Enslaved’s Ivar Bjornson Plays His Favorite Guitar Riffs

Enslaved's Ivan Bjornson is the latest guest for Loudwire's Gear Factor, taking fans through the history of how he learned guitar and the riffs that shaped him.

Dating back to his youth, Bjornson calls out a track first made famous by Bob Dylan before being electrified by guitar god Jimi Hendrix. “The song I remember the most, and I guess that was the first riff, is ‘All Along the Watchtower,'" says Bjornson.

It didn't take long for the guitarist to gravitate to something even heavier. He credits his father for turning him on to a Venom live video that caught his attention at a young age. "It was just amazing the raw power and everything, and I remember playing the ‘Countess Bathory’ riff over and over again.”

His love of heavy music references a number of iconic bands with Bjornson paying tribute to Kreator, Bathory and Norwegian pioneers Darkthrone and Mayhem.

Showcasing a bit of one of his early works, he shares a bit of "Heimdaller" from the Yggdrasill demo. It's a track he loves for its "really catchy symphonic kind of riff.”

Also from the early years of Enslaved, Bjornson shares the verse from "Allfoor Ooinn." He digs into "The Crossing" and "Ethica Odini" as well, marveling over its drop tuning and the "punchy, catchy" sounds of the latter offering.

Taking us closer to modern day, Bjornson finished out this edition of Gear Factor with a pair of riffs from their Utgard album. First comes “Jettegryta," with the guitarist sharing the opening riffs as well as another favorite piece later on. He also shares "Homebound," which he views as "a bit of an homage to the good ol’ thrash metal.”

Enslaved's Utgard album was released in October and is currently available at this location (As Amazon affiliates, we earn on qualifying purchases). Watch the full Gear Factor episode with Enslaved's Ivar Bjornson below.

Enslaved's Ivar Bjornson Plays His Favorite Guitar Riffs

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