Enslaved was formed in 1992 in Haugesund, Norway, with an earlier incarnation of the band featuring none other than Hein Frode Hansen, who left to form Theatre Of Tragedy. Eventually they attracted the attention of Euronymous (of Mayhem) who signed the band to his Deathlike Silence label. That label was set to release the debut album, Vikingligr Veldi, but the chaos that ensued following Euronymous' death prevented that, and Voices Of Wonder eventually released that album, with the band later signing to Osmose, the band staying on that label for several years before a recent switch to Tabu. Though the band prefers the label "Viking Metal", Enslaved is very much a black metal band in musical style, if not in spirit. Enslaved is somewhat of a paradox -- a listen to any of their earlier albums (such as personal favorite Frost) reveals all the classic trademarks of early black metal -- the vocal stylings, the insane blast beats, that distinctive black metal guitar style -- and yet Enslaved somehow makes it original and distinctive enough so that only Enslaved could perform it. Part of this might be due to the guitar work, as it has that faintly dischordant style that occasionally reminds one of Denis D'Amour of Voivod (indeed, several sections of the Mardraum album are of the "what if Voivod played black metal" variety), and part of it might simply be that Enslaved is less derivative and more innovative than their contemporaries. The newer albums such as Mardraum and Monumension show a true expansion of their sound, incorporating new and varied influences into the mix without detracting from their past.