‘Until The Light Takes Us’ Profiles The Real Life Members Of Mayhem, Made Famous By The ‘Lords Of Chaos’ Movie

Since its Phoenix-like rise from the death of the hippy dream, heavy metal has celebrated violence, wickedness and evil in its lyrics and iconography. Black Sabbath put an upside down cross in the gatefold of their first album, Alice Cooper performed mock executions on stage, Motörhead hung out with Hells Angels and Slayer celebrated Satanists, serial killers and even Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele. Putting their money where the mouth is, the first generation of Norwegian black metal bands made the jump from singing about heinous acts to committing them. Their exploits are the subject of the new movie Lords of Chaos, as well as the 2008 documentary Until The Light Takes Us, which is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

Norway is one of the most naturally beautiful places on Earth and, according to Business Insider, is the 6th “richest” nation in the world. It’s surprising then, and yes, morbidly fascinating, to consider that in the early ’90s a small cabal of extreme metal musicians indulged in arson, vandalism, assault and murder. From 1992 until 1996, as many as 50 churches were burnt down throughout the country by band members and fans of the Norwegian black metal scene. Most famously, in 1993 guitarist Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth of the band Mayhem was murdered by onetime bandmate and rival Varg “Count Grishnackh” Vikernes, a crime for which he served 21 years in prison.

Inspired by such forbearers as Venom, Slayer, Celtic Frost and Bathory, the Norwegian black metal bands were musical aesthetes. They rejected traditional musical values, even within extreme metal itself, championing the scuzzy sounds of ’80s demo cassettes which had been duped so many times they began to lose clarity, reducing the distorted guitars to the shrill buzz of a swarm of flies. Only the most outlandish of Satanic subject matter passed lyrical muster, and when that seemed rote, they turned back to the pagan gods of Viking lore. Rejecting the professional look of mainstream metal releases, their graphics were often stark and primitive, featuring indecipherable band logos and black and white images of band members in “corpse paint” galavanting through some primordial Nordic woodland.

Filmed a decade after the events which made them infamous, Until The Light Takes Us interviews most of the major players in Norwegian black metal’s inner circle. It begins with Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell of the band Darkthrone (I feel it’s important to note his partner in the band bears the very un-metal name “Ted”). Though he escaped the fiery heyday of the early ’90s with his health and freedom intact, he is searched by the authorities while traveling by train. They confiscate a teargas canister, but, “they didn’t find the drugs of course.” Why the hell does he have a canister of teargas? It doesn’t matter. Over the course of the film, Fenriz is revealed to be a genuine music enthusiast, a fan of modern art, and seems like your likable everyday stoner metalhead.

The other main subject is Vikernes, who is filmed while still in prison, though it looks more like a college dorm room than somewhere you’re sent as a form of punishment. Vikernes says it’s “like a monastery,” a place where he’s been able to read books “and focus on more important things.” Blonde, good looking and well spoken, he hardly lives up to his reputation as “the most notorious metal musician of all time,” though he is also never confronted about his well-documented racist and anti-Semetic beliefs, or his history of violence. He claims he killed Euronymous in self-defense, a contention 23 stab wounds — including 16 to the victim’s back— would seem to refute. Vikernes says the burnings of the churches, some of which were almost 1000 years old, was revenge for Norway’s native culture being destroyed by Christianity, which he calls a “Jewish sect.”

Other black metal musicians dispassionately discuss the violence associated with the scene. They claim Vikernes usurped Euronymous’ position as leader of the “black metal mafia” once he began burning down churches and the guitarist plotted to kill him, or that Vikernes planned to murder Euronymous because of bad business deals. Either way, they don’t seem much bothered by the turn of events. Mayhem drummer Jan “Hellhammer” Blomberg talks about the murder of a gay man by Emperor drummer Bard “Faust” Eithun, saying, “I didn’t think he had the guts to do such a thing but I really honor him for that.”

Until The Light Takes Us casts no judgement as it chronicles the spoiled progeny of one the world’s wealthiest countries espousing ill-informed and bigoted opinions, not to mention rationalizing the murder of their friends and the destruction of sites tied to the history of the nation they claim to be defending. It also fails to capture the excitement of the original Norwegian black metal scene or explain why its art is more important than the sensational events for which it is remembered.

The film ends with Fenriz revisiting the site of Helvete, Norwegian for “Hell,” Euronymous’ old record shop where band members lived and hung out, talking about music and codifying the unique aesthetics of the Norwegian black metal scene. Its walls were once painted black and decorated with rare metal albums, weapons and bones, and illuminated by candles and ambient light. It is now a high-end art gallery, bathed in tiles and bright lights. “How do you like the transformation?,” he asks.

Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician. Follow him on Twitter:@BHSmithNYC.

Stream Until The Light Takes Us on Amazon Prime