Enslaved

Never faltering, Norway’s iconic Enslaved continue to exist as one of the most original and dependable components in our scene's indestructible backbone. Possessing the reputation as one of the most riveting live acts around, they never fail to offer us talent of the highest calibre, always doing justice to their signature black/progressive sound. Enslaved was formed in 1991 by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson, releasing their first demo in the summer of 1992, the legendary Hordanes Land a year later, and their first album Vikingligr Veldi in the spring of 1994. It’s a rare and remarkable feat that 35 years and now 17 albums in, Enslaved’s horizons still continue to expand. Every stage of the Bergen band’s evolution, every new phase entered, has felt like an organic act of discovery and renewal. Their journey has been at once a commitment to a promise that found its embryonic form in the Norwegian black metal scene they emerged from, and a willingness to challenge both orthodoxy and themselves from the off to make that potential manifest. Enslaved’s new album, Mið, an Old Norse word for ‘centre’, or ‘middle’, sheds light on harmonies and dialogues embedded all around us. Between the ways of the past, and how they can bring enlightenment to the present, between small kernels of truth and their ability to project onto the most universal of canvases, and between band members relying on instinct and each other to create a record that galvanises on every possible level.