Ivar Bjrnson

Vocation

Norwegian composer and guitarist for the progressive black/viking metal band Enslaved, also a founding member, who was only 13 when the band was formed in 1991. Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson performed in a death metal band called Phobia in 1989. The two decided that they wanted to form a new band in a more black metal style, and their shared fascination with Norse mythology laid the groundwork for Enslaved. Beyond his duties on guitar, Bjørnson writes almost all of the music for Enslaved as well as much of the lyrics. He contributed keyboard/synth work to Borknagar's first three albums and synth/piano work on the Gorgoroth albums Incipit Satan and Destroyer under the name "Daimonion"; and also produced the first demo from black metal band Orcustus. In 2014, the Norwegian government commissioned Ivar and Einar Selvik (Wardruna) to create a musical piece in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian constitution. The arrangement, titled 'Skuggsjá', was performed by Enslaved and Wardruna as a concert piece at the Eidsivablot festival in Eidsvoll, Norway on 13 September 2014. The music drew on the history, culture, and language of Norway and its Norse tradition, telling the story of Norway and contextualising the past in Norway's present. The pair later decided that the project should be expanded upon, and further shows followed, including one at the popular Roadburn festival in 2015. They used the project's name and released the project as a full-length studio album on 11 March 2016. Link to Wikipedia biography