Until the Light Takes Us

'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.

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" gives an insight into the rise of the pure black metal from back in the early 1990's, and not in the abominable mutation - read money-fueled mainstream measured by commercial success - that black metal has grown into by today.

The documentary sheds light on the early years of black metal, of how it started, what fueled it (no pun intended), who the persons of significant influence were, and such. And the filmmakers did have a neutral approach and let the musicians themselves bring forth what they had to tell and share.

This particular documentary is aimed at the purist mostly, and I don't mean purists in a negative way. What I do mean is those whom have an interest in black metal at its core of all its desolation, raw sound, brutality and deeper meaning, and not the orchestral and keyboard mutation it has grown into today.

"Until the Light Takes Us" brings interviews with and opinions from Fenriz, Varg Vikernes, Hellhammer, Abbath, Demonaz, Garm and Frost. If you listen to black metal then you should already be more than familiar with these musicians.

The documentary doesn't glorify or slander the black metal scene, but brings out into light some views and opinions that sheds light upon a great many aspects of this darker side of metal.

I can strongly recommend that you take the time to watch "Until the Light Takes Us".

If you appreciate early black metal and its pioneers such as Fenriz(DarkThrone) and Varg(Burzum,Mayhem) then this documentary is fantastic. I don't think this was fully meant to be a documentary on The Black Metal Scene as a whole, but more of a story of the dark circle and the inner conflicts and differences with in it. Mainly about Deads suicide, the death of Euronymous, and the Church Arsons across Norway. This tied up a lot of loose ends that I left untied for so many years until I saw this film. It answered a lot of questions I had about the story behind the events. Both Fenriz and Varg are well spoken in their own ways and they had my undivided attention while they were speaking. The sound track is good too, lots of good black metal as well as some ambient non black metal tracks. I think MUM in the soundtrack really was a nice touch. 10 out of 10 from me. Just sit back and enjoy the show, Blu Ray has lots of extras. Don't approach this movie with "oh i know everything about metal, I'm so effing awesome" attitude just sit back, relax, and enjoy. Don't waste your time being analytical.

Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell turn out to be complete apologists for Vikernes. There is no mention of his role in the Heathen Front. No confrontation about his earlier writings in neo- nazi zines. It's as if his Odinism somehow exists outside his racist, pure-blood nationalism and eugenicism. It's cool to bag on Christians, god knows they've bagged on us for about 1500 years now, but Vikernes' real extremism goes completely unexplored, though the filmmakers are quick to labor the point that he's not a satanist, which any black metal fan knows.

Look, the burning of Christian churches, the suicide, the murder, and the subsequent media feeding frenzy that launched Norwegian black metal onto the world stage, it's all interesting stuff, and there are some places where the record must be corrected. But this is over- correction. This is essentially a propaganda piece for Vikernes that in no way addresses the full and real picture of him or the movement.

I'm not looking for demonization, I'm looking for basic, fully realized non-fiction. It's not here. If you're not familiar with the early 90's Norwegian black metal movement and the mayhem that went down in it, then you should check this out. But just know that when you're being charmed by Vikernes, as the filmmakers seem to have been, you're being charmed by a very dark guy indeed. This is too loose to be journalism, too soft to be sensationalism, and too clumsy to be of much use to anyone.