Formed in Haugesund, Norway in 1991 by Bjornson (then 13 years old) and Kjellson (then 17) and named after black metal band Immortal's demo track "Enslaved In Rot,". Enslaved completed their first full-length album, Vikingligr Veldi, for Norway's Deathlike Silence Productions (Euronymous of Mayhem's label) in 1994, and was successfully followed-up that same year with the highly-acclaimed Frost album on France's Osmose Productions.
Recorded in the first quarter of 2008, Vertebrae was the band's third studio album and it's elegant music was such a perfect blend of beauty and darkness that it went on to win the 2008 Norwegian Grammy for "Best Metal Album." The praise for 2010's Axioma Ethica Odini was no less fervent. Besides winning their 4th Norwegian Grammy for "Best Metal Album" in a row, the album also won Terrorizer Magazine's Reader's Poll for "Best Album of 2010," and repeatedly ranked in the Top 10 on "Best Albums of 2010" lists around the world.
For 2012's RIITIIR, (and Nuclear Blast debut) continued their tradition of driving concepts for their albums, increasingly following a progressive path. Bjornson elaborates: "The title is a self-made 'Norse-ified' version of the words 'Rites' / 'Rituals.' RIITIIR = 'The Rites of Man,' to put it in a formulaic and easy way." .Whether you're drawn into the genesis myth of the album's opening track "Thoughts Like Hammers" or experience the stratosphere with "Veilburner," ENSLAVED continued to explore their perception of place in the natural world and challenge the limits of their own self-knowledge, thus ever-expanding the landscape of their musical ecology.Once again, Enslaved saw themselves adorning critic's and reader's year-end polls while a long-overdue touring assault saw them headlining (and selling out) UK clubs and a show-stopping set at Hammerfest 2013.
'In Times', the 13th studio album from the Norwegian extreme progressive metallers, is once again self-produced in their home country.ENSLAVED guitarist & composer Ivar Bjornson shares the following about the band's latest creation:" The songs are extensions of my inner and outer life, the thoughts I am aware of having, as well as those that lie too deep to register in everyday consciousness. In addition, they are, of course, also the result of inspiration from other music and art. I do think this new album is the most consistent body of work we have so far: It incorporates our 'blacker' past with our influences from prog rock, our present sense of absolute freedom, and the joy of being in this band, if that makes any sense… It is higher in energy, more aggressive, yet more beautiful and subtle. It simply sounds inspired."
As with the two previous albums, the team of producers once again came from within the band: Bjornson, Larsen and Grutle - with the addition of Iver Sandoy. Large parts of the recording were once again done in the band members' own studios in Bergen and the remote village of Valevag. The mix and mastering was handled by respectively Jens Bogren and Tony Lindgren; both from Fascination Street Studios.
