Tagging systems and organizational hierarchies tend to steer our ideas of genre classifications toward ins and outs, yeses and nos, boxes next to boxes, tags next to tags. In reality, though—and much in the way people go about describing things as being between x band and y band—genres do have their own spectrums. And in that spirit of living in an accumulation of converging aisles rather than following the merchandising plan, sole mind Steve Wiener (Negative Bliss, Ashenheart) debuts his Am I in Trouble? project as an homage to idiosyncratic acts of this splatter art nature. From his listening youth in the oddball ’00s black metal scene to his modern existence as an experienced, colorful auteur, will Wiener’s first outing as Am I in Trouble? earn him a spot at the top of the charts or in the time-out corner?
With one hand holding the play and whimsy of progressive music and the other gripping the flight of post-leaning drama, AIiT inserts various borrowed extreme elements as it sees fit across Spectrum’s prismatic run. At the cut of blackened melodies that sing with an Agallochified, sullen heart (“White,” “Black”) and the turn of spacey, eerie prog-Coded tails (“Pink,” “Blue”), AIiT finds many ways to show passion and reverence with a heart full of play. All too often, acts can get caught in their own lore, but as a project set out to recapture a remembered and studied sound, Spectrum swirls with its own shades in established, albeit eclectic, lines. In turn, Wiener possesses an equally shifting pipe set—never quite as goofy as early Arcturus bobblehead croons or as blood-freezing as searing Emperor cries—that remains unique enough to make the sound his own. And, with a few helping hands, cementing a more modern barked edge here and there keeps Spectrum from sounding dated in its tribute.
What continues to strike me most about Spectrum, though, is the sense of calm that persists around its extreme endeavors. Bookended by the acoustic and wistful melodies of “Yellow” and “Green,”1 AIiT manages to create a peaceful yet darting world with its jovial, marching open and lighthearted, whistling close. This sense of relaxing harmony pervades through fleeting melodies that warp into climbing yet restrained guitar leads (“White”) and heavily layered clean vocal layers that recall the buoyant nature of Lars Nedland at his cleanest (Age of Silence, White Void). Still, Wiener’s sense of stacking lines for atmosphere rather than anthemic impact allows his ventures into harsh switches to wedge a thicker slice of black metal fervor, both with guests2 and his own vicious shrieks (“Pink” and “Black” in particular).
This same floating character about the softer side of Spectrum’s compositions does cause a couple of hiccups along the way. It’s not that the ethereal nature of AIiT’s play with swelling, reverb-drenched chords (“Pink”) and shimmering patch swirls (“Black”) feel out of place in a black metal excursion of this nature—those elements stand as its highlights. With such careful focus on the expositional twinkle and conclusive prance, Spectrum can feel wanting and inhibited in explosive content. At just a touch over thirty minutes, its bursts feel like but splashes of color in the brilliance of cutting riffs and slithering screams. And with not a moment that needs removal—except for the break to silence in “Red” that bifurcates its movement a touch too long for my liking—Spectrum falls in the rare category of albums that could stand from an extra arrangement or two of AIiT’s broad, explorative palette.
Talent oozes through the meticulous web of studied, diverse black metal architecture that Am I in Trouble? possesses. And through Wiener’s variegated vision of what this style can be, Spectrum shows both its experimental roots and reverent presence. Atmosphere can be double-edged, though—both leaving me wanting more and allowing me to bend gracefully with its bows. I’m never sure whether one hit of Spectrum is enough. What I do know, though, is that I can feel the passion with which Wiener has embarked upon this journey, of one steady mind, and with help from friends, Spectrum makes me smile. I also know that with a debut of this fortitude, an installation of a grander, kaleidoscopic showing hangs in, hopefully, the not too distant future.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: PCM
Label: Self Release3
Websites: ampwall.com/a/amiintrouble4 | instagram.com/ami_in_trouble
Releases Worldwide: January 3rd, 2025
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