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“So loaded right off the bat!” says Audrey Ewell with a laugh in response to my first question about her film with co-director Aaron Aites entitled, Until The Light Takes Us. The film tells the story of the rise of Norwegian black metal, a musical sub-genre that garnered wide-spread media coverage in the early 90s due to the activities of some of its early participants including murder, church arson, and suicide. These events culminated with the murder of Mayhem guitarist and founder Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth by his former friend and bandmate, Varg Vikernes of Burzum.

After my initial review of the film I took the time to scour the web, including the many Facebook groups and event pages that have popped up around the film. Viewer reactions seem to range across the board, which isn’t much of a surprise given how opinionated and passionate metal fans tend to be. Other reviews I’ve read range from high praise to absolute condemnation. Such division seems natural when the main conflict of the film is the notoriety that the scene produced vs. the art that was created from it.

For instance some people find it impossible to separate Vikernes’ crimes and extreme right-wing views from his music, while others insist that this separation is essential to the evaluation of art. These are controversial figures that are surrounded by debate and speculation, whether they want to be or not. Some of them intentionally hide behind controversy while others make an extra effort not to be misinterpreted.

That leads back to my loaded question. A lot of people became familiar with Norwegian black metal through a book called “Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground.” Many of those who are quoted in the book have expressed displeasure over how they are depicted. So it was a bit of a surprise to me that people like Vikernes and Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell of Darkthrone, whom are the main focus of the film, would agree to another experiment in mass media. I wanted to know how Ewell and Aites managed to ingratiate themselves into their company.

Audrey Ewell and Aaron Aites

“I don’t know if we ingratiated ourselves as much as we presented them the opportunity to tell their story in their words without narration and without editorializing” says Aites. To make sure that their intended subjects would be comfortable with the whole process, the filmmakers moved to Norway for two years but spent the first three months not filming at all, taking the time to get to know people.

“There was a certain amount of wariness with some people initially” says Ewell. “For instance with Varg Vikernes. He was incredibly opposed to taking part in our film. We corresponded with him for eight months, he was jail, so we were writing letters back and forth and he just absolutely refused. I think he actually had a very bad experience in feeling misrepresented in that book and it was a huge obstacle. He eventually did agree to participate in the film and then was actually very open.”

In reference to their most well-known media predecessor Aites adds, “If you’ve read ‘Lords of Chaos’ then you know that the book is about a ‘Satanic Uprising,’ and if you’ve watched our film you know the central premise is, none of them were Satanists.”

Indeed everyone in the film is trying to come across in a certain way. While some try to set the record straight, others use their time to cement their evil image. For me the most shocking comment in the film comes courtesy of Mayhem drummer Jan Axel “Hellhammer” Blomberg, when he speaks of how he “honours” former Emperor drummer Bard “Faust” Eithun for having committed a murder.

“That’s the role that Hellhammer plays. He’s very good at that” says Ewell. “He’s got this very… cold image that he cultivates. If Hellhammer wants to present this persona, that’s fine. That’s certainly a part of the scene that I think it’s ok to be represented.”

“I wouldn’t say that you can necessarily take Hellhammer’s… what he does in the movie as being actually indicative of what he’s like underneath” says Aites. “At the same it’s not entirely dissimilar either” he adds with a laugh. “I don’t know.”

But while Hellhammer is busy trying to seem evil, the man whom he is using to enhance his persona is trying his best to appear detached from his nefarious past. Since his release from prison Faust has been visible within the extreme metal scene, participating in various projects. However in the film his appearance is obscured and his voice is altered.

“Yeah, you can find him on Facebook” says Aites. “The reason is that he knew Varg was gonna be in the film. Basically as you can see in the film that Varg is not remorseful for the murder that he committed. Bard thought that if he were to appear alongside Varg in this movie, with the way Varg is, that he would come across as though he was not remorseful about the murder. He asked us to do that so we obliged him.”

Bard “Faust” Eithun

Even with these supplementary figures within the film, the conflict between music and controversy within the Norwegian black metal scene still seems to be somewhat fresh, as their decisions and statements are still dictated by the past. Some draw it in and some push it away. This is perhaps why Aites and Ewell zeroed in on Fenriz and Varg as their focus early on.

“Everyone knew from the get-go that Fenriz and Varg were gonna be the main characters, and basically what the movie was gonna be like” explains Aites. “The two of them represent different polemics within the scene, and they used to be friends and they haven’t spoken since Varg was in jail.”

“It was a really central conflict within the story of these individual characters and their lives, but also through them, the story of black metal essentially” adds Ewell.

This conflict also involves how the music and image of black metal have evolved since its creation, to both the delight and horror of the fans. This is best represented in the film by a piece of pseudo-suicidal performance art by Satyricon drummer Kjetil “Frost” Haraldstad in an Italian art gallery. When I point out that one person could see black metal personified within that scene, while another may regard it as the very antithesis of the music, Ewell seems quite pleased.

Kjetil “Frost” Haraldstad

“I think that’s fantastic” she exclaims. “Both of those reactions are certainly reactions that people have had. We get really interesting mail. People have different takes on the movie. Some people do interpret it exactly as we meant it, and that’s really gratifying. Some people have different interpretations and that’s fine as well. The best letters that we get after screenings are that people spent hours debating it afterwards.”

Having broached the subject of viewer mail I had to inquire as to some of the more interesting pieces of black metal mail they’ve received. “I got accused of liking Franz Ferdinand more times than I could count” says Aites. But Ewell remains baffled about a particular complaint they keep receiving. “We get letters from people who are really angry that Varg and Fenriz are in the movie. They’re like: ‘Varg and Fenriz would never want you to make this movie!’ We just don’t know what to say.”

These letter writers hold a certain image of black metal in their minds. It’s this re-contextualization of the style and image that Aites and Ewell are trying to draw attention to. “That’s sort of an idea that we’re playing with in the film” says Ewell, “that the original idea of what black metal was meant to be and what the originators set out to create, how that has twisted and turned so many times through faulty interpretation by the media and kids around the country and in other countries. Hearing these faulty reports about Satanists burning down churches and then creating that reality, and then have it filtered again through contemporary artists and modern art, and certainly we recognize ourselves as being a part of that process.”

Here’s the list of currently scheduled Canadian showings of Until The Light Takes Us:

Toronto – The Royal – currently showing through Mar. 4
Montreal – Cinema du Parc – Mar. 19 – 25
Edmonton – Metro Cinema – Apr. 2 – 5

There’s a very grassroots effort going on to get the film shown, as Facebook groups have popped up all over the world to show the demand for screenings in various cities, and it seems to be working. In Canada there are currently groups in Thunder Bay and Calgary. Click here to check out the official site for more info on how you could get the film shown in your area.

That’s all for now. If you like heavy music or just want a laugh check out the podcast I produce:
The Governor’s Ball: The “Mighty” Metal and Comedy Show

Andrew, the EM intern