“I almost cried when I first saw John Frusciante live. But when I got involved in extreme music, people would say, ‘Don’t mention RHCP’”: How Arve Isdal carved his own extreme metal path with Enslaved – and became Norway’s answer to Slash

Typically found shirtless on stage left in leather trousers with a Les Paul hanging under his waist, Enslaved guitarist Arve Isdal could very well be the Norwegian answer to Slash.

And much like the cat in the hat, he’s a musician in high demand, having collaborated on all kinds of releases over the years thanks to the bluesy charm at the epicenter of his barbwire riffing and tasteful shredding.

The Bergen native has recorded 10 albums with progressive metal titans Enslaved, and another seven with hard rockers Audrey Horne (yes, named after the Twin Peaks character), in the process tallying up six Spellemannprisen awards – which anyone in Norway will tell you is their equivalent to a Grammy.

We meet at legendary Bergen concert hall Grieghallen. It’s home to the city’s Philharmonic Orchestra, and for one weekend every year, the Beyond The Gates Festival, when its quaint surroundings are invaded by heavy metal worshippers from around the world.

Next, we stroll to Earshot Studio, which the guitarist co-runs with one-time Enslaved keyboardist Herbrand Larsen. As well as recording their own bands here, the creative hub is also where they’ve worked with Immortal, Gorgoroth, Taake and more.

It’s an Aladdin’s cave of gear, packed with Peavey, Vox and Marshall amps, stacks of pedals and racks of guitars. Naturally there are some mid-’90s Les Paul Customs in the building – the guitar of choice for the man affectionately nicknamed Ice Dale.

“I remember having to decide between a Custom and an Ibanez seven-string,” he says. “I’ve always felt like more of a rock ’n’ roll guy, so it made sense to go with Gibson. I love Slash, Page, Wylde and Rhoads, who are all Les Paul players. Ace Frehley got me started on the whole guitar thing.

“I’ve never regretted it. That 1994 Custom was my main guitar for 20 years. But it got fucked up – I don’t dare take it out anymore, which is sad. My main Custom now is from 1996, fitted with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pros, like what Slash uses.”

Some of the instruments here are not what you’d expect to find, including some Rivolta offsets and Fender Custom Shop showpieces. The Rivolta connection was made when Isdal was on the hunt for an affordable baritone.

“I looked at reviews of their higher-end models, which are still not that expensive at around $1,000,” he says, handing over one of his Mondata Classicos in Cats Eye Burst for closer inspection. “I got one, then another. They play well and sound different to Gibsons. They’re a great company; I’ll probably end up buying more.”

Those Fender Custom Shop guitars are pretty different to what you use live.

“I’ve got three: one Tele and two Strats, including a Dual-Mag II Journeyman Relic from 2020. People say you start buying more Strats as you get older – I guess that’s true. My first Fender was a Mexican Strat I bought in the States. I started writing on that, which made me want to upgrade.

“I tried a Standard in a shop and then got told to check out the custom ones. I never thought I’d spend $5000 on a guitar – but I tried one and went, ‘Oh fuck!’ It’s funny how you play different on certain instruments. What comes out on a Strat is different to a Les Paul. That’s interesting to me.”

What’s your touring rig at the moment?

“I’ve stuck with the Peavey 6505+ for a while. I like how they sound and the versatility when you turn the gain down. Ivar Bjørnson from Enslaved also has one. We used Kempers for a while, but now we use the Quad Cortex. Thomas Tofthagen, who plays guitar with me in Audrey Horne, has always used Marshalls. We figured a blend would work better than two Marshalls with Les Pauls.

“In that band my set-up is simple: a tuner, a delay and the Xotic EP Booster for solos. I used to run a Tube Screamer but for some reason it didn’t boost enough on a Peavey, even though it did with Marshalls.”

Not many people know you played with Paul Di'Anno. What was it like playing those Iron Maiden classics with the original frontman?

“It was a fun experience. Before I joined Enslaved, there was a festival that was similar to what we have now with Beyond The Gates. For the second year they booked Paul and told me I was playing for him! He had bands in different countries to make touring affordable.

“The show was packed – and it was the first time I played with leather pants and no shirt! Paul said we were the best band he’d ever had and booked us for a tour. Later on, we recorded a DVD in Poland [The Beast In The East].”

How did it all end?

“He booked another tour, but it felt like he was on his way down. He was a nice guy but pretty crazy. He started talking shit about Iron Maiden while playing their songs, which made us feel uncomfortable.

“But we had a great time playing Running Free and Wrathchild. That’s how I met Enslaved – they saw me after kicking out their old guitarist, and asked if I could help until they found a replacement.”

You played on the last Immortal album, which you also produced. You’ve played in Gorgoroth, Abbath and God Seed. It seems like you’re the go-to guitar hero in Norway.

“Maybe! At least in the Bergen scene, which has always been collaborative. People help each other out, playing in different bands. As well as Enslaved, Ivar had been in Borknagar and even did stuff with Satyricon.”

You formed a supergroup called Temple of the Black Moon with Dani Filth, Rob Caggiano and John Tempesta. What happened?

“We released a demo ages ago, but that’s about it. King Ov Hell started the band and Joey Jordison was involved early on. Eventually Dani came in, because Rob had worked with him. They came to Bergen and we hung out.

“Then Tempesta recorded drums for the album in LA. When we got a management and record deal, it got complicated. There were contracts about obligations, making it a priority, but I couldn’t leave Enslaved. It became a problem for Rob when he joined Volbeat. We were about to record guitars, then it all fell apart.”

Ground has one of your most classic Enslaved solos. It almost sounds like Gary Moore in places.

“I like my solos to have a good starting point and blend well into the next part. I’m not a shredder looking to show every skill in 20 seconds. With Ground, I played through a few times and then edited something together.

“I sent it back and everyone said, ‘Fuck yeah!’ Some leads can be more difficult. I don’t think anyone has mentioned Gary Moore before – people usually say it reminds them of David Gilmour. I love both.”

The Fusion of Sense and Earth solo, on the other hand, is pretty intense.

“It’s flashy, but it fits the song’s aggression. I wanted to bring energy. There’s always some melody in my solos, even when they’re fast. That track is atmospheric and dark, so I went for a harmonic minor feel.”

Which solo are you most of proud, then?

“I really like Neogenesis from the Isa album. That one presented more of a challenge because the solo section is a few minutes long, plus there’s an outro solo. I played a bunch of different ideas, from Beck and Gilmour stuff to Slashy things.

“If there’s one lead that combines all of me, it’s that one. I come from more of a pentatonic background, to be honest. I don’t know if many extreme metal guitar players throw much blues into the mix.”

You’ve gone on record admitting how much you love John Frusciante – something extreme metal musicians don’t tend to say!

“I listened to Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Mother’s Milk religiously to practice my rhythms. When John came back for Californication, I loved what he did because it sounded pure and simple. Not many people could pull that off – playing a couple of notes as your leads.

“Just listen to what he did on the title track. It’s simple, but it works. John Frusciante can be amazingly soulful and atmospheric at the same time. I almost started crying when I first saw him play live. When I got involved in extreme music, people would say ‘Don’t mention RHCP,’ which felt weird!”

From Jeff Beck to your prog heroes, you clearly wear your influences with pride.

“There’s Blow By Blow and Wired, but I also love what Jeff did with other artists, like on Jon Bon Jovi’s Blaze of Glory. He played some crazy parts on Roger Waters’ Amused to Death. He was the only one who could do stuff like that. It’s not easy to copy.

“When I got serious on guitar I discovered King Crimson, Yes and Genesis. Sometimes I might use fourth and fifth intervals like Steve Howe. Robert Fripp is rhythmically interesting. I particularly love the Discipline album. It’s obvious Adam Jones took a lot of inspiration there; you can hear it in Tool. I hope to see the tour with Vai soon!”

• Enslaved have a handful of European festival dates lined up this year.