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.
Return To Yggdrasill
Enslaved Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From which the spirits had left ages ago
Sacrifice and honour replaced by betrayal and usurpers
A trail of sweat and blood, a gathering to the pagan outer worlds
For ages we have wandered
Under the wings of deception
Too long have we been waiting
An uprising by those that claim the Supremacy of One
Against the misleaders of the blind, deceivers of the Masses
Man can no longer claim ignorance as reason for waiting
It is all for the taking, the world for their making
We will gather again
Under the leaves
We will gather again
In honour of the nine nights
For ages we have wandered
Under the wings of deception
Too long have we been waiting
For the long winter to end
We will gather again
To praise the courage
We will gather again
To watch the harvest
The lyrics of Enslaved's song "Return to Yggdrasill" depict a society in a state of change, where the old ways of sacrifice and honour have given way to betrayal and usurpation. The first verse speaks of a new sound being heard throughout the land, indicating that something significant has happened that has caused a shift in the spiritual atmosphere of the society. The second verse speaks of the people having been wandering for ages under the wings of deception, waiting too long for the long winter to end. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for a social or cultural winter, indicating a time of darkness, stagnation or decay, with the implication that the time has come for the society to emerge from this state of dormancy.
The chorus of the song is a call to action, summoning people to gather under the leaves of Yggdrasill, the great world ash tree of Norse mythology. Here, they will gather to honour the nine nights, which is a reference to the pagan festival of Yule, a sacred time when the Norse gods were celebrated and offerings were made to ensure the return of the sun after the longest night. The song implies that this gathering is not just about celebrating the harvest and the courage of the people, but also about reclaiming the old ways and rejecting the falsehoods that have taken hold.
Overall, "Return to Yggdrasill" is a song that speaks of a society in flux, where old beliefs and customs are being challenged by new forces, but where the spirit of the people remains strong and committed to their roots.
Line by Line Meaning
A new sound heard throughout the land
A change in the atmosphere that can be heard and felt all around
From which the spirits had left ages ago
The spirits have departed this land a long time ago
Sacrifice and honour replaced by betrayal and usurpers
People have replaced honor and sacrifice with disloyalty and those who take without earning
A trail of sweat and blood, a gathering to the pagan outer worlds
After much hard work and sacrifice, a group has formed that aligns with pagan beliefs and values
For ages we have wandered
We have been wandering for a long time
Under the wings of deception
We have been misled and deceived for too long
Too long have we been waiting
We have waited far too long
For the long winter to end
For difficult struggles and challenges to come to an end
An uprising by those that claim the Supremacy of One
A rebellion led by those who believe that there is only one true power
Against the misleaders of the blind, deceivers of the Masses
Going against those that mislead and take advantage of the less informed and the masses
Man can no longer claim ignorance as reason for waiting
People can no longer blame a lack of knowledge for their inaction
It is all for the taking, the world for their making
Everything is within reach and they can create the world they desire
We will gather again
We will come together and unite once more
Under the leaves
Under the shelter of nature
In honour of the nine nights
In respect and memory of the nine nights of Odin's ordeal
To praise the courage
To commend those who have shown bravery and strength
To watch the harvest
To observe and gather the rewards of their hard work and effort
Contributed by Xavier M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.