Enslaved is a metal band from Bergen, Norway. Their style has changed over … Read Full Bio ↴Enslaved is a metal band from Bergen, Norway. Their style has changed over the years. Originally being an old-school black metal/viking metal act, they now perform a slightly more experimental and progressive form of black metal which has elements of 1970's progressive rock. The name was inspired by an Immortal demo track, Enslaved in Rot.

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.

Isöders dronning
Enslaved Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

På balkongen skuer hun og lengter
Isøders Dronning
Alene og gråtende bærer hun sorgen
Isøders Dronning

I landet hvor dag er natt og natt er dag
Ruver et slott med vegger av is dekket av
Rimfrost

Utenfor disse vegger eksisterer intet liv
Minner om varme frosset fast I
Snøkrystaller

I landet hvor vinden gråter bor
Tragediens barn
Født av frost og kulde kledd I sorgen
Fra hennes øyne renner tårer som forms
Till perler
Minner om glede frosset I perler av is

Kvinnen I isslottet bærer forbannelsen
Der hvor un vil dø
Isøders Dronning

En ensom ravn flyr forbi
Den søker videre mot varmen på vinger
Er den fri

Kvinnen I isslottet bærer forbannelsen
Der vil hun dø men vil noen huske

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Enslaved's song "Isöders dronning" depict a lonely queen who resides in a castle made of ice in a land where day and night are reversed. From her balcony, she gazes out and longs for something, feeling the weight of her sorrow. The queen carries her burden alone, weeping in solitude. The castle she resides in is surrounded by icy walls covered in frost, isolating her from any form of life outside. The memories of warmth are frozen within snowflakes, a stark contrast to the frigid environment she finds herself in.

In this icy land, the children of tragedy reside, born from the cold and dressed in sorrow. Tears flow from the queen's eyes, taking the form of pearls as they cascade down her cheeks. These tears, frozen in ice, serve as reminders of the happiness that is now trapped and lost. The woman in the ice castle bears a curse, longing for death in this desolate place known as "Isöders Dronning" (The Queen of the Ice).

An isolated raven flies by, searching for warmth and freedom on its wings. As it passes, it continues its quest, leaving the queen behind in her icy prison. The lyrics hint at her desire for someone to remember her, even if she meets her end in the ice castle. The melancholic tone of the song reflects the queen's yearning for escape from her lonely existence and her longing for human connection.

Line by Line Meaning

På balkongen skuer hun og lengter
From the balcony, she gazes and longs

Isøders Dronning
The Queen of the Ice Deserts

Alene og gråtende bærer hun sorgen
Alone and in tears, she carries her sorrow

Isøders Dronning
The Queen of the Ice Deserts

I landet hvor dag er natt og natt er dag
In the land where day is night and night is day

Ruver et slott med vegger av is dekket av Rimfrost
Stands a castle with walls of ice covered in hoarfrost

Utenfor disse vegger eksisterer intet liv
Outside these walls, no life exists

Minner om varme frosset fast I Snøkrystaller
Memories of warmth frozen in snow crystals

I landet hvor vinden gråter bor
In the land where the wind cries, resides

Tragediens barn
The children of tragedy

Født av frost og kulde kledd I sorgen
Born of frost and cold dressed in sorrow