Biography
Enslaved have long stood at the forefront of Norwegian black and Viking metal, maintaining an innovative trajectory from the early 1990s onward while preserving their core extremity. Appearing as the second wave of the style took hold, the group built a reputation around perpetual evolution, intricate arrangements, and an expansive palette of instruments, deliberately avoiding the restrictive label of black metal. Their 1997 release Eld fused polished sonics with melodic singing and sweeping structures. Below the Lights from 2003 delved into affective and mental themes through an array of sonic textures. In Times reached position four on the Heatseekers Albums chart in 2015. E, issued in 2017, drew structural inspiration from Vertebrae of 2008 yet introduced fresh approaches to instrumentation and sonic layering, earning the Spellemannprisen in Norway. Heimdal from 2023 appeared on listings in four nations and attained position six among U.K. album charts.
Ivar Bjørnson on guitar and keyboards joined forces with Grutle Kjellson on vocals and bass to establish Enslaved in 1991, when the pair were respectively 13 and 14. The band’s moniker drew from Immortal’s track “Enslaved in Rot,” and their debut cassette demo Nema surfaced soon afterward. The 1992 demo Ygdrasill marked their initial notice within metal circles and attracted Candlelight Records, leading to the 1993 Hordanes Land EP whose extended piece “Slaget i Skogen Bortenfor (Epilog/Slaget)” displayed the ensemble’s progressive leanings across more than thirteen minutes. Although Vikingligr Veldi in 1994 remained tethered to black metal precedents, Frost of 1995 signaled the group’s emerging identity. Eld in 1997 represented the final recording with Enslaved configured as a conventional power trio; its sixteen-minute centerpiece “793 (Slaget om Lindisfarne)” showcased clean vocals alongside refined production, underscoring both their progressive inclinations and Viking subject matter, a combination that puzzled portions of their audience yet earned strong critical praise.
Blodhemn arrived in 1999 as the first album recorded by the band as a five-piece, after which Mardraum the following year and Monumension in 2001, both cut as quartets, continued the trajectory toward ambitious integrations of prog and Viking metal. Below the Lights in 2003 reduced the lineup to a trio without a dedicated drummer when guitarist Arve Isdal, also known as Ice Dale, joined. The 2004 album Isa introduced keyboardist Herbrand Larsen and drummer Cato Bekkevold, forming a configuration that endured for ten years and produced the well-regarded Ruun in 2006, Vertebrae in 2008, and Axioma Ethica Odini in 2010. After a decade of changing record labels and distribution arrangements, Enslaved moved to Nuclear Blast for RIITIIR in 2012. In Times, released worldwide in 2015, was co-produced by the band alongside future drummer Iver Sandøy and mixed by Jens Bogren; it became their first project to register on U.S. charts, reaching number five overall while also appearing at number eight on Top Hard Rock Albums and number four on Heatseekers Albums, and it secured the Spellemannprisen for Metal Album of the Year. In 2016 the group issued the compilation The Sleeping Gods: Thorn, gathering rare and experimental material originally issued as separate EPs in 2011, the same year Larsen, whose contributions had deepened the progressive dimension of their sound, departed; Håkon Vinje from Seven Impale took his place. Roadburn Live, Enslaved’s debut concert recording, appeared alongside the commercially successful E in 2017, the latter again awarded the Spellemannprisen for Metal Album of the Year. Sandøy assumed drumming duties from Cato Bekkevold in 2018, enabling further touring, a renewed contract with Nuclear Blast, and a return to the studio.
In January 2020 Enslaved revealed plans for the studio album Utgard, whose release was later deferred until October because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic; upon arrival it received recognition as the band’s most progressive work to date and registered on charts in five countries.
After completing a world tour spanning 2021 and 2022, Enslaved returned to recording and completed Heimdal in 2023. Sandøy, guitarist Ivar Bjørnson, and vocalist/bassist Grutle Kjellson served as co-producers, with mixing again handled by Jens Bogren. The title references the Norse deity tasked with guarding the gods and protecting Bifrost, the rainbow bridge linking Asgard to Midgard. Heimdal appeared on charts in Scotland, Germany, and Switzerland, while also placing on three U.K. listings, including number six on the metal albums chart and number ten on the independent albums chart.
Ivar Bjørnson on guitar and keyboards joined forces with Grutle Kjellson on vocals and bass to establish Enslaved in 1991, when the pair were respectively 13 and 14. The band’s moniker drew from Immortal’s track “Enslaved in Rot,” and their debut cassette demo Nema surfaced soon afterward. The 1992 demo Ygdrasill marked their initial notice within metal circles and attracted Candlelight Records, leading to the 1993 Hordanes Land EP whose extended piece “Slaget i Skogen Bortenfor (Epilog/Slaget)” displayed the ensemble’s progressive leanings across more than thirteen minutes. Although Vikingligr Veldi in 1994 remained tethered to black metal precedents, Frost of 1995 signaled the group’s emerging identity. Eld in 1997 represented the final recording with Enslaved configured as a conventional power trio; its sixteen-minute centerpiece “793 (Slaget om Lindisfarne)” showcased clean vocals alongside refined production, underscoring both their progressive inclinations and Viking subject matter, a combination that puzzled portions of their audience yet earned strong critical praise.
Blodhemn arrived in 1999 as the first album recorded by the band as a five-piece, after which Mardraum the following year and Monumension in 2001, both cut as quartets, continued the trajectory toward ambitious integrations of prog and Viking metal. Below the Lights in 2003 reduced the lineup to a trio without a dedicated drummer when guitarist Arve Isdal, also known as Ice Dale, joined. The 2004 album Isa introduced keyboardist Herbrand Larsen and drummer Cato Bekkevold, forming a configuration that endured for ten years and produced the well-regarded Ruun in 2006, Vertebrae in 2008, and Axioma Ethica Odini in 2010. After a decade of changing record labels and distribution arrangements, Enslaved moved to Nuclear Blast for RIITIIR in 2012. In Times, released worldwide in 2015, was co-produced by the band alongside future drummer Iver Sandøy and mixed by Jens Bogren; it became their first project to register on U.S. charts, reaching number five overall while also appearing at number eight on Top Hard Rock Albums and number four on Heatseekers Albums, and it secured the Spellemannprisen for Metal Album of the Year. In 2016 the group issued the compilation The Sleeping Gods: Thorn, gathering rare and experimental material originally issued as separate EPs in 2011, the same year Larsen, whose contributions had deepened the progressive dimension of their sound, departed; Håkon Vinje from Seven Impale took his place. Roadburn Live, Enslaved’s debut concert recording, appeared alongside the commercially successful E in 2017, the latter again awarded the Spellemannprisen for Metal Album of the Year. Sandøy assumed drumming duties from Cato Bekkevold in 2018, enabling further touring, a renewed contract with Nuclear Blast, and a return to the studio.
In January 2020 Enslaved revealed plans for the studio album Utgard, whose release was later deferred until October because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic; upon arrival it received recognition as the band’s most progressive work to date and registered on charts in five countries.
After completing a world tour spanning 2021 and 2022, Enslaved returned to recording and completed Heimdal in 2023. Sandøy, guitarist Ivar Bjørnson, and vocalist/bassist Grutle Kjellson served as co-producers, with mixing again handled by Jens Bogren. The title references the Norse deity tasked with guarding the gods and protecting Bifrost, the rainbow bridge linking Asgard to Midgard. Heimdal appeared on charts in Scotland, Germany, and Switzerland, while also placing on three U.K. listings, including number six on the metal albums chart and number ten on the independent albums chart.
Albums
Singles
