RAPT, UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US

Jacob Ware’s musical journey begins in the home he grew up in, surrounded by the sounds of Joni Mitchell, Pentangle, and Van Morrison. These artists, rich with storytelling and intricate instrumentation, quietly shaped his sensibilities long before he ever picked up an instrument himself. However, his first real foray into music was far from the gentle strums of folk—he found his place in the extreme metal scene as the founding bassist of the UK black metal band Enslavement.

For eight years, Ware immersed himself in the relentless intensity of black metal, a genre built on aggression and atmosphere. But over time, something in him pulled away from the distortion and fury. His childhood influences never left him, and he gradually gravitated toward music that mirrored the warmth and introspection of the records that played in his youth. This transition led to the creation of Rapt—a project that fuses his metal roots with a newfound appreciation for ambient textures and folk’s delicate vulnerability. 

Ware's approach to songwriting is as unorthodox as his musical evolution. Rather than writing songs and then deciding on a title, He begins with an album name and builds the music around it. Until the Light Takes Us, his latest release, emerged from this process. The title, borrowed from a 2008 documentary about the Norwegian black metal scene, served as a foundation for the album’s themes: mortality, endings, and the unknown that follows. It’s an album about finality, but not in a way that feels entirely bleak—there is a certain peace to the way Ware explores these ideas, a sense of acceptance rather than fear. 

Musically, Until the Light Takes Us is a tapestry of lush acoustic guitar, atmospheric piano, and airy, melancholic vocals. The album is steeped in folk traditions but carries the weight and cinematic depth of Ware’s past in metal—his ability to craft immersive, heavy moods, even in this softer setting. Through this record, he hoped not only to explore the idea of endings but also to create something that meets listeners wherever they are in their own experiences with change and loss. Ultimately, Until the Light Takes Us is a meditation on the unknown, offering solace in its contemplative beauty. It’s gorgeous, thought-provoking, comforting, and near perfect.