Am I in Trouble? – Spectrum Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

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

#2025 #30 #Agalloch #AgeOfSilence #AmIInTrouble_ #Arcturus #Ashenheart #BlackMetal #Code #EmberBelladonna #Emperor #IndependentRelease #Jan25 #NegativeBliss #PostBlackMetal #PostMetal #ProgressiveBlackMetal #ProgressiveMetal #SelfRelease #Spectrum #WhiteVoid

Adon – Adon Review

By Mystikus Hugebeard

When I happened across one of the singles for Adon, I recall thinking it sounded, quote, “impossibly good.” Adon formed in 2019 and has thus far released one EP, Arkane, in 2020. They currently maintain a humble online presence; unsurprising for a relatively new band, but from what I’d heard I couldn’t help but believe they deserved better. When I got the chance to review their self-titled debut I felt excited at the prospect of potentially helping their following grow… but that depends on the music, doesn’t it? And so I dug in, hoping the potential I saw in their pre-release material would be realized.

Turns out that potential was realized, and more. Listening to Adon is like falling into a black hole that’s actually a meat grinder; this is a densely textured album of cosmic scope with a heaviness that strikes with the force of a supernova. Adon plays a kind of extreme black metal that inhabits a singularity between Darkspace, Behemoth, and Decapitated. Atmospheric layers of black metal tremolos, vocal fills, and trilling flutes flank the vitriolic riffs, creating a genuine sense of depth. However, Adon never lose themselves in a cosmic haze, instead keeping the music grounded in accessible yet subtly complex black metal aggression. “Ascension” wastes no time introducing you to the Adon assault: a wall of anguished growls and piercing guitars try to drown an emerging riff that escalates into a skull-splitting onslaught. Adon is the complete package; the musicianship is top-notch—Decapitated’s James Stewart kills it on drums, Argonath is a fierce guitarist, and I love Æthulwulf II’s unhinged vocals—the songwriting is mature, and the production keeps the guitars brutally heavy without ever smothering the music’s nuances.

There’s plenty to like about Adon at face value, but for me, the true appeal lies in the palpable atmosphere of madness. Like voices in your head, the penetrative layers of growls and tremolos floating above the riffs invade your mind, coagulating into an unshakeable feeling of slowly going mad—until the white noise suddenly drops, and your focus zeroes in on the guitars. It’s an exciting give and take, and is prevalent throughout the album’s shorter tracks. “Æther” and “Azimuth” utilize this through old-school black metal verses leading into heavier, death metal choruses. “Axiom” is a more straightforward slab of hateful black metal, dispersing the noise for a muscular bridge and the album’s best guitar solo courtesy of Warscythe’s Justin Sakogawa. The cosmic scale of Adon is most felt during the ten-plus minute epics. The discordant downward spiral of “Æon” and the energetic battle between cacophonous flutes and guitar riffs—including a badass guest performance by Fallujah’s Kyle Schaefer—in “Adon” drag you into a tangible musical void, before building back heavensward with massive riffs whose clarity contrasts the chaos of each song’s first half. A descent into madness, a search for knowledge, the emergence of something different entirely; Adon’s themes all come together here, and they are clear highlights.

There’s one point in “Adon” where I first noticed a crack in Adon’s firmament. The recurring motif of swirling flutes (courtesy of Ember Belladonna) giving way to intense riffs nails the desired effect—light and dark, knowledge and nothingness—as a fast-paced alternating decrescendo or as a swampy ambiance of horror flutes and guitars. The theming is lost when a funeral doom riff bursts into a bright dance between flutes and notably progressive guitars, before switching back again; these ideas feel awkward when sandwiched together due to their length. This section befuddled me, and I began to notice other cracks; the clean guitar ending of “Æther” feels slightly out of place, “Æon” fades out too fast after such an effective build-up, and the chorus in “Azimuth” sounds cluttered when mixed with the guitar solo. Despite everything, I struggle to glean any underlying pattern of incompetence in Adon; rather, they’re isolated mistakes earnestly committed by artists close to their art, and their infrequence can’t help but accentuate them. Fortunately, there’s nothing minor edits couldn’t fix, but that only makes their existence sting all the greater.

Even with some wrinkles to iron out, Adon is a stupidly good debut. When I set out to review Adon, I hoped that I could, in some small way, act as a catalyst for the success and recognition that Adon deserves, but I’ve realized that I overestimated my own importance in this equation. Adon is a self-assured release whose quality speaks for itself, and Adon is destined for remarkable things regardless of my help.

Rating: Very Good!
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: PCM
Label: Self-Release
Websites: adon.bandcamp | adon.facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 12th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Adon #AmericanMetal #Apr24 #Behemoth #BlackMetal #Darkspace #DeathMetal #Decapitated #EmberBelladonna #ExtremeMetal #Fallujah #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #Warscythe

Ember Belladonna – The Grove Review

By Mystikus Hugebeard

I was a clarinet player as a child, but I tried my absolute darndest to learn the flute for a time (5 minutes). I found the mouthpiece simply impossible to figure out, and I could only produce the sounds of pathetic, tinny flatulence. Moved on though I have, I’ve always loved the music of professional flute players. Thus was my interest piqued by Ember Belladonna, the moniker of one Emma Kramer-Rodger, a classically trained flutist from Saskatchewan, Canada. She’s a prolific musician who has recorded for several films and video games, and now, as Ember Belladonna, Kramer-Rodger has brought her flute skills to the world of folk metal in her debut album The Grove.

The flute is commonplace within the realm of folk metal, but The Grove is unique. Folk metal often utilizes the flute as an accessory, a prominent yet singular part of the ensemble, but here, it’s the primary focal point. Kramer-Rodger specifically plays the silver flute, and frequently utilizes a glissando headjoint, where the mouthpiece can slide along the headpiece and allows for gliding, pitch-bending notes. Joining Kramer-Rodger is a cavalcade of varied guest vocalists and musicians. James Delbridge (Lycanthro) gives off some real power metal pomp, Laura Inferno (The Inferno Doll) cranks out some growls, The Darkeyed Musician sings with tons of gothic, magical energy, and Justin Bender (who also did the mix) gives a subdued yet effective guitar performance. Everyone brings their own unique flavor to The Grove, but never forget, these are Kramer-Rodger’s woods we wander through.

Kramer-Rodger’s performance on the silver flute is the lifeblood of The Grove, and it is, to put it lightly, beautiful. Her classical training is put to excellent use with clean, breezy flute playing that runs a surprisingly wide gamut between slow, Celtic melodies emerging from the trees (“Tenalach”) to lightning-quick step dances (“Ruination”). It’s a transportive flute performance that absorbs you into a whole other world. The flutes in “The Heart of the Grove” float gently betwixt acoustic guitars, beneath The Darkeyed Musician’s vocals which remind me of one of Epica’s gentler songs. The energy picks up as “Ruination” opens with the flutes joyfully dancing atop riffing guitars until the album’s high point comes in the form of high-speed Celtic flutes harmonizing with James Delbridge’s wonderfully flamboyant vocals. “Spirit Woman,” the heaviest song by a mile, employs a darker atmosphere with the harsh vocals of Laura Inferno and eerie flute melodies. This track took a little to grow on me because of how different it is from the rest of The Grove, but the song’s distorted flute solo is such a fun, memorable part of the album.

Good folk metal doesn’t necessitate massive guitar riffs that crunch with the weight of Eluveitie, but the production of The Grove veers a little too far in the opposite direction. Apart from “Spirit Woman,” the distorted guitars across The Grove are ever kept at arm’s length. They never distract from the flutes, sure, but in the heavy moments of “Heart of the Grove” the guitars fade into the background, even sounding almost like a backing track. It’s by no means a debilitating mix and is still overall pleasant—although the bass on “Spirit Woman” is uncomfortably loud—but the guitars could pull slightly forward without ruining the gentle, mystical vibes. On the songwriting front, I wish that “The Wild Hunt” didn’t prematurely end just as it begins to explore one of the album’s most fascinating flute melodies, and I’d love for Delbridge’s powerful pipes in “Ruination” to have more time in the spotlight. The Grove is only a bite-sized 28 minutes long, with the second-longest track being an instrumental rework of a previous one. I know the AMG motto is “less is more,” but I could’ve stood for just a bit more, though there are worse complaints to have than just wanting more of something.

I was fortunate to attend the Bandcamp listening party for The Grove’s release, and it was apparent to all how much passion Emma Kramer-Rodger has for her music, and that passion shows in this album. The flute may be no stranger to folk metal, but a fully flute-focused folk metal album still carries some risk, and I believe that The Grove is a success. It’s a little short, and the mix could tie everything together a little better, but the dynamic, fantastical songwriting and incredible flute performance should compel you to visit this faerie’s Grove. Just don’t eat any food the fae might offer you.

Rating: Good!
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: Self-Release
Websites: emberbelladonna.bandcamp | facebook.com/emberbelladonnamusic
Releases Worldwide: February 9th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Eluveitie #EmberBelladonna #Epica #Feb24 #FolkMetal #Lycanthro #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #TheDarkeyedMusician #TheGrove #TheInfernoDoll