Striborg/Through The Melancholy Tunnel Of Despair/Fiadh Productions/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Australia's  solo  project  Stribog  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  him bringing  in  a  depressive  style  of  black  metal  that  avoids  the  use  of  any  guitars  and  also  expands  on t he  electronic  elements  of  current  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  "Through  The  Melancholy  Tunnel  Of  Despair"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Fiadh  Productions.

  Distorted  soundscapes  with  touches  of  harsh  noise  and  dark  ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  adds  in  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys.  All  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  some  of  the  drum b eats  are  programmed  and  the  vocals  are mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.

  Electronic  drums  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  music  also  has  its  atmospheric  moments.  Blast  beats  are  also  utilized  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  darkwave  elements  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  whispered  vocals.

  Drones  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  each  song  also  sounding  very  different  from  each  other and  some  tracks  also  show  an  influence  of  industrial  and  electronic  music  as  well  as  the  tracks  also  mixing  in  the  dark  atmosphere  of  depressive  black  metal,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  One  song  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  goth  rock  style  vocals  and  the  whole  album  is  over  2  and  a  half  hours  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  lo-fi  while  the  lyrics  cover  paranormal.  darkness,  death,  depression  and  melancholy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Striborg  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  End  Of  The  Tunnel"  "A  Portal  into  Oblivion"  "The  Anguish  Of  Unrequited  Love"  and  "In  The  Darkness  Of  Night  Dwells  My  Broken  Mind".  8  out  of  10.

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Striborg/Southwest Passage/Satanath Records/The End Of Time Records/Inverted Inhumation Records/2021 CD Re-Issue Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  an  earlier  recording  from  Australia's  solo  project  Striborg  which  showed  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  raw  style  of  ambient  black  metal  and  the  album w as  released  in  2009  and  called  "Southwest  Passage"  which  was  re-issued  in  2021  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath,  The  End  Of  Time  and  Inverted  Inhumation  Records.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  yet  lo-fi  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  all  of  the  drum  beats  are  also  programmed.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  When  synths  are  utilized  they  also  bring  in  elements  of  ambient  and  drone  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  direction  as  well  as  the  album also  closing  with  an  instrumental.

  On  this  recording  Striborg  brought  in  more  of  a  raw  and  mid  tempo  style  of  black  metal  as  well  as  keeping  some  of  the  ambient  sounds  of  earlier  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  paranormal  and  forest  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  this  was  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Striborg  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  ambient  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Southwest  Passage"  and  "Dwelling  in  the  Fullmoon  Forests".  8  out  of  10.

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Striborg/Ghostwoodlands/Rude Awakening Records/Satanath Records/The End Of Time Records/2021 Album Re-issue Review

 

  Striborg  are  a  solo  project  from  Australia  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  played  more  of  an  ambient  style  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2007  album  "Ghostwoodlands"  which  will b e  re-issued  on  October  25,2021  as  a  joint  effort  between  Rude  Awakening,  Satanath  and  The  End  Of  Time  Records.

  Ambient  style  synths  and  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  the  album  also  brings  in  more  of  a  lo-fi  atmosphere.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  melodies  also  being  added  into  the  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Drones  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  recording  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  instrumentals  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  lo-fi while  the  lyrics  cover  night,  misanthropy,  forests,  depression  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  another  great  sounding  recording  form  Striborg  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  ambient  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Wandering  The  Wilderness  of  Eternal  Misery"  and  "Ghostwoodlands".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Bandcamp: https://striborg.bandcamp.com/    

Satanath/Striborg/Prisoners Of The Solar System/Grimm Distribution/Death Portal Studio/2020 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Russia's  Satanath  and  Striborg  called "Prisoners  Of  The  Solar  System"  which  will  be  released  on  May  31st  in  2020  as  a  joint  effort  between  Grimm  Distribution  and  Death  Portal  Studio  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Satanath  a  solo  project  that  plays  a  mixture  of  dark  ambient  and  space music.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  dark  ambient  style  synths  which  also  use  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  while  most  of  his  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Elements  of  space  music  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  all  of  his  tracks  also  being  instrumentals.

  Programmed  beats  and  electronic  music  elements  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  his  recording.  One  track  also  introduces  atmospheric  sounding  drones  into  the  music  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  is  ritualistic  moments.  All  of  the  songs  sound  very  different  from  each  other  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Satanath  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  dark  ambient  and  space  music,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "To  Cosmic  Prisoner"  and  "Darkspace  Aura".

  Next  up  is  Striborg  a  solo  artist  who  started  out  playing  black  metal  but  on  this  recording  continues  his  blackwave  and  dark  ambient  style  he  started  on  his  previous  release.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  electronic  music  elements  while  also  adding  in  some  touches  of  80's  new  wave  and  darkwave.  All  of  the  drum  beats  are  also  programmed  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  ambient  style  synths.

  Electric  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  a  great  portion  of  his  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Clean  goth  rock  style  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  some  real  drums  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  there  id  also  a  brief  use  of  blast  beats.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  night,  misanthropy,  forests,  depression  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Striborg  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackwave  and  dark  ambient,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Interdimensional  Transcendence"  and  "Proceeding  From  A  Dark  Place".  8  out  of  10.

https://grimmdistribution.bandcamp.com/album/062gd-satanath-striborg-prisoners-of-the-solar-system-split-2020 

 

  

Abigorum/Striborg/Spectral Shadows/Grimm Distribution/Death Portal Studio/2018 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Russia's  Abigorum  and  Australia's  Striborg  called  "Spectral  Shadows"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Grimm  Distribution  and  Death  Portal  Studio  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Abigorum  who  returns  with  his  mixture  of  black,  doom  metal  and  ambient.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  drum  beats  and  soundscapes  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  as  well  as  the  solos  and  leads  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Throughout  his  side  of  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  some  of  his  tracks  are  very  long and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  used  briefly  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  elements  of  ambient  and  doom  metal  and  a  couple  of  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  On  this  recording  Abigorum  remains  true  to  his  mixture  of  black,  doom  metal  and  ambient,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  enlightenment,  cosmos  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Abigorum  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom  metal  and  ambient,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Darkness  Of  Aeon"  and  "Orpheus  Dream".

  Next  up is  Striborg  who  moves  away  from  black  metal  to  create  more  of  a  mixture  of  ambient  and  electronic  music.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out with  some  electronic  music  elements  along  with  some  ambient  style  synths  a  few  seconds  later  along  with  the  track  being  33  minutes  in  length  as  well  as  all  of the  music  being  instrumental  and  as  the  track  progresses  a  small  amount  of   power  electronics  are  added  into  the  music.

  On  this  recording  Striborg  moves  away  from  black  metal  to  create  more  of  a  mixture  of  ambient  and  electronic  music  while  also  keeping  everything  instrumental  and  the  production  sounds  very  dark.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Striborg  and  while  some  black  metal  fans  might  not  enjoy  the  newer  direction,  I  can  see  this  winning  fans  from  underground  electronic  music  and  ambient.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  black,  doom  metal,  ambient  and  electronic  music.  8  out  of  10.

https://grimmdistribution.bandcamp.com/album/029gd-abigorum-striborg-spectral-shadows-split-2018

      

Striborg/Mysterious Semblance/Satanath Records/Death Portal Studio/2018 CD Re-issue Review

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Striborg  which  is  also  in  the  ambient  style  of  black  metal  and  the  album  was  originally  released  in  2004  and  called  "Mysterious  Semblamce"  with  the  re-issue  being  released  in  2018  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records  and  Death  Portal  Studio.

  Ambient  style  synths  and  drones  start  off  the  album  which  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  tremolo   picking  riffs  giving  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  as  well  as  most  of  the  drum  beats  being  programmed  and  as  the  album  progresses  an  ambient  instrumental  is  added  onto  the  recording  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  tracks  and  at  times  the  music  gets  very  depressive  and  there  are  also  3  bonus  tracks  that  where  not  included  on  the  original.

  On  this  recording  Striborg  took  a  very  raw  style  of  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  a  great  amount  of  dark  ambient  and  drone  elements  to  create  an  album  that  was  very  different  for  its  time,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  lo-fi  while  the  lyrics  cover  nights,  misanthropy,  forests,  death  and  depression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Striborg  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  ambient  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mysterious  Semblance  Of  Spectral  Trees"  "The  Ghostly  Pallad  Hand  of  Fear"  and "Lurking  The  Murking  Damp  Forest".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Striborg/Spiritual Catharsis/Satanath Records/Death Portal Studio/2018 CD Re-Issue Review

  Striborg  are  a  solo  project  from  Australia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  ambient  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2004  album  "Spiritual  Catharsis"  which  was  re-issued  in  2018  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records  and  Death  Portal  Studio.

  Dark  yet  melodic  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  elements  of  ambient  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  raw  feeling.

  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  drum  beats  being  programmed  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  ambient  instrumentals  and  another  instrumental  is  more  in  the  black  metal  style  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  On  this  recording  Striborg  took  a  very  raw  and  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal  and  mixed  it  with  dark  ambient  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  lo-fi  while  the  lyrics  cover  night,  misanthropy.  forests,  death  and  depression  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  recording  from  Striborg  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  ambient  black  metal  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Within  The  Depths  Of  Darkness  And  Sorrow"  "Spiritual  Catharsis"  "Misanthropic  Necroforest"  and  "Black  Metal  is  The  Forest  Calling".  8/5  out  of  10.

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Striborg Interview

1. Can you update us on what is going on with Striborg these days?
I have released not too long ago a split CD with Claustrophobia from China on my own label ltd 500 copies.
Other new releases have been the Defuntos/Striborg 7” and the “Southwest Passage” album as well as a very limited 3LP box set entitled “Roaming the misanthropic forests” containing an A2 poster and T-shirt.
Claustrophobia is one of my favourite bands at the moment.
I have just completed recording of a track for a split with Drakonhail from France who are amazing!
This is to be released as a limited edition LP via D.U.K.E. in France and CD via Asgard musik in Tasmania.
Now I am spending time composing/recording and then releasing my new album “This Suffocating Existence”.
Then the rest of the year I will be very busy working on split releases with: Leichenstatte/Fornicatus/Original sin, Tundra, Belzebuth (Outstanding BM band from mainland Australia!) & Moloch.
I have just finished filming for a 3-part documentary on one-man black metal bands: Xasthur/Leviathan/Striborg.
This will be watch able on VBS TV, film festival, and theatres and subsequently on DVD later.
This has captured the “creative process” of the artists as well as “Opening them up”.
I’m sure there will be some mixed reactions from the fans and critics!

2. I know the name Striborg comes from Slavic Mythology and your name Sin Naana comes from the Necronomicon what is your interest in both of these areas?
2.I have no interest in these areas; these names were taken from an uncomprehensive book on old gods and demons.
Given the chance I would rename especially the band name.
I changed my band name and pseudonym in 1997 to this.
The name Sin-nanna has really become something personal now though, the Babylonian god of the moon.
Striborg is the Slavonic god of winter and at the time I thought this to be a perfect symbiosis of both their meanings and their representation of the new direction I was approaching.
Of course many new directions have occurred now so the names are not so fitting.

3. I know that you have played in other bands as well, do you have any current projects, if so , who are thy and what styles of music do they play?
3.I am currently not performing in any other projects at the moment.

4. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
4.Obscure, emotional, hateful, misanthropic, cynical, depressive, surreal, nightmarish, nature inspired, ghostly and cathartic.

5. How would you describe the musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
5.Striborg has slowed down a lot over the years but has been depressive for a long time now.
I think the future will solid ate what I have and am currently performing: slow and ghostly depressive ambient black metal.

6. How would you compare being solo to working with other people in bands?
6.Bliss…although the recording process is very stressful, but at least other people does not impair my artistic vision.
Performing with other members sometimes creates a perfect symbiosis and can create a kind of magic, that “buzz” you get when everything is well rehearsed and tight.

7. What are some of the bands or music styles that inspired you to become a musician?
7.Well that would be going back to the mid/late eighties.
I was only a drummer back then for a death/black/doom metal band.
Drummers who inspired me were “Reed St. Mark” of CELTIC FROST, “Witchhunter” of SODOM, “Jan Lindh” of CANDLEMASS & “Mitch Harris” of NAPALM DEATH.
Later “Fenris” of DARKTHRONE and “Nick Mason” of PINK FLOYD.
However in the early nineties bands who inspired Kathaaria (as it was named back then) were: DARKTHRONE, GORGOROTH, BATHORY, BURZUM & BEHEMOTH.
Later, ILDARN & DARKNESS ENSHROUD.
By the turn of the millennium I was more inspired my slower and depressive black metal bands such as MANES & STRID.
Later, I SHALT BECOME & SHINING.
However I like to think that from say 2003 onwards I am not really inspired by another bands so directly anymore with the exception of XASTHUR who which I thought was similar to my own works in the first place.
Striborg has become unique and original with the only influencing albums being the proceeding album that I have recorded.

8. What are some bands or music styles that you are listening to nowadays?
8.Forget mentioning BM bands! I listen to a lot of Ambient BM & DSBM as well as other styles of music such as brutal Death Metal ala Mortician & Carnivorous Vagina etc… a lot of Ambient & Industrial music too.
Pure Black Ambient stuff like: (old) Claustrophobia, Enemite & IHVHLXXII.
Dark wave and gothic stuff like: Joy Division, Lycia, Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees & The Cure etc…
Old electronic gods like: Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire & Tangerine Dream.
Also some psychedelic folk & pop/rock music from the 60’s & 70’s like: Third Ear Band, The Pentangle, Forest, Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett, Audience & Jethro Tull etc…

9. Does Occultism or paganism play any role in the music?
9.No not really, only stuff that fascinates me like anything to do with the Paranormal/Supernatural: Ghosts, Kirlian Photography, Telepathy, Telekinesis, Astral Travel, Psychic abilities, Residual energy, Orbs, mists and light anomalies etc…

10. What are some other interests that you have outside of music?
10.I have a huge interest in the Paranormal as stated in the previous answer, I am always reading fact and fiction on the subject as well as watching documentaries like “Most Haunted”.
I am a massive fan of Horror movies: Asian horror films, Classic ghost stories, Silent horror films, Hammer/Amicus horror, Euro horror, Giallos, Erotic Vampire films ala Jess Franco & Jean Rollin, Video nasties, Zombie & Cannibal flicks, extreme gore.
Pretty much everything when it comes to horror movies.
Having said that, David Lynch’s series “Twin Peak” or any of his feature films are more important to me than any horror movie.
In my daily life I run an Ebay store simply called FINSTERNIS PRODUCTIONS and go for a run in the forest a couple of times a week as well as wandering through the wilderness.

11. How has the feedback been so far to Striborg's musical style?
11.Like it has always been, a love it or hate it affair…

12. Any final words or thoughts of wisdom?
12.Not really, just to say: try and keep contact with (sub) humans to a bear minimum and then life may be halfway bearable to exist…

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