Venezuela turned out to be the country from which N departed. He then settled in Chile. From there, he now operates and produces remarkable work with his band Selbst. The previous album Relatos De Angustia still frequently spins in one of my players, which says something. If you can stand out from the crowd, you can also distinguish yourself, right? Even in South America, as beautiful and sunny as it may be, it can’t be easy to make ends meet there. When you look at the song titles and the associated themes, it’s often a cheerful mess there too.
Something tells me that Mr. N doesn’t mind. Some sadness and/or melancholy probably put him in a creative mood, and thus came this third album from the Latin American experimental black metal collective, Selbst, and was given the almost unpronounceable title, Despondency Chord Progressions. Whatever that may mean.
Masterful sounds! Magnificent parts are produced by N from his instruments again, and it seems like Mr. Heredia perfectly senses how to rhythmically support them. There’s so much happening in this first track, La Encarnación De Todos Los Miedos. It’s as if the Polish Mgła is reincarnated in its own way into something else. Jazzy and adventurous guitar parts, which you’re accustomed to from a band like White Ward, for example, introduce you to the other side of N in When True Loneliness Is Experienced. It’s the perfect soundtrack for an evening of solitude. The impressive clean themes and masterful solo parts serve as an extra blanket for the couch here. In Third World Wretchedness, Mr. N seems to engage vocally and musically with himself, resulting in deeply emotional guitar parts that constantly embrace each other. Mr. Heredia, however, knows exactly when a rolling bass drum is necessary. Quietly dancing between seclusion and obsession, Between Seclusion And Obsession continues. If it doesn’t smell rotten enough yet, then sniff the last enigmatic track, The Stench Of A Dead Spirit.
In his own way, entirely by himself or perhaps with limited assistance, N, the driving force behind Selbst, came up with Despondency Chord Progressions. It turned out to be a particularly enduring personal journey for him, and you can hear that in the music. Excellent work again!
Score:
90/100
Label:
Debemur Morti Productions, 2024
Tracklisting:
- La Encarnación De Todos Los Miedos
- When True Loneliness Is Experienced
- Third World Wretchedness
- Chant Of Self Confrontation
- The One Who Blackens Everything
- Between Seclusion And Obsession
- The Stench Of A Dead Spirit
Line-up:
- N – Vocals, all instruments
- Jonathan Heredia – Drums
Links: