Striborg is a

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

project of Australian musician Russell Menzies. The project first began in 1994 under the name Kathaaria and during this time the stage name "Vvelkaarn" was used. The name Kathaaria was adapted from a

Darkthrone Darkthrone is a Norwegian extreme metal band from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991 Darkthrone embraced a black metal style influenced by Bathory and Celtic Frost and became one of the leadin ...

song titled "Kathaarian Life Code". Three full-length albums were released as Kathaaria; one each year from 1995 to 1997. Following the release of the third album, Menzies grew dissatisfied with the direction of the project and the first album under the name "Striborg" was released later that year. With this change, he also adopted the new stage name "Sin Nanna". From 1997 the Striborg sound solidified around a singular lo-fi black metal style combined with ambient pieces, with all instruments and vocals primarily recorded by Menzies at his home. Releases were prodigious - often two or more per year. Formal releases were initially on the Asguard and Finsternis labels, moving to Displeased and Southern Lord Records as international recognition grew. In 2018 Striborg moved away from black metal with the release of Blackwave, a full-length LP in a dark ambient/new wave style. Menzies announced that he intended to pursue this musical direction on future releases. His live performances after the release of Blackwave increased and showcased this new synthesiser-heavy style. More recently, he has returned to Black Metal, but without use of electric guitar. Menzies' lyrics reveal a fascination with forests, darkness, night, misanthropy and death. The names "Striborg" and "Sin Nanna" are the names of a Slavonic wind god (of which the correct spelling is "

Stribog Stribog is a god in Slavic mythology found in three East Slavic sources, whose cult may also have existed in Poland. The sources do not inform about the functions of the god, but nowadays he is most often interpreted as a wind deity who distribut ...

") and Mesopotamian moon god, respectively.

Line-up

*Sin Nanna – All instruments and vocals

Discography

Note: asterisk (*) indicates that the album has been re-released.

Compilations

*2003: ''A Tragic Journey... / Through the Forest...'' *2003: ''Isle de Morts / Cold Winter Moon'' *2003: ''Misanthropic Isolation / In the Heart of the Rainforest''* *2003: ''Nocturnal Emissions / Nyctophobia''* *2004: ''10 Years of Roaming the Forests (94-04)'' *2006: ''Misanthropic Isolation - Roaming the Forests'' *2008: ''In the Heart of the Rainforest / Through the Forest to Spiritual Enlightenment'' *2016: ''Purifying the River of Tears''

Albums

*1995: ''A Tragic Journey Towards the Light'' (as Kathaaria) *1996: ''Through the Forest to Spiritual enlightenment'' (as Kathaaria) *1997: ''Isle de Morts'' (as Kathaaria) *1997: ''Cold Winter Moon'' *1998: ''Misanthropic Isolation''* *2000: ''In the Heart of the Rainforest'' *2004: ''Spiritual Catharsis''* *2004: ''Mysterious Semblance''* *2005: ''Black Desolate Winter / Depressive Hibernation''* *2005: ''Trepidation''* *2006: ''Embittered Darkness'' *2006: ''Nefaria'' *2007: ''Ghostwoodlands'' *2007: ''Solitude'' *2008: ''Autumnal Melancholy'' *2008: ''Foreboding Silence'' *2009: ''Perceiving The World With Hate'' *2009: ''Southwest Passage'' *2015: ''This Suffocating Existence'' *2016: ''Spiritual Deprivation'' *2017: ''A Procession of Lost Souls'' *2017: ''Instrumental Trans-Communication'' *2018: ''Blackwave'' *2019: ''Leave the World Behind'' *2019: ''An Existential Burden'' *2019: ''In Deep Contemplation'' *2020: ''Unknown Entities'' *2022: ''Lost in Between Worlds''

Singles

*2019: "A Perpetual Struggle of Restless Minds" *2019: "Dead Inside (Blackwave Version)"

Split releases

*2007: "The Epitome of Misanthropy" (with Xasthur) *2007: "Psychedelic Nightmare" (with Scurshahor) *2009: "Florestas de Perpétua Solidão" (with Defuntos) *2009: "Black Hatred in a Ghostly Corner" (with Claustrophobia) *2010: "This Empty Coil" (with Vardan) *2018: "Spectral Shadows" (with Abigorum) *2019: "Striborg / Bosc Fosc / Drakonhail"

Videography

*2007: ''Journey of a Misanthrope''

Live shows

In May 2007,

Sunn O))) Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") is an American experimental metal band formed in 1998 in Seattle, Washington. The band is known for their distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, drone, bla ...

did a Pacific Rim tour with a guest lineup consisting of Oren Ambarchi and

Attila Csihar Attila Csihar (; born 29 March 1971), also sometimes known as Void, is a Hungarian extreme metal vocalist, best known for his vocal work in Norwegian black metal band Mayhem and American drone-doom project Sunn O))). Author Ian Christe descr ...

. However upon their arrival in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia they joined with Sin Nanna for an improvisational performance. The makeshift group took up the name Pentemple and released one live album titled "0))) Presents...". In January 2014, Striborg played live in the MONA FOMA music festival playing a new song titled "Purifying the River of Tears". In June 2014, Sin Nanna performed live as Veil of Darkness for the first time supporting

as part of the Dark MOFO festival. He also played an unannounced set as Striborg on the final night of the festival.

Interviews

Until 2010, contact with Sin Nanna has been limited to online interviews on various blogs and fanzine sites conducted via email. Despite Sin Nanna's very anti social and misanthropic view of society, he agreed to take part in the 2010

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

documentar
One Man Metal
in which he further proved his eccentric lifestyle.

References

{{Authority control Australian black metal musical groups Australian heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1994 Southern Lord Records artists One-man bands