IVAR BJØRNSON

Every month we get inside the mind of one of the biggest names in music. This issue it’s Ivar Bjørnson. Enslaved’s guitarist and synth player discovered Pink Floyd at an early age and found an unlikely prog mentor in one of the founders of Bergen’s controversial black metal scene. His first group was a brass band, but he quickly moved from more traditional to extreme sounds, eventually finding his place as one of the pioneers of modern progressive metal. In 2015, he and Wardruna’s Einar Selvik reignited the Nordic flame with their By Norse label, and more recently Enslaved celebrated their 30th anniversary with the even proggier Heimdal. Here, the multi-instrumentalist takes a break from touring to recount his curious and unexpected musical journey so far.

Jerry Ewing

When it comes to prog, Enslaved rhythm guitarist and synthesiser player Ivar Bjørnson wears his heart on his sleeve. Or more specifically, his love of Pink Floyd. Prog is seated backstage at the USF Verftet venue, an old sardine factory, situated on the dockside in their hometown of Bergen before the band perform a special launch show for their recent Heimdal album and their own brand of beer, when Bjørnson proudly points out his large The Dark Side Of The Moon tattoo among many other tattoos on his forearm. Bjørnson formed Enslaved with his friend Grutle Kjellson in 1991 during the heady days of the Norwegian black metal scene and the pair still lead the band to this day. While their roots are in extreme music, from the early 2000s…

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Prog (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 142

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