This interview was conducted by Philip A. Wickstrand with vocalist/bass guitarist Grutle Kjellson at the Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, OR on October 12, 2011.

With Viking Metal taking off in the last few years, some of the younger crowd may not be aware that it’s been around for awhile. Among the first bands in the subgenre were ENSLAVED. With groundbreaking albums early on like Vikingligr Veldi and Frost, they really made a name for themselves. Twenty years into their career, their music has morphed into a more progressive style but their excellence has been consistent.

Phil: First of all, how’s the tour been so far?

Grutle: It’s been really good. By far the best headlining tour we’ve ever had in the States. Almost all the shows have been really good; there’s always a couple of… you know. [laughter] It’s not toppers every night, but I would say like ninety, ninety-five percent of the show has been great.

Phil: How disappointed were you when GHOST had to drop off the tour?

Grutle: I was disappointed when it happened so few days prior to the tour. That’s due to bad planning, I guess. It’s not that easy to get a replacement, but luckily we got JUNIUS, which is an excellent band in my opinion and great guys, so it’s still a very good package and ALCEST moved up a step and I have feeling that’s best… very good, I think.

Phil: Do you have anything laid out for the next ENSLAVED album yet?

Grutle: Well, not really. We only started working on new songs… we have more or less have the riffs ready for four songs. We haven’t been arranging them too much yet and there are no lyrics. But I mean, we’ll start that process or continue that process when we get home from this tour, so I think we’ll be ready around March, I guess, everything and then we’re going to record it in April.

Phil: Tell us a bit about the free digital EP, The Sleeping Gods.

Grutle: Well, the idea was initiated by the Scion Magazine. They gave us a pretty good deal; they paid the studio and I think they have the rights for six months or something and after that, they’re our songs. That’s a very good deal. It’s like five free songs, which, I mean, it costs a lot of money recording songs. That’s absolutely great. It was cool ‘cause we had a couple of riffs, like half songs from ages back, ’92, ’93, that we had never used, so this was an opportunity to kind of reconstruct them and add some new riffs, new lyrics and make justice to the best riffs. So that was pretty cool.

Phil: Are you going to be playing any of those on the tour?

Grutle: We’re playing one of the songs.

Phil: What would you say is your favorite track off the EP and why would you say so?

Grutle: All the tracks are very different and I like them all. I mean, it’s very diverse, so I like them all and I think it’s a little unfair to compare them too much, really. But I like the one we are playing tonight and it’s called “Heimvegen,” the first song. I like it very much and it turned out to be a good live song as well, so that would be my favorite at the moment.

Phil: How far in advance do you plan out the next ENSLAVED album from the previous one?

Grutle: Oh, we never do that, actually. [laughs] We just go with the flow and see where we end up. I think to make certain plans for how a song shall sound will completely destroy the creative process, so we never do that.

Phil: Have you had any ideas that you don’t really think would fit with ENSLAVED that you might do for a side project or as a solo thing?

Grutle: Yes, sometimes. Sometimes we have [mumbles] and sometimes it’s just not suitable for ENSLAVED right now. We have songs or riffs that we have used a couple years after we made them and the same with lyrics, actually. So it’s a little like a bottle of wine; it’s not good at first and has to mature a little bit. [laughs]

Phil: Will there be a DVD of any of the special shows you played for your twentieth anniversary?

Grutle: We’ve been recording things all year, actually, and also a couple of years back, so we’ll try to set up a little DVD. It’s not only going to be concerts; it’s going to be lots of stupid clips… it’s going to be kind of a home video, pretty loose direction, so to speak. It’s going to be more a fun thing; it’s not going to be a huge production, but it’s going to be cool when we can collect the clips and try to direct and order a little bit.

Phil: Recommend a book for our readers and then explain why you recommend that particular work.

Grutle: I like to read crime literature. It’s just entertaining and keeps your mind off things and it’s pretty relaxing to read exciting stories. [laughs] It’s very good for touring as well, not just to listen to music or watch a movie all the time, just occupy your mind and relax with a decent book. The last one I read on the tour was an author called Tom Egeland and the book, it’s fiction of course, dealt about old Egyptian mysticism and rune mysticism and old Christian gnostic sects, all mixed together around the world, kind of Da Vinci Code thing, although more entertaining than The Da Vinci Code. It was pretty fun.

Phil: How much time do you spend reading?

Grutle: I always have a book laying around and it really depends on how fast I can read the book which really depends on how occupied I am, but I always bring along a couple of books on a tour at least, so I will say I probably read… I don’t read that much at home, only vacations and stuff, so I read like twelve, thirteen books a year, something like that. It’s not that much. A little bit.

Phil: Would you say that any of the books you read influence the songwriting process?

Grutle: My lyric writing can be inspired by practically everything and it can something as simple as a book and it can be any book, you know? And I can get inspired by things in a movie; I can be inspired by looking out the window. It’s just a matter of having that little spark that starts the process. So yeah, inspiration can come from books, but not necessarily.

Phil: Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

Grutle: Well, yeah. [laughs] If I have writer’s block, I usually just put on some music, especially the song I’m writing the lyric for and then my head starts spinning and it comes very naturally because it’s connected, the music and the words, no doubt about it.

Phil: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Grutle: I want to go home. [laughter] It’s been a real good tour, but it’s always nice to get home and relax for a couple days and then start to work again on new stuff and all the stupid part-time jobs we have back home to be able pay our bills.

Phil: Gee, you mean you’re not rich and famous?

Grutle: You’re a romantic fool. [laughter] It’s hard to get rich and famous by playing music nowadays, man. But we’re not in it for the money, obviously. It’s only about having enough money to pay the bills; otherwise I couldn’t care less about money.

Enslaved's Grutle Kjellson

Interviewer: Philip A. Wickstrand

November 2, 2011

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

*Comments:

TO THE TOP

PHOTOS BY PHIL A. WICKSTRAND

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

Formed: 1991
Haugesund / Bergen  NORWAY
Label: Indie Recordings
Genre: Progressive Black /
Viking Metal

CURRENT LINE-UP:

Herbrand Larsen:  Vocals, Keyboards
                                   & Mellotron
Ivar Bjørnson:  Guitars & Keyboards
Arve Isdal:  Guitars
Grutle Kjellson:  Vocals & Bass
Cato Bekkevold:  Drums

DISCOGRAPHY:

Hordanes Land EP (1993)
Vikingligr Veldi (1994)
Frost (1994)
Eld (1997)
Blodhemn 1998)
Mardraum: Beyond the Within (2000)
Monumension (2001)
Below the Lights (2003)
Live Retaliation DVD (2003)
Isa (2004)
Return to Yggdrasill DVD (2005)
Ruun (2006)
Vertebrae (2008)
The Wooden Box (2009)
Axioma Ethica Odini (2010)
The Sleeping Gods EP (2011)
Thorn EP (2011)