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Until The Light Takes Us is a documentary by Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell that tells the story of Norwegian black metal, a style that came into public consciousness in the early 90s amidst well-publicized acts of church burning, murder, and suicide. Its practitioners were proclaimed as Satanists, and some were imprisoned.

Up until now the most well known piece of media on the subject is the book Lords of Chaos. Many people (including some of those featured in the film) have called the book wildly inaccurate. Unlike the book, the story of Until The Light Takes Us is told solely by those who were there. This is what the film is primarily concerned with doing: telling the story. It does this successfully with snappy editing that intersperses the story with imagery that gives each scene a distinct environment, accentuated by a soundtrack that shifts back and forth from black metal to electronic soundscapes.

The film centres around two people: Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell of Darkthrone and Varg Vikernes of Burzum, also known as “Count Grishnackh.” Two friends who were there at the beginning, but who took very different paths.

The film finds Vikernes in prison, serving time for some of the church arsons and the murder of his former friend and bandmate Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth of the band Mayhem (he’s since been released). It’s Euronymous whom Fenriz credits as being the inventor of the black metal riff.

Vikernes is also controversial for his far-right views and he sometimes drifts off into rant territory, but what is most interesting is how casual his attitude and tone remain. Whether he’s reminiscing about a past discussion with Fenriz about Cornflakes or describing the night of the murder, he speaks with a matter-of-fact delivery which is both engaging and a bit jarring. Vikernes is at his most likable when he’s talking about recording his early albums. The description of his efforts to produce what he calls the “corpse-sound” or “necro-sound,” with his bizarre choice of a microphone brought a smile to my face.

But the hero of the film is Fenriz. For him the passion is always about making music. The most endearing moment of the film is when Fenriz ventures into an outdoor flea market. While searching through a basket of old cassettes, he finds a copy of Testament’s The Ritual. It’s positively heart-warming to watch his eyes light up while he shouts with joy over his love for the album. It’s also quite powerful seeing Fenriz watch some of the footage of Vikernes, whom he’s not had contact with for many years. It’s a scene that underlines the conflict of the film: the art that was created vs. the notoriety that the scene produced.

Fenriz concedes that the music is out there now for anyone to do with what they will. It is something he laments as well. He looks hopelessly forlorn visiting a black metal-inspired exhibit by artist Bjarne Melgaard, who compares the music to Norwegian painter Edvard Munch.

For Fenriz, black metal exists in a place that no one else can get to. But perhaps it’s that exclusionary vision that draws many people to the music. This is the film’s greatest achievement, because while it sets out to tell the story of a bizarre sequence of events that gave black metal its public face, it moves beyond stereotypes and labels to find its way to the very heart of the music itself. Would black metal music have gotten the same attention without the events that surrounded it? On the other hand, would anyone still be talking about these events if the music wasn’t as thought-provoking? It’s for you to decide.

Click here to check out the official site. Until The Light Takes Us opens in Ottawa today. Here’s the full list of Canadian showings announced so far.

Ottawa – Mayfair Theatre – February 17 – 18
Toronto – The Royal – February 19 – 25
Edmonton – Metro Cinema – April 2 – 5

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