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.
Hollow Inside
Enslaved Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Step over, turn the light
Hollow inside - I didn't dream too much last night
Step over, turn the light
Knock on the door - these are the interfering themes
Open it up, too soon
I fear for a while - my head
I fear for a while - that my head will expand
And stretch out in to the stratos wild
Can't you see, those birds in limbo breaks
And of course you hear, listen, the straws
From above you, and underneath in the glow
I can touch them
Spiritualized
Dogs with bones, they are released
One too many to get on
The song "Hollow Inside" by Enslaved is a haunting expression of the experience of sleeplessness and its effects on the psyche. The lyrics speak of feeling empty and disconnected from oneself, as if there is a hollowness inside. The first verse expresses the difficulty in finding restful slumber, and the second verse touches on the lack of dreams. The knocking on the door represents the intrusive thoughts or "interfering themes" that disturb one's mental state. The idea of opening the door too soon suggests a vulnerability to these disturbances, before one is fully prepared to face them.
The second half of the song seems to describe a dissociative or hallucinogenic experience, as the singer's perception of time and space becomes warped. They fear their head will "expand" and "stretch out" into the unknown. The use of tactile imagery - touching the "birds in limbo breaks" - and references to both the spiritual and the physical realm suggest a blurring of boundaries, perhaps brought on by altered states of consciousness. The final line, "One too many to get on," is cryptic but may refer to being overwhelmed by the chaotic elements of the mind.
Overall, "Hollow Inside" captures the disorienting and alienating experience of insomnia and delves into the uncanny, surreal qualities of altered states of mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Hollow inside - I didn't sleep too well last night
The singer feels hollow and empty inside due to a restless sleep.
Step over, turn the light
The singer wakes up and turns off the light in their room.
Hollow inside - I didn't dream too much last night
The singer failed to have fulfilling dreams that would bring meaning to their life.
Knock on the door - these are the interfering themes
The distractions and disturbances in the singer's life knock at the door of their mind.
Open it up, too soon
The singer is not ready to face these challenges yet and finds it too soon to confront them.
Shorter in time - the interactive parts go by
The enjoyable moments in life seem to pass quickly and don't last as long as the difficult times.
I fear for a while - my head
The singer worries and is afraid of what's going on in their head, which affects their mental state.
I fear for a while - that my head will expand
The singer is afraid that their thoughts and emotions will overwhelm them and become too much to handle.
And stretch out in to the stratos wild
The singer's head expanding into the wild unknown represents their fear of losing control of their mind.
Can't you see, those birds in limbo breaks
The singer is pointing out the beauty of nature and how even birds are capable of finding freedom from their struggles.
And of course you hear, listen, the straws
The rustling sound of nature's straws represents the singer's connection to the natural world and the comfort they find in it.
From above you, and underneath in the glow
The natural world surrounds the singer and provides light from above and below, signifying the presence of positivity and hope in their life.
I can touch them
The singer feels a spiritual connection to the natural world that allows them to feel present and alive.
Dogs with bones, they are released
The image of dogs with bones represents freedom and letting go of one's worries and regrets.
One too many to get on
However, the singer feels overwhelmed by these feelings and consequences, suggesting that it's hard to move on from past experiences.
Lyrics © Royalty Network Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PEERSON IVAR SKONTORP, TRYGVE MATHIESEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind