During a rare heavy metal show in coastal Norway, an 11-year old Ivar Bjørnson’s dream of playing in a band took a fateful step forward, as opportunity seemingly fell from the sky for him while watching Witchhammer perform at Slaktehuset in Haguesund. Or, maybe it just seemed that way from his vantage point. As the story goes, Grutle Kjellson, four years Ivar’s senior and his bandmate of over 35 years now, took a dive from the stage that night and landed directly on top of Ivar. Shortly after this unexpected surprise meeting, the two would start creating music in a death metal outfit called Phobia before gravitating towards the burgeoning black metal scene in Norway. Renaming themselves as Enslaved at the strong suggestion of Demonaz from Immortal, Grutle and Ivar ingratiated themselves within the local scene, eventually befriending musicians in the bands that have now become synonymous with the legend of the second wave of black metal.
One of these musicians was Mayhem’s guitarist Euronymous, the owner of Helvete record shop in Oslo and Deathlike Silence Productions record label, whom Ivar had looked up to as a teenager in a flourishing new music scene. When presented with the group’s Yggdrasill demo in Helvete, Euronymous not only signed the group, but gave feedback to a young Bjørnson about the group’s sound and his guitar techniques. Though Enslaved never fully subscribed to the true black metal ethos, the elements from black metal incorporated into their sound are evident still today. Despite that, even from the early days of the band, Enslaved’s sound and approach to music differed from their brethren in the scene in terms of progressive nature, including their use of synth. A heavy '70s prog influence and an attitude that nothing was too off-the-wall to include has been a hallmark of the band from their first records, and that principle has continued to guide them to the modern day.
As Enslaved prepares to release their seventeenth studio album Mið on October 30th through Nuclear Blast, their sound has evolved many times over since those early days, but to those that have been with them from the start, those early sounds that harken back to Hordanes Land or Vikingligr Veldi are still very much present. Ahead of its release, I had a chance to speak with Ivar about the new record and a number of other topics, including:
- the writing process for Mið and how most of the album was borne in the studio, the two prepared tracks and how they guided the theme of the record, the meaning of Mið and how it relates to the central musical and lyrical themes contained within, and how the two indigenous guests on the record help the depth of those themes.
- Ivar’s involvement with Fire in the Mountains Festival both as a musician and curator, the writing process for “Spirit Helper” alongside Blackfoot elder Kevin Kicking Woman, and the delicate nature in which he approached the collaboration.
- how the second half of “Mountain” may have been written half consciously, the importance of Bergen and Oslo in the story of Enslaved, hanging at Helvete with Euronymous and having his approval as a young guitarist, and an anecdote from his first time drinking underage with Ihsahn from Emperor.
- reflections about his relationship with Grutle after working together for so long and how his younger self would feel about all that Enslaved have achieved in their career.
You can watch the entire interview HERE:
During the course of our conversation, especially when reflecting on that desire that drove the members of the band before they even formed, Ivar noted that that passion for music is something that’s crucial to keep in mind even now after the band has established themselves as one of the premier extreme metal bands to ever emerge from Norway. When speaking about his relationship with Grutle, he compared it to gaining a brother, and was thankful for his patience with him from an early age, crediting him for seeing what he could become. Their brotherhood has been quite prosperous together, and Mið continues the legacy they’ve built for Enslaved over the last three and a half decades. And to think, if not for a fateful stage dive in 1989, it may have never happened at all.
To pre-order Mið before its release on October 30th through Nuclear Blast Records, check out Enslaved's website linked below.
To date, the only announced appearance for Enslaved in North America for 2027 is at Maryland Deathfest. If you're interested in seeing them on this side of the Atlantic playing all of Vikingligr Veldi, check out ticket information here:
