Enslaved

Formed in 1991, the band was begun by Ivar Bjørnson (guitars/keyboards) and Grutle Kjellson (bass), whilst still in their teens at 13 years and 17 years respectively. Taking their name from an Immortal track, the band have had an ever-changing lineup throughout their career, before settling with Arve “Ice Dale” Isdal (guitars), Cato Bekkevold (drums) and Herbrand Larsen (keyboards/vocals) by 2004. Whilst following in the same ilk of other black metal acts, the band have always pushed boundaries of the genre, offering ten minute long prog-inflected sagas and multi-part epics, prompting them to favor the distinction as an extreme metal band.

Following their early demo, “Yggdrasil,” in 1992, Enslaved had recorded their debut album, “Frost,” in 1994, which quickly established their presence on the black metal scene. By 1997, with “Eld,” the band had begun to widen their sound, displaying a more progressive element to their music which set them apart from other black metal acts. Their following releases were unrelenting in their aggression and dark tone, with 1998’s “Blodhemn,” 2000’s “Mardraum” and “Monumension” in 2001 all pushing the envelope of their extreme sound, forever offering experimentation and innovation within the genre.

In 2003, Enslaved released their milestone effort, “Below the Lights,” which was a heady brew of black metal, prog and dark psychedelia, coming to the forefront of the scene with this challenging release. “Isa” in 2004 again established them as one of the most important acts on the scene at the time, continuing to lay waste to audiences with their bludgeoning live shows.

Critical acclaim followed them throughout the decade, with the release of “Ruun” in 2006. With 2008’s “Vertebrae,” they were joined by Evil Joe Baresi, who had previously produced albums from Tool and Queens of the Stone Age. Another strong album release, Enslaved continued to enjoy popularity as the top band in extreme metal. The album garnered accolades as being the ‘album of the year,’ prompting tours across North America supporting Opeth. “Axiom Ethica Odini” followed in 2010, still finding legions of fans of their uncompromising music. Signing to Nuclear Blast, their 12th record, “RIITIIR,” was released in 2012, followed by extensive touring. Rumours of a new album for 2015 soon surfaced, titled “In Times,” with Enslaved still carrying the torch for extreme metal.