Sin Nanna the great creator of Striborg

I want to say thank you to Sin Nanna and the people at his label that have allowed me the pleasure and opportunity to do a short interview with him. This great creator of Striborg has been one of my favourites for some time, so this was a real treat for me. Thank you very much.

Onto the questions.

Tell me about your choice to avoid the use of an official web site?
Bands nowadays do not need an official web site with official and bootleg sites such as: Metal archives, Myspace, You tube & Last fm etc…

I actually have an official Myspace now but do not want any friend’s requests presently: www.myspace.com/striborg1

Tell me about your decision to go it solo and what you like about working on your own?
I officially started going solo in 1994 with the idea of doing it 2 years earlier.
Up until that point I had been performing in a Death metal band and was frustrated with playing something that I was no longer into at the time.
Hence I started at that time Kathaaria with the sole purpose of having a real connection with music and for releasing all the catharsis built up inside.
Also to have an alliance with nature and to become one with it through the medium of Black metal music.
By working on my own is like they say, “Too many cooks spoil the broth”.
There is now way I could convey all these feelings with other band members.
If I had puppets to show what to play I would get frustrated and pissed off that they are not strumming the guitar properly or something.

Are there any limitations to working on your own?
Of course, it is difficult as I can only imagine the end result of composure and recording rather than be in the face of it like you would rehearsing with a full line-up band.

Is any of your recording process digital? If so, what parts?
Everything has been recorded digitally from Ghostwoodlands up to present date.
The ambient sections of Nefaria & Black Desolate Winter have also been recorded digitally.

Are you recording for something specific right now or are you one of those guys who records all the time anyway? What are your plans, if you have decided to discuss it, for your next album?
I am in the middle of recording my new album entitled THIS SUFFOCATING EXISTENCE and afterwards will continue to record for many split releases, so my answer is yes to both.
“This suffocating existence” will be a continuation of the “Southwest Passage” album.
Although with even better production! 6 tracks/45 minutes with no boring ambient parts, all 100% BM!!!
This album will either released on my own label in a limited edition of 500 or 1000 copies otherwise I will approach a suitable label to release it as Displeased has stopped releasing future albums by Striborg.



Could you tell me about your different emotional states or the difference in muses between albums? Say, for instance, between SOUTHWEST PASSAGE and TREPIDATION?
Not much has changed emotionally between albums, always pent up depression and hate is the main factor.

Are you influenced by any films?
Yes of course, as I am a massive horror fan!
I draw profound inspiration also from David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” series and feature films.
As for the horror element anything from “classic British” ghost stories right up to the contemporary “Asian horror” films and “American” supernatural thrillers.
British ghost stories in which I admire the most are: The Woman in Black (TV movie from 1989), The Turn of the Screw (TV movie from 1973), The Innocents & Dark Places as well as The Ring and The Grudge plus A LOT of other more underground horror films from Asia as these are just the obvious ones!
On the American front films like: The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity & Paranormal Entity etc…
It is the atmosphere and feeling, the mystery in which I like and henceforth wish to achieve a similar kind of atmosphere and aura with Striborg.
Overwhelming, suffocating, claustrophobic, eerie, haunting and ghostly atmosphere.

Do you always record at night?
No not all the time. However I do prefer to record at night as it is by far the most mysterious part of the day in which to work.

I ask because you sing about the silence of the lonely night a lot. Besides the dark, silence, ghosts, and the Great Woods, are there any specific animals that inspire you?
I love possums as they have the most blood curdling sound imaginable! I wish my vocals could sound like that.

We know that Sin-Nanna is one of the old gods, to reference H. P. Lovecraft, but are there any gods or figures in Tazmanian mythology that inspire you?
No not really, we don’t have much of a history of mythology in Tasmania, as we are only about 220 years old history wise.
I’m sure the aborigines use to. The only thing that springs to mind is the “Bunyip” which is an old Australian mythical creature.

In conclusion, if you could pick one item to rant, rage, or ramble about, what would it be? Please, rage on now…
Keep away from mankind…

Ok. Thank you again Sin Nanna.