Until the Light Takes Us

Very well done. I've read just about anything I could get my hands on regarding the subject of Norwegian black metal and its media-enhanced notoriety. Until the Light Takes Us covers just that. The film focuses on 1) sensationalism (Varg being labeled a Satanist by both Norwegian and American media), 2) cultural dissonance (particularly Christianity versus traditional Norwegian culture), 3) the frustrations of artists like Fenriz and the trends stemming from their body of work (regardless of whether or not the new generations of artists even understand what it is they're doing and where these ideas came from), and 4) the extreme nature of certain black metal ethics (Dead's suicide being documented on the cover of "Dawn of the Black Hearts") and the feud between Varg & Euronymous (or even Frost's openly masochistic behavior, for that matter). These are all very central and relevant themes in black metal. I don't see how this documentary could fail in bringing up these issues when each one was so plainly articulated. Furthermore, the soundtrack was quite focused on black metal. To my knowledge, the very dense and lengthy soundtrack contains only 4 non-black metal acts (mum, Black Dice, Boards of Canada and SUNN O))), who composed "Black One" as a tribute, more or less, to the black metal genre as it influenced them). The rest is all Mayhem, Burzum, Gorgoroth, Enslaved, Thorns, Darkthrone and so on. Don't see what's not black metal about that. Until The Light Takes Us, like American Hardcore, is primarily for people not only interested in the genre and its related stories but also anyone who doesn't know a whole lot about these subjects. No harm in that. If anything, I'd rather newcomers hear about black metal through this documentary than picking up a recent Dimmu Borgir album.

As someone who was quite entranced with the (decidedly early) Black Metal scene as an impressionable teenager way back in the early to mid 90's, a documentary like this is more a walk down memory lane than a revelation. As such, some prior knowledge of the genre is required before sitting down and watching this documentary. Do not expect a musical walk through, nor an explanation on the aesthetics of the genre, what you'll get is an account of the ideologies of the musicians, their perception of a bankrupt society with a complete disclosure of their (questionable) morals.

The interview with Varg Vikernes of Burzum should be taken with a whole bag salt: it comes over as an apologetic discourse of his past crimes, his idealogical and political standpoints are more then questionable. The true star of this docu is without a doubt Fenriz, whose down to earth attitude is refreshing and serves as a stark contrast to the somewhat pompous and overblown pose of Satyricon's Frost and Mayhem's Hellhammer. Fenriz (Gylve Nagel) offers insight in the dealings of the Black Circle, the going-ons in Euronymous shop "Helvete" and power struggle of the main antagonists in the early black metal scene without ever going too far.

The documentary is well constructed, through a collection of interviews it focuses on the people in the scene and as such there is no overdubbed narrator. The soundtrack fits rather well, ambient pieces (by Burzum, Mum and ulver) mixed with furious early day black metal (courtesy of Mayhem, Darkthrone, Thorns and Burzum) serve to pinpoint the resemblance and the blend of the two genres. The ambient pieces also stress the ferociousness and ugliness of black metal, something present day black metal sorely lacks.

No frills, no bs, no plastic bands and no Gorgoroth: highly recommended for fans of black metal, present and past (like me)!

"until the light takes us" does for the Norse black metal scene what temple's "the filth and the fury" did for early u.k. punk, in that it attempts to retrospectively and yet accurately paint a picture of a so-called extreme music scene ruined by its own strict ideology, media over-exposure, and the inexperience of youth. indeed, many parallels exist between British punk and Norse black metal, not the least of which revolve around corrupt in-scene bosses, misguided fan-boy attempts at emulating the supposed actions of the originators of the particular movement, and a stated ideology lashing out against a generalised societal goal at odds with the very well-being of mankind.

however, whereas our British protagonists used the very rails of pop culture to drive the roller coaster car of punk into the parlour rooms of staid English families from brixton to Liverpool, black metal kept its sounds and image underground during its prime years, leaving only the charred remains of norway's Christian past to give the confused public any hint of its existence. eventually, of course, the media seized hold of the scene, the music, and its participants, and all but re-wrote the events into a cartoonish mythology over the past fifteen years. the core creators of Norwegian black metal have been loathe to give much insight into the impetus behind their actions or ideology in the mainstream media in anything but print, and most of that has been twisted.

Aaron aites and Audrey ewell have gone to great lengths to treat a history long the subject of hysteria and misrepresentation with the venerability and respect due a subject so weighty. for while in the world at large, black metal, if known at all, is a comical footnote to heavy metal - a genre known largely for its "heavy metal parking lot" beer-swilling fans; in norway varg vikerenes is known as the Norwegian Charles manson, and the scene associate with rape, murder, arson and the knife. the film is well balanced, with shots in austere art galleries, forests, pubs, and open air markets. the story line is neither rushed nor over-indulged, and over all the film makers try to maintain a certain neutrality, leaving the audience to judge for itself what to make of these decidedly revolutionary and publicly misanthropic individuals.

there are surprises for all audiences. those unfamiliar with the history of the scene will get a clear picture of what probably transpired in a violent youth scene notorious for satanism and murder in norway between 1989-1994. for black metal devotees, prepare for a treat - rarely seen footage of early, core bands, interviews with many of the musicians who mattered, and untainted interviews with varg himself. prepare for a film with none of the cringe-worthy material you might have previously associated with the sensationalism, ignorance or low-brow blundering of the vbs "true Norwegian black metal" fiasco. interviews with other characters in the scene make for a much different impression than one might otherwise hold.

"until the light takes us" is that rare creature of the underground documentary world; a true portrait of the subject in glistening oils a la van Gogh, rather than some coney island boardwalk pencil caricature.

First and foremost a quick word of warning: if you expect to gain knowledge of what Black Metal MUSIC is and/or you're not familiar with so-called True Norwegian Black Metal then I suggest you do NOT watch this documentary or at least don't expect a rush through a history of bands and music. It does not contain any particular style comparisons, does not feature a whole lot of Black Metal music and also does not feature bands from the so-called 2nd or 3rd generation of Black Metal artists. You will not find any Gorgoroth (except for a short music clip) or Dimmu Borgir in here ;)

That said I can take a stand and say I just really enjoyed this documentary. I've been watching it multiple times by now and it's still a fascinating journey through the darker, moody inner feeling Black Metal itself is about (which it is supposed to be in the first place IMO). I really liked the fact that the creators chose Fenriz from Darkthrone as the main guide throughout the whole movie as I think he's got the most neutral stand in the whole Norwegian Black Metal scene and is not as biased (not to offend, though) as Vikernes or Hellhammer. The interviews are left uncommented, so everyone can think for themselves regarding the statements the interviewees make. Some other reviewers criticized the "techno" music. It's not techno music at all, but dark ambient synth music that fits the cold and gloomy Norwegian landscape very well. Fans of Burzum's ambient songs will agree with me. The "plot" mainly focuses on the incidents surrounding Euronymous' shop Helvete in Oslo, his murder (and also Dead of Mayhem's death), the Helvete gang which consisted mainly of Burzum, Mayhem and Darkthrone members. Basically to sum it up, I'll just quote Fenriz from the film: "How the hell did it all happen?".

I really recommend this film to anyone with a decent fascination for the early Norwegian Black Metal scene. This is not intended for people that just enjoy dressing up Black Metal style and give their head a bang or two as you won't quite understand this film.

'Until the Light Takes Us' is an exploration of the 1980s and 90s Norwegian black metal movement largely seen through the eyes of two of its important figures - Gylve 'Fenriz' Nagell, one half of the key duo behind the seminal Darkthrone; and Varg 'Count Grishnackh' Vikernes, the man behind one-man project Burzum.

The documentary is mostly comprised of interviews with Nagell and Vikernes as well as several members of other prominent black metal bands. The film also portrays some fly-on-the-wall moments with Nagell as he recounts the events of the early days of the black metal scene, and includes some archival footage, most notably of the infamous church burnings and the ensuing media frenzy. With no narrator and very few inter-titles, the talking head pieces are largely left to drive the film forward. Whilst the insights from Nagell and Vikernes are interesting, it does tend to make 'Until the Light Takes Us' feel a bit like an incomplete picture of the true goings-on of the time. For those already familiar with the events of the Norwegian black metal scene in the 1980s and 90s, there probably isn't too much more you would learn from this film. However, if you are new to the story, there are some interesting tidbits to be gained - albeit from a limited perspective. Other reviewers have noted the lack of insight into some of the more extreme views of Vikernes - likewise, I feel this would have been an interesting area to explore and was a bit of a missed opportunity from the filmmakers.

From a technical perspective, the film is well pieced together. Much like black metal itself, there is no unnecessary ornamentation (such as crazy edits or 'arty' camera angles/effects) and the story is left pretty much to unfold on its own. A quick note also on the soundtrack - not exactly what I was expecting for a documentary on black metal but an interesting choice and effective for the most part.

In summary, an interesting piece of the story behind one of the more infamous movements in modern music but one that should be taken as only part of the complete picture. Worth a view as a companion piece.