SKITLIV is a joint Norwegian, Canadian, Icelandic and Swedish collaboration fronted by the infamous Maniac (a.k.a. Sven-Erik Kristiansen), former singer for MAYHEM. In 2005 he would collaborate with guitarist Ingvar Magnusson, from Iceland, Peter from Sweden on bass and KÄFTSMÄLL and WARESYSTEM drummer Trish, hailing from Edmonton, Alberta in Canada, on a project self-described as "Doom/Black Metal with fucked up patterns of sound and vision". 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.

Demos in early mid 2006 saw bass contributions from Hilma. The quartet spent 2006 working on a debut album 'Humanity Has Lost All Pride'. Potential tracks were first aired online in March 2007.

In September 2008 it was announced that former MAYHEM frontman Maniac 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. 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, DIMMU BORGIR, 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"), credited simply to MANIAC/LILES/CZRAL, was made available on the U.K.'s Dirter label.