Striborg - Nefaria
Southern Lord – SUL73 – March 6, 2007
By Wayward_Son
Having heard the name Striborg thrown around from time to time, this writer was anxious to hear this black metal band from Australia, or more specifically, Tasmania. Striborg is a band consisting solely of a wholesome young gentleman that goes by the name Sin Nanna. It seems Sin Nanna is quite the prolific fellow, having released five full-length albums under the Striborg moniker within the past three years. 69
Nefaria is the latest in this chain of releases, complimented by the inclusion of the rare 1995 demo, Tragic Journey Towards the Light. What we have here is excruciatingly simplistic, lo-fi black metal. Burzum is the obvious influence here, but whereas ol’ Varg was a master at creating an atmosphere of anguish and longing, Striborg fail at even crafting a decent tune. The songs plod along, each one sounding exactly the same as the previous one. If constant blast-beats with few time changes, minimalist guitars playing the same chords over and again, and the most painful, distorted vocals this writer has had the displeasure to hear, then by all means, Faithful Reader, Striborg’s Nefaria will make your day.
I would be doing myself, Southern Lord, and Sin Nanna a disservice if I did not mention that Tragic Journey Towards the Light has a much better production than Nefaria, as well as having more variation among the songs. That’s not to say it justifies suffering through Nefaria to hear, but at least I can sleep at night knowing this release offers some, albeit very small, pleasure.
Heed my words, Faithful Reader, Nefaria offers ambient black metal that has been done before and done better. If you own at least one Ildjarn black metal album, one of the first four Burzum releases, and at least one release from Xasthur, feel free to pass this one by. If not, get those instead.
Official Southern Lord Website
Southern Lord – SUL73 – March 6, 2007
By Wayward_Son
Having heard the name Striborg thrown around from time to time, this writer was anxious to hear this black metal band from Australia, or more specifically, Tasmania. Striborg is a band consisting solely of a wholesome young gentleman that goes by the name Sin Nanna. It seems Sin Nanna is quite the prolific fellow, having released five full-length albums under the Striborg moniker within the past three years. 69
Nefaria is the latest in this chain of releases, complimented by the inclusion of the rare 1995 demo, Tragic Journey Towards the Light. What we have here is excruciatingly simplistic, lo-fi black metal. Burzum is the obvious influence here, but whereas ol’ Varg was a master at creating an atmosphere of anguish and longing, Striborg fail at even crafting a decent tune. The songs plod along, each one sounding exactly the same as the previous one. If constant blast-beats with few time changes, minimalist guitars playing the same chords over and again, and the most painful, distorted vocals this writer has had the displeasure to hear, then by all means, Faithful Reader, Striborg’s Nefaria will make your day.
I would be doing myself, Southern Lord, and Sin Nanna a disservice if I did not mention that Tragic Journey Towards the Light has a much better production than Nefaria, as well as having more variation among the songs. That’s not to say it justifies suffering through Nefaria to hear, but at least I can sleep at night knowing this release offers some, albeit very small, pleasure.
Heed my words, Faithful Reader, Nefaria offers ambient black metal that has been done before and done better. If you own at least one Ildjarn black metal album, one of the first four Burzum releases, and at least one release from Xasthur, feel free to pass this one by. If not, get those instead.
Official Southern Lord Website
