Kjetil Tvedte Grutle, better known as Grutle Kjellson (born 24 December 1973 in Sveio, Hordaland, Norway), is the bassist and vocalist of the Norwegian

progressive black metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...

band Enslaved. Together with Ivar Bjørnson, they are the founding and the only constant members, as well as the main songwriters of the band.

Biography

In 1989, aged 17, Grutle and his 13-year-old friend, guitarist Ivar Bjørnson and other musicians, founded

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

band Phobia, but they left the project in mid-1991. At that time, both and drummer Trym Torson decided to form a band inspired by

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...

called Enslaved, in

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern ...

. Kjellson and Bjørnson are the only permanent members of Enslaved since its inception to date. In 1996, Grutle together with Ivar, Infernus and Tormentor created the short-lived thrash metal band Desekrator, disbanded in 1999. In 2005, Grutle along with Ivar,

Arve Isdal Arve Isdal (born 28 August 1977, Bergen, Norway), also known as Ice Dale, is a Norwegian musician and producer, best known as lead guitarist for the progressive black metal band Enslaved. Career Isdal was initially influenced by hard rock ba ...

and other musicians created Trinacria. Grutle has a guest performance on the song "High on Cold War" on

Darkthrone Darkthrone is a Norwegian extreme metal band from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991 Darkthrone embraced a black metal style influenced by Bathory and Celtic Frost and became one of the leadin ...

's 2006 EP, ''Too Old, Too Cold''. He also contributed, along with his Enslaved colleagues Arve Isdal and Herbrand Larsen and American actress

Laraine Newman Laraine Newman (born March 2, 1952) is an American actress, writer and comedian. She was part of the original cast of NBC's ''Saturday Night Live''. She took an interest at improv in high school. After graduating, she studied mime with Marcel M ...

, in the animated television series '' Metalocalypse'' as one of "The Klokateers" in 2009. He also participated in the documentaries ''Showman'' (2010) and '' Metal Evolution'' (2014), as himself.

Controversies

Kjellson is known to be openly anti-Christian and non-religious, but not

Satanist Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the atheistic Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States in 1966, although a few h ...

. He stated in multiple interviews, including in the Canadian documentary film '' Metal: A Headbanger's Journey'' (2005), his opinion on the '90s

church burnings Church arson is the burning of, or attempting to burn, religious property. Around the world, arson is committed because empty churches are a soft target, or due to excommunication, racial hatred, pyromania, prejudice against certain religions or re ...

in Norway. In one interview, he said:

Well in a way, I think that Christianity in Norway deserved it, you know? In the beginning, it was not something the Norwegians chose. It was forced upon them. So you can say that "That's a thousand years ago", but — I wasn't sad, I wasn't really happy either — but I mean, in a historical point of view Christianity deserved it.Dunn, Sam. ''Metal: A Headbanger's Journey'', 2005.

He’s also known to be a Norse pagan.

Discography

Enslaved

* '' Vikingligr Veldi'' (1994) * ''

Frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

'' (1994) * '' Eld'' (1997) * ''

Blodhemn ''Blodhemn'' (Norwegian meaning "blood revenge") is the fourth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 28 October 1998, through Osmose Productions. Background The album was produced by Peter Tägtgren, and i ...

'' (1998) * ''

Mardraum – Beyond the Within ''Mardraum – Beyond the Within'' is the fifth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 25 September 2000, through Osmose Productions. Track listing Personnel ; Enslaved * Grutle Kjellson – bass guita ...

'' (2000) * ''

Monumension ''Monumension'' is the sixth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 19 November 2001, through Osmose Productions. It is Enslaved's first album to feature lyrics sung entirely in English, although some versions o ...

'' (2001) * '' Below the Lights'' (2003) * ''

Isa Isa or ISA may refer to: Places * Isa, Amur Oblast, Russia * Isa, Kagoshima, Japan * Isa, Nigeria * Isa District, Kagoshima, former district in Japan * Isa Town, middle class town located in Bahrain * Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia * Mount Is ...

'' (2004) * ''

Ruun ''Ruun'' is the ninth full-length album by the Norway, Norwegian black metal band Enslaved (band), Enslaved. It was released on 2 May 2006. It was given Norway's 2006 Spellemannprisen, Spellemann award for best achievement in the "metal" genre. ...

'' (2006) * '' Vertebrae'' (2008) * ''

Axioma Ethica Odini ''Axioma Ethica Odini'' is the eleventh album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on September 27, 2010, via Indie Recordings in Europe and on September 28, 2010, via Nuclear Blast in North America. The cover artwork was c ...

'' (2010) * ''

RIITIIR ''RIITIIR'', occasionally typeset as "RIITIIЯ," is the twelfth studio album from the Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on September 28, 2012 in Europe and on October 9, 2012 in North America. The name RIITIIR is Ivar Bjørn ...

'' (2012) * ''

In Times ''In Times'' is the thirteenth studio album by the Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 10 March 2015 by Nuclear Blast. As the title suggests, the album's central theme is that of time, considered philosophically, historical ...

'' (2015) * '' E'' (2017) * '' Utgard'' (2020) * '' Caravans to the Outer Worlds'' (2021)

Desekrator

*''Desekrator'' (Demo,1997) *''Metal for Demons'' (1998)

Darkthrone Darkthrone is a Norwegian extreme metal band from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991 Darkthrone embraced a black metal style influenced by Bathory and Celtic Frost and became one of the leadin ...

* ''Too Old, Too Cold'' (2006)

V:28

* ''NonAnthropogenic'' (2003)

Vreid

*'' I Krig'' (2007)

Trinacria

*''Travel Now Journey Infinitely'' (2008)

References

External links

Enslaved's official website

Grutle Kjellson's official Facebook page
Norwegian black metal musicians Norwegian rock guitarists Norwegian heavy metal guitarists Norwegian multi-instrumentalists 1973 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Enslaved (band) members 21st-century Norwegian guitarists Musicians from Sveio {{Metal-music-stub