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Grutle Kjellson

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Grutle Kjellson
Kjellson live with Enslaved in 2015
Kjellson live with Enslaved in 2015
Background information
Birth nameKjetil Tvedte Grutle
Born (1973-12-24) 24 December 1973 (age 50)
OriginSveio, Norway
Genres
Occupations
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • bass guitar
  • guitar
Years active1989–Present
Member of
Formerly of
  • Phobia
  • Desekrator
Websitehttp://www.enslaved.no/

Kjetil Tvedte Grutle (born December 24, 1973), better known as Grutle Kjellson, is a Norwegian musician, best known as the bassist and vocalist of the Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. Kjellson and guitarist Ivar Bjørnson are the founding and only constant members of the band, as well as the main songwriters. He has released sixteen studio albums with Enslaved and won five Norwegian Spellemann Awards with the band.[1]

Biography

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In 1990, sixteen-year-old Kjellson met the twelve-year-old guitarist of death metal band Obnoxious, Ivar Bjørnson, during a rehearsal with his own band Phobia in Haugesund.[2] Bjørnson was invited to join Phobia, which later split up in early 1991.[3][4] In May 1991, Kjellson and Bjørnson founded a new band inspired by Norse mythology called Enslaved together with drummer Trym Torson, a former bandmate of Bjørnson from Obnoxious.[5][6][7] Kjellson and Bjørnson are the only permanent members of Enslaved since its inception to date.

In 1996, Kjellson and Bjørnson together with Infernus and Tormentor of Gorgoroth created the short-lived thrash metal band Desekrator, which disbanded in 1999. In 2005, Kjellson along with Bjørnson, Enslaved bandmate Arve Isdal and other musicians formed the band Trinacria. He was a guest performer on the song "High on Cold War" from Darkthrone's 2006 EP, Too Old, Too Cold.

In 2009, Kjellson contributed along with Enslaved colleagues Isdal and Herbrand Larsen, and American actress Laraine Newman, in the animated television series Metalocalypse as one of "The Klokateers". He has also appeared in interviews for the documentaries Showman (2010) and Metal Evolution (2014).[8]

Views on religion

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Kjellson is known to be anti-Christian and non-religious. Despite Enslaved's place in the extreme metal and black metal genres, the band has never had Satanical views or lyrics.[9][10] Kjellson has stated in multiple interviews his opinion on the 1990s church burnings in Norway, mentioning in the documentary film Metal: A Headbanger's Journey that:

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.[11]

Discography

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With Enslaved

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With Trinacria

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  • Travel Now Journey Infinitely (2008)

Writing, vocal and instrumental contributions

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Year Artist Title Song(s) Notes
1995 Enslaved Nordic Metal: A Tribute To Euronymous "Loke"
1996 In Memory Of Celtic Frost "Procreation (Of The Wicked)"
2003 V:28 NonAnthropogenic "Dead Shining Star", "Purity" Vocals
2005 Manngard Circling Buzzards "Gravgang"
2006 Darkthrone Too Old, Too Cold "High On Cold War"
2007 Syrach Days Of Wrath Additional vocals
2010 Shining Blackjazz "Omen", "21st Century Schizoid Man" Vocals
2011 Nine Covens On The Coming Of Darkness "Pt.2: A New Light For The Earth Shall Shine"
2013 Vardlokk Skraelingjahlaut Lyrics, vocals, theremin
2014 Doomicus Doomicus "Boozehound" Vocals
2015 Rise Of Avernus Dramatis Personæ "Acta Est Fabula"
2016 Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik Skuggsjá
2017 Stromstad New Devoted Human "Reluctant Traveller"
2021 Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik – "Hardanger" Writer, lyrics, performer, voice

References

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  1. ^ "Spellemannprisen direkte". www.bt.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2018-02-25. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  2. ^ Haukaas, Per Randers (2014-10-26). "Enslaved-komponistens hjemmekontor". Bergensavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  3. ^ "Enslaved's Grutle Kjellson Talks 'In Times' Album + More". Loudwire. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  4. ^ Haukaas, Per Randers (2014-10-26). "Enslaved-komponistens hjemmekontor". Bergensavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  5. ^ Frostkamp: Intervju med Enslaved
  6. ^ Teamrock: "Enslaved: The Progressive Black Metallers"
  7. ^ Haukaas, Per Randers (2014-10-26). "Enslaved-komponistens hjemmekontor". Bergensavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  8. ^ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3741492/ Grutle Kjellson on IMDb [user-generated source]
  9. ^ Handelman, Ben (2015-12-30). "Norwegian Prog Metal Gods Enslaved were Never Satanic, but Always Chaotic". Vice. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  10. ^ Svendsen, Roy Hilmar (2015-09-03). "Beklager å ha stemplet Enslaved som satanister". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  11. ^ Dunn, Sam. Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, 2005.
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