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.
Nauthir Bleeding
Enslaved Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And then I saw how
I needed, how I'd drifted
It was all in the past
I survived
The dreadful hours
I dug the grave
Waited oh so long
Dreamt of us
Alone walking
Through the cemeteries
Of our buried memories
Held the stillborn heir
To naught and less
Sung her to sleep
While she gnawed at the flesh
And we're all in the now
Bleak shadows in time
Echoes from the future
Frozen in the past
A funeral of ghosts
A funeral of ghosts
Dread
Frenzy
With nothing to keep us together
Gateway
Darkness
Except the need to part ways
Bindrune
Clarity
At the crooked cross at dusk
Internalize
Flight
Days – Fight – Enlighten
Harvesting – Building – Inside
I kept the sounds to myself
And then I saw how
I needed, how I'd drifted
It was all in the past
(And we're all in the now)
Gnawing and scratching
At the roots of the self
Paving the road to ruin
Blowing out the candle
The fire within
Poisoning the lifeblood
Gnawing and scratching
At the roots of the self
The lyrics to Enslaved's "Nauthir Bleeding" describe a process of reflection and introspection, as the singer considers their relationship to their past and their sense of self. The first verse suggests that the singer has been holding back their own emotional expression ("kept the sounds to myself") and avoiding acknowledging their own emotional needs ("drifted" without direction). However, in the second verse, they assert their strength and resilience in surviving a difficult time, which may have required them to bury or let go of certain aspects of themselves ("dug the grave").
The next section of the song brings in imagery of cemeteries and buried memories, suggesting that the singer is returning to these old parts of themselves and confronting the emotional baggage that comes with them. The line "held the stillborn heir to naught and less" is particularly haunting, perhaps suggesting that the singer has miscarried or failed to bring something new into their life. The image of singing the stillborn to sleep while they gnaw at the flesh is a disturbing one, suggesting the slow decay of something that was never really alive.
The remainder of the song consists of a series of evocative phrases that are somewhat difficult to parse without more context. However, they seem to suggest a continuation of the earlier themes of introspection and renewal, with phrases like "bindrune clarity" and "internalize flight" suggesting that the singer is seeking some kind of spiritual or emotional transcendence. The repeated imagery of "gnawing and scratching" suggests the difficulty and messiness of this process, as the singer tries to dig deeper into their own psyche and confront their own demons.
Overall, "Nauthir Bleeding" is a complex and evocative song that touches on themes of emotional repression, grief, and self-discovery. The lyrics offer a poetic and impressionistic meditation on these themes, with imagery that is often dark and unsettling but also rich with symbolism and meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
I kept the sounds to myself
I didn't share my thoughts with anyone
And then I saw how
But then I realized
I needed, how I'd drifted
That I needed help and guidance, and I had lost my way
It was all in the past
But those feelings were in the past now
I survived
But I managed to survive
The dreadful hours
Through those terrible, difficult moments
I dug the grave
I faced the reality of the situation
I climbed back out
But I managed to overcome it
Waited oh so long
I waited patiently for a resolution
Dreamt of us
And dreamed about a better future
Alone walking
But I was alone on this journey
Through the cemeteries
Traveling through the remains of the past
Of our buried memories
And uncovering the things we've tried to forget
Held the stillborn heir
I held onto something that never came to be
To naught and less
Something that was worth very little
Sung her to sleep
I tried to make peace with it
While she gnawed at the flesh
Even though it still hurt
And we're all in the now
But we're all living in the present moment
Bleak shadows in time
Living in darkness and uncertainty
Echoes from the future
Being haunted by future possibilities
Frozen in the past
Stuck in the past and not moving forward
A funeral of ghosts
A ceremony to mourn for things that were lost
Dread
Fear and apprehension
Frenzy
Chaotic and frenzied energy
With nothing to keep us together
Without a unifying force to bring us closer
Gateway
A doorway or entrance to something
Darkness
A lack of light, hope, or direction
Except the need to part ways
Except for the necessity to go separate ways
Bindrune
A symbol or sigil with a specific meaning
Clarity
A sudden understanding or revelation
At the crooked cross at dusk
In a place that is mysterious and possibly dangerous
Internalize
To make something a part of oneself
Flight
The act of running away or escaping
Days – Fight – Enlighten
Going through days of struggle, fighting to survive, and ultimately gaining new insight and understanding
Harvesting – Building – Inside
Growing and cultivating something from within
Gnawing and scratching
Feeling tormented and anxious
At the roots of the self
Within one's deepest self
Paving the road to ruin
Leading oneself to greater destruction
Blowing out the candle
Putting an end to something positive or valuable
The fire within
One's inner drive or passion
Poisoning the lifeblood
Doing something that undermines one's own vitality
Contributed by Kaelyn I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.