Hailing from the frostbitten and legendary black metal scene of Norway, Enslaved were part of what kvltists refer to as “The Second Wave” of the infamous subgenre. Hanging out as youngsters at the now-mythical Helvette Records, run by the late Euronymous of Mayhem (who was murdered by the recently released Varg Vikernes, the man behind the elite BM project Burzum), they lived through and contributed to what is now inarguably part of rock history, along with the two aforementioned bands as well as neighbors and fellow countrymen Darkthrone, Immortal and Emperor.

With a lyrical bent that embraces Odinism rather than cowing to the Horny One, and a musical style that at times has as much to do with bands like Tool and Deep Purple as it does with tremolo-picked powerchords and harsh lyrical delivery, Enslaved has been consistently breaking out of the box, each album an outgrowth and expansion of their last—heavy as hell, with massive doses of experimentation and texture augmenting the expansive yet crushing sonic backdrops. Add in the clean vocals, majestic keyboards, precise arrangements and fully formed melodies, and you have a band pretty much ready to take over the world.

Enslaved members Grutle Kjellson (bass/vocals), Ivar Bjornson (guitar) and Cato Bekkevold (drums) were kind enough to take a break during their Darkness Reborn tour (sponsored by FANGORIA and Decibel magazines) with fellow purveyors of sonic dischord Dimmu Borgir, and talk with us about their new album AXIOM ETHICA ODINI, progressive music and taking a good old-fashioned swim in corpsepaint. Beware the “Otter of Evil”! That’s all I’m sayin’…

Now,watch and bow to my epic Viking metal brothers Enslaved!

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