carrying someone else's fears for tomorrow
Bearing the emotional burden of another person's worries about the future
Stay behind the line
Remain within the established boundary or limit
Or eat from the bowels of reality
Endure the harshness and difficulty of the painful truth
Grind the thorns to stardust
Overcoming adversities or difficulties and turning them into something beautiful
Gliding slowly across the abyss
Moving cautiously through an uncertain or dangerous area
Inside the inside the inside
Deeply within oneself, many layers beneath the surface
There is a sound made by boiling blood
The intense emotion that creates a seething, boiling sound within the body
Above and below lay the levels
Different stages or layers exist above and below one another
Above and below the ground
The different levels also pertain to the earth beneath us
Ground
The earth, the foundation or starting point for everything
Contributed by Thomas M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
frugihoyi
Love the Pink Floydish chorus. And that guitar solo! Pure emotion.
MrMetalMan
frugihoyi The whole song reminds me of Pink Floyd.
Be Quick Or Die
one of the most underrated bands of all time gotta love them
Red Alert
Definitely one of their best songs
Big1974Jay
loving this...the riff is catchy....and the pink floyd influence sounds awesome
Charlie Susterich
"Black Floyd" đ
J Alexander
el mejor solo que he escuchado en toda mi vida
chaos apiant
Serious David Gilmour vibes in this solo.
James Nicolai
Floyd-esque. I love it.
mandalorian233
Just so damn fucking beautiful!