Selbst – Despondency Chord Progressions (Review)

This is the third album from solo black metal act Selbst, originally from Venezuela, and now Chile.

Following on from 2020’s Relatos de Angustia, Despondency Chord Progressions contains 44 minutes of new material. The artist behind Selbst, (also in Animus Mortis), is aided on this release by the drummer of Aversio Humanitatis/Eternal Storm, and has created something quite special.

Despondency Chord Progressions is an exploration of modern black metal that is striking and bold, yet has a wealth of depths to be explored. Selbst’s form of black metal is unusual in that it combines elements of the dissonant style with a potent emotional weight, which allows the band to use the coldness of dissonance alongside warm emotive passion, without sacrificing the impact of either.

There’s a reflective aspect to the album that looks inward, while still lashing outwardly with atavistic violence. Bleakly melodic, yet energetically fiery, these songs mix introspection’s thoughtfulness with a blackened aggression that’s dark and malevolent. Chaos and order coexist, but instead of battling for supremacy, they support and strengthen each other. There’s a tension here for sure, but this comes from each component part wanting every other part to perform at its best. This makes for music that’s nuanced and intricate, but doesn’t sacrifice raw power in pursuit of this.

I find it interesting how Selbst’s music draws me in closer and closer. It feels magnetic, like I just can’t resist it. Even its more abrasive qualities are welcoming rather than being impenetrable or claustrophobic. Although resolutely individual and idiosyncratic, the atypical songwriting – mixing accessibility with mayhem – somehow gels together the disparate musical ingredients into something that tastes far better than you would expect.

This is a layered, multifaceted journey, with a few different styles, ideas, and moods appearing across the running time. It’s an avant-garde expression of dissonant darkness and bright emotive texture. Selbst’s music is engaging and accomplished, and Despondency Chord Progressions is definitely one to spend quality time with. It requires patience for its deeper secrets to reveal themselves, but is worth the time invested.

If you’re a fan of bands such as Blut Aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Verberis, Furia, Misþyrming, Gaerea, and Lvme, then Selbst’s latest is one the you should gravitate towards.