WEEK 106 – ENSLAVED

Welcome my HeadBangers from Bergen, Norway:           

ENSLAVED

“Jettegryta”

“Homebound”

Well my HeadBangers do I have your attention now??   I have to say these are EXCELLENT videos.  Nothing sunny and warm about them, but, sometimes you like a little darkness as the Raven flies, don’t we.

As far as bio on this band, there are some different things out there, I will go with what the band has on their website, you can always look around and see other things that are a little different but, I am only the messenger like the Raven, so here we go…

The history of heavy music is littered with the corpses of bands that had neither the stamina nor the creativity to stay the course. Over the course of more than 25 years, Enslaved have proved themselves to be among the most prodigious and original artists of the modern age.

Formed in Bergen, Norway, in 1991, Enslaved followed their own singular path from the very start. As they emerged from the nascent Norwegian black metal scene of the early ‘90s, guitarist Ivar Bjornson and vocalist/bassist Grutle Kjellson exhibited a uniquely eccentric approach to making extreme music. Adventurous and progressive where many of their peers were insular and restrained, Enslaved’s reputation grew rapidly in the wake of extraordinary, epic albums like their debut Vikingligr Veldi and its strident follow-up Frost (both 1994). By the late ‘90s, the band had morphed into a much more ingenious and ground-breaking beast: always retaining that essential link to their extremist roots but fearless in their pursuit of new ways to express their wildest ideas.

Routinely acclaimed as a powerful and ferocious live band, Enslaved entered the 21st century by flexing new muscles on the acclaimed likes of 2003’s Below The Lights and its groundbreaking successor, Isa (2004) – for which the band won a Norwegian Grammy award. Increasingly admired in the prog rock world while never losing that all-important bedrock of metalhead support, Bergen’s finest hit a rich vein of form as the years passed, with albums like 2008’s post-rock-fueled Vertebrae and 2010’s elegant and grandiloquent Axioma Ethica Odini gleefully redesigned the Enslaved musical universe.

In 2015, Enslaved released their 13th studio album, In Times. A tour-de-force of hypnotic prog intensity and scabrous, blackened pomp, it exuded an air of completion and finality that led perfectly into 2016’s extravagant celebrations, as Enslaved marked their 25th anniversary with some truly life-changing shows that explored all shadows and hidden corners in the band’s colossal catalogue. Two years later, they released the universally praised E: a typically bold and fearless statement from this most inventive of modern metal bands and a thrilling sideways step that harnessed the spirit of old and set it loose in a whirlwind of stormy imagination. Universally praised, it duly earned Enslaved their fifth Norwegian Grammy win.

Since the release of E, Enslaved have been dedicated to spreading their gospel of musical fearlessness around the world. They once again conquered Europe and North America during late 2017 and early 2018, and will be performing at festivals throughout the summer, including appearances at CopenHell, Wacken Open Air, Hellfest, Beyond The Gates and Psycho Las Vegas. Determined to keep everyone happy, they will also be hitting Australia and Japan for a handful of dates in the autumn, with further plans to explore more of the planet in the very near future.

“The Watcher”

“Lets meet the band”

Grutle Kjellson – bass, lead vocals – 1991-present

Ivar Bjornson – guitars, synthesizers, backing vocals – 1991-present

Arve ICE DALE Isdal – guitars, backing vocals – 2002-present

Håkon Vinje – keyboards, clean vocals – 2017-present

Iver Sandøy – drums, clean vocals – 2018-present

 

 

Somethings I found while digging around

The band’s music draws heavily on the Viking cultural and religious heritage of their home country of Norway for inspiration, and most of the band’s lyrics relate to Norse mythology. Though they began as a traditional Black Metal band their sound has undergone significant changes over time resulting in a more progressive sound.  In 2014, Ivar Bjørnson and Einar Selvik (of Wardruna) were commissioned by the Norwegian government to create a musical piece in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution. This was later released as a studio album called Skuggsjá in 2016, which also featured Kjellson on vocals.  This is very impressive to me.

My Thoughts

So they started as a Black Metal Band back in July of 1991.  Also in 1991 Varg Vikernes – born Kristian Vikernes,  a Norwegian musician and writer,  founded the one-man music project Burzum, which became one of the most influential Black Metal acts, he also is a native of Bergen.  In 1992, Vikernes, along with other members of the scene, was suspected of burning down four Christian churches in Norway. Vikernes denied responsibility for the arsons, though he supported them. By early 1993, he had recorded four albums as Burzum and another with fellow black metal band Mayhem.  I just wonder if they ever knew each other.  Enslaved seems to have went in a total different direction than some of the other Black Metal Bands during this time, which has worked out well for them.  Seriously guys you want to read about some of the Blackest Black Metal Bands check out this book – Lords of Chaos by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Soderlind.  It will give you more than a few shocking moments.  Some of the Black Metal Bands went way beyond the music.  But that′s another story for another time.  

That′s it for this week my HeadBangers.  Join me next week for another band and another song.  Until then don′t stand to close to the fire if you can′t handle the burn…..