Arve Isdal (born 28 August 1977, Bergen, Norway), also known as Ice Dale, is a Norwegian musician and producer, best known as lead guitarist for the extreme metal band Enslaved and the hard rock band Audrey Horne. He owns and runs Conclave & Earshot Studio in Bergen together with former-Enslaved band member Herbrand Larsen. In addition to working as a musician and producer, Isdal also teaches music production at Noroff.

Arve Isdal
Isdal live with Enslaved in 2016
Isdal live with Enslaved in 2016
Background information
Birth nameArve Isdal
Also known asIce Dale
Born (1977-08-28) 28 August 1977 (age 47)
Stord, Norway
OriginBergen, Norway
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • producer
  • teacher
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • bass
Years active1999–present
Member of
Formerly of
  • I
  • Trinacria
  • Temple of the Black Moon
  • Bourbon Flame

Isdal has released ten studio albums with Enslaved and seven albums with Audrey Horne. He has won six Norwegian Spellemann Awards: five with Enslaved and one with Audrey Horne.[1][2]

Career

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Isdal was initially influenced by hard rock bands like Kiss, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple; and progressive rock bands like Pink Floyd and King Crimson; before discovering heavy metal.[3] He joined his first band, the extreme metal act Malignant Eternal, in the mid 1990s and appeared on their album Alarm in 1999.[3] Isdal joined Enslaved in 2002, and has since appeared on ten studio albums with the band, starting with Below the Lights in 2003.[4][5] Isdal also became a member of hard rock band Audrey Horne in 2002 and has released seven albums with the band. He toured with former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno from 2002 to 2003.[6][7]

In 2006, Isdal participated in the black metal supergroup I along with Abbath of Immortal, King from Gorgoroth, and former-Immortal drummer Armagedda. The band released the studio album Between Two Worlds and played their only show at the Hole in the Sky Festival during that year.[8] In 2007, he released a self-titled album with glam metal band Bourbon Flame.[9] With members of Enslaved and the noise rock group Fe-Mail, Isdal formed the side project Trinacria and released the album Travel Now Journey Infinitely in 2008.[10] That same year, he was part of Gorgoroth's live lineup for their summer tour.[11]

Along with Enslaved's members, Isdal provided his voice for a 2009 episode of the animated series Metalocalypse. Isdal was a session member for the Ov Hell album The Underworld Regime in 2010, and the following year he played guitar and bass on the Demonaz solo album March of the Norse.[12][13] In the early 2010s, Isdal recorded an unreleased album with the supergroup Temple Of The Black Moon featuring Cradle of Filth vocalist Dani Filth, guitarist Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and Volbeat, bassist King ov Hell, keyboardist Gerlioz from Dimmu Borgir and drummer John Tempesta of The Cult and White Zombie.[14][15] In 2012, Gorgoroth's performance at Wacken Open Air in 2008 was released as a live album under the God Seed name. In 2021, Isdal played acoustic guitar on Ivar Bjørnson and Einar Selvik's single "Hardanger".[16] Isdal toured with Abbath and his eponymous band as a bassist in late 2022. He produced and performed bass on Immortal's 2023 studio album War Against All.[17]

Discography

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Isdal (left) with Thomas Tofthagen of Audrey Horne in 2013.

Enslaved

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Studio albums

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Live albums

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  • Roadburn Live (2017)

Compilation albums

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  • The Sleeping Gods – Thorn (2016)

Studio EPs

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  • The Sleeping Gods (2011)
  • Thorn (2011)

Audrey Horne

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Studio albums

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Live albums

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  • Waiting for the Night (2020)

Studio EPs

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  • Confessions & Alcohol (2005)

Malignant Eternal

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  • Alarm (1999)

Bourbon Flame

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  • Bourbon Flame (2007)

Trinacria

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  • Travel Now Journey Infinitely (2008)

Drott

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Studio albums

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  • Orcus (2021)
  • Troll (2023)

Studio EPs

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  • Drott (2021)

Hjerteslag

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  • Tyvens Dagbok (2022)

Production and writing credits

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Year Artist Title Song(s) Notes
2005 Octavia Sperati Winter Enclosure Co-engineer
2007 Grace Submerged
Syrach Days Of Wrath Producer
Vulture Industries The Dystopia Journals Engineer
2010 Gravdal Torturmantra Recording engineer
Blodhemn Brenn Alle Bruer Engineer
Sahg III Co-producer, engineer
Byfrost Black Earth Engineer
2011 Of Death Co-producer
Taake Noregs Vaapen Recording engineer
Demonaz March Of The Norse Producer
2012 Tortorum Extinctionist Engineer
The Gathering Disclosure Engineer
Blodhemn Holmengraa
2014 Blodhemn H7
2015 Audrey Horne Sannhet På Boks - En Hyllest Til Raga Rockers "Drept Kjendis" Producer, mixer
2023 Immortal War Against All Producer, recording engineer

Instrumental and vocal contributions

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Year Artist Title Song(s) Instrument
2008 Audrey Horne Shockadelica: 50th Anniversary Tribute To The Artist Known As Prince "The Cross"
2010 Ov Hell The Underworld Regime All tracks except "Invoker" and "Perpetual Night" Guitar
Byfrost Black Earth "Desire"
2011 Demonaz March Of The Norse Guitar, bass
2012 God Seed Live At Wacken Guitar
2015 Audrey Horne Sannhet På Boks - En Hyllest Til Raga Rockers "Drept Kjendis"
2021 Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik "Hardanger" Acoustic guitar
2023 Immortal War Against All Guitar, bass

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Spellemannprisen direkte". www.bt.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 25 February 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Spellemann til trengte jenter". www.bt.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 5 March 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b Guido (3 September 2016). "Ice Dale speaks: interview with Arve from Enslaved & Audrey Horne". Stranger Aeons. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Enslaved | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  5. ^ Below the Lights - Enslaved | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 4 June 2021
  6. ^ Chachkes, Keith (18 May 2013). "Young At Heart – An Interview With Audrey Horne". Ghost Cult Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  7. ^ Tsonev, Stoyan (19 April 2022). "Interview with Torkjell Rød of Audrey Horne". Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  8. ^ Between Two Worlds - I | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 4 June 2021
  9. ^ BraveWords. "BOURBON FLAME - Bourbon Flame". bravewords.com. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  10. ^ Travel Now Journey Infinitely - Trinacria | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 4 June 2021
  11. ^ Blabbermouth (2 June 2008). "GAAHL-Fronted GORGOROTH Announces Touring Lineup". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  12. ^ Blabbermouth (20 June 2010). "The Underworld Regime - OV HELL". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  13. ^ Blabbermouth (20 June 2011). "March of the Norse - DEMONAZ". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  14. ^ Kennelty, Greg (23 November 2016). "Dani Filth Discusses His Failed Supergroup With ENSLAVED, GORGOROTH, And VOLBEAT Members". Metal Injection. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  15. ^ M. Drew: Dani Filth Talks New Book.
  16. ^ Balzano, Maria Teresa (4 September 2021). "Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik, nuovo EP a novembre". Metal Hammer (in Italian). Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  17. ^ Kennelty, Greg (21 March 2023). "IMMORTAL Streams "War Against All," Announces New Album". Metal Injection. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
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