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.
The Cromlech Gate
Enslaved Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Savior I am. I'll bring back our glory
And wisdom Achieve I'm searching the
Old path to bring back the elder"
Smug as only the fool can be, mindless
Blindly. He marches towards his fate
Summoned by the Cromlech by hunger within
"Come inside my friend, your father is waiting.
Your search ends here, Wisdom you have
gained, the signs you have read."
Doomed to walk the smiths dungeons
Underworld slavery
Through the eyes of the fool nothing can be seen
The elder is hiding beyond thoughts
Only leaving with glimpses of long lost knowledge
I once saw the Cromlech and was kindly invited
But I stayed the beast I kissed the ground
(I drank the wine)
(I took up the runes)
I found the home of the elder
The lyrics of Enslaved’s song The Cromlech Gate narrate a story of a fool who is convinced that he is the savior of his people. He promises them that he will restore their glory and achieve wisdom by following the old path to bring back the elder. However, he is foolishly smug and mindless, walking blindly towards his fate. He is summoned by the Cromlech by his hunger within, and upon entering, he is welcomed inside to meet his father who supposedly has wisdom and signs that he has read.
However, the fool’s destiny is to walk the smiths dungeons in underworld slavery. He is doomed to be blind to everything around him, including the elder who is hiding beyond his thoughts. The elder only leaves glimpses of long-lost knowledge. The singer himself had once seen the Cromlech and had been kindly invited inside, but he had decided to stay outside and stay grounded in reality. The singer drank the wine and took up the runes, ultimately finding the home of the elder.
The lyrics of The Cromlech Gate invokes a sense of ominous mystery as the story unfolds. It speaks to the idea that knowledge and wisdom should be gained through diligence and hard work rather than the false promises of an arrogant fool. It also suggests that there is a realm of knowledge and experience beyond what our senses can perceive, and that those who seek it must be cautious and wise.
Line by Line Meaning
Fear not dear kinsmen, cause you
The singer addresses their kinsmen, reassuring them and urging them to put their faith in him
Savior I am. I'll bring back our glory
The singer claims to be a savior, promising to restore their former glory
And wisdom Achieve I'm searching the
The singer is on a quest to find wisdom and achieve their goals
Old path to bring back the elder
The artist seeks the old path, hoping to find and revive the wisdom of their ancestors
Come inside my friend, your father is waiting.
The artist invites their friend to enter and meet their father
Your search ends here, Wisdom you have
The singer suggests their friend has completed their search and gained wisdom
gained, the signs you have read.
The singer believes their friend has found signs that lead them to wisdom
Doomed to walk the smiths dungeons
The artist foresees their fate as a slave to labor in the underworld
Underworld slavery
The artist laments their imprisonment in the underworld as a slave
Through the eyes of the fool nothing can be seen
The artist acknowledges that their foolish self cannot comprehend what is truly important
The elder is hiding beyond thoughts
The singer believes the wisdom of the ancestors is hidden behind the veil of their thoughts
Only leaving with glimpses of long lost knowledge
The artist has only caught fleeting glimpses of the knowledge they seek
I once saw the Cromlech and was kindly invited
The singer recalls being invited to the Cromlech
But I stayed the beast I kissed the ground
The singer admits to giving in to their primal urges and behaving like a beast, submitting to the Cromlech
(I drank the wine)
The singer imbibed the wine offered by the Cromlech
(I took up the runes)
The artist learned the secrets of the runes from the Cromlech
I found the home of the elder
The artist believes they have found the home of the ancestors and their wisdom
Lyrics © Royalty Network Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KJETIL GRUTLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind