80. Selbst - 'Relatos De Angustia'

Introspective and immersive Black Metal from Venezuela. There will be a good chunk of Black Metal on this list (because I like Black Metal), however very little (if any) of it will be the stereotypical socially inept Norwegians in corpse paint screaming in goblin voices about Satan. Black Metal has evolved and continues to evolve. This is it in its highly atmospheric and creepingly eerie form. It is not a genre known for its subtlety, however “Relatos De Angustia” refrains from going straight for the jugular and instead takes small but intensive bites at a lower artery. It is a dark, menacing but ultimately restrained and reserved album. It prefers to build the tension and the ambiance (rather than just jumping out and shouting Boo on the first track). A tense psychological thriller as opposed to an all-out gore-fest; this less is more approach ultimately means that the albums effects linger long after the last track has run its course.