In September 2008 it was announced that former MAYHEM frontman Maniac (a.k.a. Sven Erik Kristiansen) had formed a Darkwave side-project with fiancée Vivian Slaughter, bass player/vocalist with the Japanese all-girl band GALLHAMMER, and SKITLIV's guitarist Ingvar Magnusson under the band title of NOVA EXPRESS. Maniac's prior tradition includes terms of duty with Punk project BOMBEROS, in union with ex-EMPEROR and THORNS drummer Bård 'Faust' Eithun, VOLUSPÅ, SEPTIC CUNTS, TOTENKOPF, VERNICHTUNG and STATUS FATAL. He has also appeared on albums by WURDULAK, GORELORD, AUDIOPAIN, NECROPHAGIA, MAGENTA, RED HARVEST and BABYLON WHORES. The trio immediately signed with the UK label Cold Spring Records.

The concept had been borne whilst preparing tracks for the 2008 SKITLIV 'Glem Aldri Korset' album sessions, when Maniac and Ingvar composed an 11-minute track entitled 'Immaculate Fix'. Deemed unsuitable for SKITLIV, the song sparked the idea of NOVA EXPRESS.The group worked on songs for a debut album given a working title of 'Narrow Birth'.

In August 2009 it was learned that Maniac had united with Andrew Liles (a.k.a. "Ripping Penis" / "Pig Slaughter"), of CURRENT 93, NURSE WITH WOUND and SEHNSUCHT, plus Czral (Carl-Michael Eide), of VIRUS, SATYRICON, SATYRICON, VED BUENS ENDE, AURA NOIR and DØDHEIMSGARD repute, to release an album that he and Czral had begun working on in 1996. The resulting album, 'Det Skjedde Noe Når Du Var I Belgia' (English translation: "Something Happened While You Were In Belgium") was made available on the U.K.'s Dirter label.