iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

MOTH | Alex @loachy16.bsky.social · 12h

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Could do with some extra cash at the moment. Not an emergency or anything but it would be a really great time for someone to use my art for an album or something. Absolutely no AI. All acrylic on canvas. Pay what you can afford.

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Wraithstorm @wraithstormmetal.bsky.social · 11h

No need to be confused about who to tag on Friday when the album releases I caved and made a page Because we have got some Melodeath to do beyond Friday Don't miss the Melodic Death Metal Majesty when 'Revenant' drops wraithstorm.bandcamp.com/album/revenant

wraithstorm.bandcamp.com

Revenant, by Wraithstorm

11 track album

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Antifascist Black Metal Network @antifascistbmntwrk.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Wince and Frisson - 'Tumult' | Dissonant black / death metal "AMN presents WINCE AND FRISSON, a debutant two-piece project from the US offering nothing but unrelenting and extremely dissonant sonic aggression in the shape of blackened death metal!"

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NEWT | Steve @neastwizardtyrant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

@triumvir.bsky.social and I are thrilled to have @winceandfrisson.bsky.social join the @antifascistbmntwrk.bsky.social They wrote a really nice review also over on the ABMN Instagram account also, which I'll include in a thread below ⬇️ Check out the whole stream here:

Wnce and Frisson - 'Tumult' | Dissonant black / death metal

YouTube video by Antifascist Black Metal Network

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NEWT | Steve @neastwizardtyrant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

If we had one for every band that specifically uses that word, though, we'd have (if memory serves) just two - and one of them is WINCE AND FRISSON, which brings us "Tumult" with very little in terms of warning or scruples. Their sound could be very vaguely described as dissoblack/dissodeath... ⬇️

NEWT | Steve @neastwizardtyrant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

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but if you read that and think "Ulcerate", well, you're in for a trip that no sensible captain should have sailed for. The guitars scrape and writhe like gale; the drums panic and flail uglily; the vocals hurt like someone is trapped in the same nightmare as you.... ⬇️

NEWT | Steve @neastwizardtyrant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

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There's none of the long-form composition of other dissodeath luminaries (obscurinaries?). Instead, 7 songs crawl and die at your feet at just over 20 minutes, so instead of slowly taking in the atmosphere until it's breathable, you suddenly discover it's just toxic water....⬇️

NEWT | Steve @neastwizardtyrant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

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You're drowning in whatever sunless sea (wink wink) this thing lives in. Then the surprise - half of this band is Steve Wiener, of @amiintrouble.bsky.social fame, wtf? EVERYTHING IS HORRIBLE - and it's awesome. End of review! Thank you @antifascistbmntwrk.bsky.social

Wnce and Frisson - 'Tumult' | Dissonant black / death metal

YouTube video by Antifascist Black Metal Network

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

We'll miss Noob Heavy! Thank you to @theoriginalkep.bsky.social and the whole team for creating such a great site for so many years. Sharing this lovely review of Spectrum, written by @nowaveknowhow.bsky.social, as remembrance and thanks.

Before you ask, the answer is no, Am I in Trouble? is not a pop punk band. Yes, the name would be perfect for a pop punk band (if you know you know), but they are, in fact, very much not a pop punk band. In fact, this album couldn't be less pop punk if it tried (which it doesn't), and that is a very, very good thing. And if you pressed play expecting to hear a pop punk band, then you're probably already well into your expectations getting smashed like a watermelon in a Gallagher sketch.

I think what I love most about underground music is how often I'm surprised by the end product. And, if you're familiar with my reviews over the last two years (give or take a couple months at the time of publication) it's that I genuinely don't write reviews for music I don't like.
Why? Because writing negative reviews is boring. It's for the weak. No one cares about what you don't like; it's what you're passionate about that makes you interesting. And what I like is music that makes me make the confused Tim Allen sound like a JT Extreme review video (again, if you know you know). So here I am roughly two months later getting the same treatment from another Steve Wiener music project that makes me want to punch him in his...well, you know. But don't let the guest appearance from his Negative Bliss bandmates fool you, this is as much not a spin off of that band's sound as it is not a pop punk band.

As per the album description on the Ampwall and Bandcamp pages, Am I in Trouble? is "deeply influenced by the works of avant-garde and progressive black metal artists active during the early-to-mid 2000s." But what does that mean? As someone who didn't really start listening to black metal until the late '10s/early '20s, I really couldn't tell you. But seasoned metalheads will likely know what Steve is referring to, as this time period was rife with experimentation as part of the rise of post-black metal and blackgaze. In spite of their early connections to Peste Noire, it's hard to not love Alcest and—in particular—
Neige. There's something truly blissful about their fusion of black metal and shoegaze that just washes over you and lulls you into a sense of utter bliss. And while Am I in Trouble? makes it a point to not copy the homework of the bands that came before them, they do an excellent job of leaving breadcrumbs that sound an awful lot like the trailblazers that inspired them.

Opening with a gentle acoustic guitar and flute medley with renaissance faire-esque drums, you'd think you're about to hunker down with a hot cup of tea and a warm blanket for some good, old fashioned hobbit worship (complimentary).
But as "Yellow" segues into "White" and brings with it its sprite-like merriment, it quickly knocks that cup of tea out of your hand and promptly replaces it with a craft ale. The folksy beginnings quickly plunge into something darker, heavier, and more sinister. Considering the fact that Steve is handling all lead vocals, six and seven string guitar, bass, keys, and..well, pretty much everything you hear throughout this album, it's hard to believe this isn't a full band. The UK's Chris Barber does an outstanding job providing drums for the heavier tracks, which provide the backbone for Steve's

myriad instruments and guests. Ember Belladonna's flute work can be heard in the opening and closing tracks, Negative Bliss's Jonathan Hernandez provides backing vocals on "Red", Paul Shryock (also of Negative Bliss) provides a guitar solo on "Blue", and Ashenheart's Alex Loach provides backing vocals on "Black".

The pacing of the album is really quite excellent. It builds in intensity from its timid beginnings in "White" until it explodes with "Red", each song using its predecessor to establish a solid framework of balance and intensity. That intensity burns throughout "Blue" and "Black", never quite returning to that peak while also maintaining that same energy until "Green" brings us back where it all started with the simplicity of an acoustic guitar and a flute returning us to a world of whimsical fun.

THE BOTTOM LINE

I don't know about you, but 2024 kicked my ass and stole my lunch money. Between work, family obligations, personal projects, and trying to bring all my thoughts on new releases, I haven't felt this exhausted and burnt out in a long time. If you were to cast an actor to portray how I feel going into 2025, the only choice would be Sean Bean. So maybe that's part of what makes Spectrum so refreshing; it's so brazen with its worship of early '00s experimental black metal. It wears its heart on its sleeve and doesn't care if you love it or hate it. It exists to pay tribute to an era of music that was so vibrant and new because that's what we need sometimes. True, I love doom metal with all of its plodding tempos and emotional baggage, but sometimes it's nice to start anew with a sense of hope and maybe a little bit of love. Because finding the joy in what's tried and true is what Am I in Trouble? have done with Spectrum, reminding us that you can always find something to love if you're willing to look for it.

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Check out this lovely review by @666brian666.bsky.social our Bölverk Records labelmates Dumal

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Check out this lovely review by @666brian666.bsky.social our Bölverk Records labelmates Dumal

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Bölverk Collective @bolverkcollective.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

The Trials of Existence by Dumal | October 2 Vinyl via Bölverk Collective • bolverkcollective.ampwall.com/merch/dumal-... • bolverkrecords.bandcamp.com/merch Cassette tape via Death Sculptured • deathsculptedpros.ampwall.com/merch/dsp002... CD via Alte Seelen • alteseelen.bandcamp.com/merch

Dumal - The Trials of Existence
Art by Truong Ta

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I am regularly blown away by the killer way "Song til stormen" kicks off Norrøn livskunst. It's rare to see an album begin with such powerhouse vocals so immediately. No music. No gradual lead-in to a song. Just stacks and stacks of sweet, sweet Lars vocal harmonies the moment the album begins.

YouTube video by Solefald - Topic

Song til Stormen

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I know I say this all the time, but considering we're now in a place in time where "avantgarde metal" is generally a term applied to dissonant, atonal music It's this deeply melodic and harmony-laden music from one of the "genre"'s "founders" that I will personally always associate with the "genre"

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Ampwall @ampwall.com · 22/09/2026

The latest Artist Highlight zine post shines a spotlight on NYC's @negativeagent.bsky.social Check out the engrossing tour of his synth-laden musical laboratory, Void Cat Studios, on @ampwall.com ⬇️ negativeagent.ampwall.com/news/void-ca...

Ampwall.com homepage, with Artist Highlight of Negative Agent's Void Cat Studios zine post

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

YouTube video by Solefald - Topic

Song til Stormen

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Eveale @eveale.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Aaaaand they're gone again! Our thanks to @hearthpatches.bsky.social for these. We may have something in the works for some more patches soon. Watch this space 👀

Eveale enter the Woodland Realm patch - Sold out

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Ampwall @ampwall.com · 18/09/2026

Out today! Scour Order, the sixteenth full-length from the avantgarde black metal legends, Krallice Get it on @ampwall.com ⬇️ krallice.ampwall.com/album/scour-...

krallice.ampwall.com

Scour Order · Krallice

album 16.2xlp, cd and cassettes available from Profound Lore.Krallice is on tour in europe for the first time this october:krallicetour.comthe music for this a…

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IAHFY ✦ @iahfy.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Samus & Kirby

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A. Roberto @irobarte.neocities.org · 14/09/2026

Now playing: "Spectrum" by #AmIInTrouble (Avantgarde/Progressive black metal) Should have loved it instantly after hearing Red or Pink, but it took until this year---a few weeks before "Enter the Woodland Realm" to be more precise---for it to REALLY hit. amiintrouble.bandcamp.com/album/spectrum

Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

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Huge thanks to @sterileprophet.bsky.social for this lovely video review of Spectrum A review that gives props to @emberbelladonna.bsky.social's flute playing, Paul's (@negativebliss.com) guest guitar solo, AND says the music makes him feel like LOTR is a great review in my book 🥰😍

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

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Eveyweveydevey @eveyweveydevey.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

@amiintrouble.bsky.social's 'Spectrum' is an album who's title couldn't be more apt as it offers Black Metal that brings to mind both Progrock as well as compostions that almost feel Orchestral... #featurefriday

florgoth @florgoth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

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Happy #FeatureFriday, folks! This is the day of the week where we brave the colorful darkness to find an album by a BlueSky artist we can present to you. And today we have one of my favorite albums of last year: "Spectrum" by @amiintrouble.bsky.social! www.untidydownloads.com/dql6

untidydownloads.com

#FeatureFriday Spectrum by Am I in Trouble

Spectrum by Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social Spectrum is the debut album by Am I in Trouble?, an erratic journey through colorful black corners of metal. A love-letter to the eclecticism …

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florgoth @florgoth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

#FeatureFriday Usually I pick a favorite song from an album, but "Spectrum" by @amiintrouble.bsky.social is so strong that I'd like you to listen to the first track "Yellow" and take the whole journey, if you have not heard it yet. It's something else and you'll most likely not regret it!

Yellow, by Am I in Trouble?

from the album Spectrum

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(un)Tidy Music @untidymusic.com · 11/09/2026

This week's #featurefriday is @amiintrouble.bsky.social's 'Spectrum' and it's a brilliant album that takes in many styles and fuses them with Metal in a truly epic and glorious way. www.untidydownloads.com/featurefrida... #bandcamp #metal #metalsky #musicsky

untidydownloads.com

#FeatureFriday Spectrum by Am I in Trouble

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Eveale @eveale.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

For those uninitiated, you can sample our wares here!: eveale.bandcamp.com/album/enter-...

eveale.bandcamp.com

Enter the Woodland Realm, by Eveale

9 track album

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Eveale @eveale.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Woah! There are 600 of you following our little band now. Thank you so much. Eveale is doing pretty well for a project that was just going to be a "low stakes 4-track anonymous EP with very little fanfare". Thank you for coming along for the ride and WELCOME FOREST DWELLERS!!

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Terzij de Horde - the only black metal on bluesky @terzijdehorde.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Starting a list of Bluesky metal bands (and punk, experimental, dark folk etc) in a general space of antifascist, anticapitalist, anti-discriminatory politics. Limiting this to bands + a few labels; can make another one on people who write/talk music. LMK if you want to be here: go.bsky.app/GdHuRAf

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florgoth @florgoth.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

#NowPlaying (again) Going to start the day with an album that hasn't failed to boost my mood in nearly two years. Thanks for that, @amiintrouble.bsky.social. Highest recommendation! ampwall.com/a/amiintroub...

ampwall.com

Spectrum · Am I in Trouble?

"In 2025, avant-garde black metal is nearly synonymous with dissonance. Acts like Blut Aus Nord and Imperial Triumphant assert that avant-garde black metal mus…

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MOTH | Alex @loachy16.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Buy my music so that I can afford fancier hats for my dog. eveale.bandcamp.com/album/enter-...

eveale.bandcamp.com

Enter the Woodland Realm, by Eveale

9 track album

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Watch this wonderful interview with @imrryr.com over at Schaden Collective's YouTube channel So honored that Imrryr is playing bass for Am I in Trouble? live next year!

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Imrryr @imrryr.com · 05/09/2026

Watching myself struggle to use people words through this is a bit rough lol but for what it’s worth… I talk through a bunch of things about myself and my music in this if it’s of anyone’s interest.

An Interview with Imrryr | Schaden Collective

YouTube video by Schaden Collective

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Now What (of What Now, 97.1 WXOX) @peteljuice.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

new releases on my radar this weekend:

Februus - Construction of Conflict
Chat Pile - Who Loves The Sun

Venomous Echoes - Ŋvęŧş: Violator Of Mater
Devil Master - Bloody Dreams

Wince and Frisson - Tumult
Encasement - Encasement

Karkait - To All That Cannot Be Undone
Monochromatic Residua Forbidden - Kaleidoscopic Abomination

Rob Magill - Subtle Chaos
Harrison Lemke - The Autumn Tape

Oraculu - Watch The Change
Quetzal Tirado Unit - Homages to the Fallen

Sigh - Goh-Ka
Absent - 04/15/26; Live

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Friederike Lie⸸z @friederikelietz.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Reupload of all 4 parts of my AOTY 2025 list Please note that there isn't any ranking! Thanks to anyone who helps me to survive in this hell of a society by making music - or by running a label, posting about cool stuff, writing about it, drawing artworks, booking bands... You are amazing! 🖤🔥⚔️

AOTY 2025, Part I & II (with cover artworks)

Lust Hag - Irrevocably Drubbed
Agriculture - The Spiritual Sound
Heretoir - Solastalgia
Fell Omen - Invaded By A Dark Spirit
Weald & Woe - Far From the Light of Heaven

Shizune - Breviario d'oblio
Esoctrilihum - Ghostigmatah – Spiritual Rites of the Psychopomp Abxulöm
Messa - The Spin
Lucerne Hammer - demo
Noir Donjon - Ruines

DÄÄCHT - Crying Houses
Vaurien - Merveilleux décombres
Sadistic Goatmessiah - Violence
Gràtfall - Thanatopsis
Vígljós - Tome II: Ignis Sacer

Hiraeth - Tales Of Resistance
Béton Armé - Renaissance
Greet - I Know How to Die
Panopticon - Laurentian Blue
Eudaemon - Spiritual Anguish

Draugveil - Cruel World of Dreams and Fears
Kraath - Kraath
Esox - Watery Grave
Empillarist - Pale River, Ghost Reflection
The Mountain Goats - Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan

Wolven Daughter x Order of the Wolf
Fléau - S/T
Winselmutter - Schattentod in der Leibeswelt
Terzij De Horde - Our Breath Is Not Ours Alone
Ghül - Rhîw

Death Goals - Tchotchke
Dungeon Keeper - Dungeon Metal Masters
Yellow Eyes - Confusion Gate
Final Dose - Under the Eternal Shadow
DOLVEN - In My Grave...Silence

Morke - To Carry On
Hæresis - Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum
Conjurer - Unself
HARIFA - As The Pale Sun Fades
Sunken - Lykke

Catharsis - Hope Against Hope
Transgressive - Not Like This
Autrest - Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves
Nekrodeus - Ruaß
Megafauna - I Owe This Land a Body

Witchyre - Witchy Forest Dance Contest
Svarta Havet - Månen ska lysa din väg
Sallow Moth - Mossbane Lantern
Lunar Amulet - Lunar Amulet
Μνήμα/Mnima - Drowned in Hallucinogenic Visions

Part III of my AOTY 2025 list - another 25 releases i enjoyed. Each with cover artwork, name and title.

Vollmondprozession - Lazarus
Lástima - a pain bloomed from my lungs
Moss Knight - Songs for Spring
Sainte Croix - Le Pieu et la Marque
Havarist - Gefühlsurne
Ara - Mutterseelenallein und aus eigener Kraft
Nemorous - What Remains When Hope Has Failed
Urisk - Shrivelling Lights
Audio88 - Böse Wörter
Bronze Hall - Honor & Steel
Warlock Corpse - Eternal Prisoner
Morast - Fentanyl
Nuvolascura - How This All Ends
Der Weg einer Freiheit - Innern
Chevalier - Un dolore a cui non so dare nome
Zeicrydeus - La Grande Heresie
Kaikkivaltias - Routaa ja rautaa
Uamh - Prairie Smoke
Rattenburcht - Vampyric Vessel
Skinhead - It's a Beautiful Day, What a Beautiful Day
Ritualmord - This is Not Lifelover
Weft - The Splintered Oar
Nachtwache - Der Hellebardenschwur
Blut aus Nord - Ethereal Horizons
Starer - Ancient Monuments & Modern Sadness

AOTY 2025, Part IV

The World Sleeps Beneath - You Were Never There For Me When I Needed You The Most
Letterstoyou - lunar memory scars
Les Guillotines Délirés - Les Guillotines Délirés
Hour Of Reprisal - Endless War, Endless Peace
Vanessa Funke - Requiem
Castle Rat - The Bestiary
Ostraca - Eventualities
Fluisteraars - De Kronieken Van Het Verdwenen Kasteel - III - Grunsfoort
Unarmored - DEMO MMXXV
Am I in Trouble? - Spectrum
Huskarl - Demo MMXXV
Ulver - Neverland
Lord Snow - Have You Heard of the High Elves
Blood Abscission - I I
Waldgeflüster - Knochengesänge
Boneflower - Reveries
Ashenheart - Tales From Eternal Dusk
Matavitatau - Numen Nescio
Denim - Razorblade
HABAK - Mil orquídeas en medio del desierto
An Slua - Sure Look It
Endless Swarm - The Body Hammer
KRAJAMORA - SUN
Hecate - Dance Beneath a Poison Moon
Forged Relics - Portal

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Booooo some editor of Metal Archives removed "Kirby" from the "Themes" on Am I in Trouble?'s page Somebody has a bias against my lyrical themes 😤😢

The "Themes" section of Am I in Trouble?'s Metal Archives back when "Kirby" was listed as a theme

The "Themes" section of Am I in Trouble?'s Metal Archives now, with "Kirby" removed

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Booooo some editor of Metal Archives removed "Kirby" from the "Themes" on Am I in Trouble?'s page Somebody has a bias against my lyrical themes 😤😢

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Eternal gratitude to all you fine folks still buying Spectrum every Bandcamp Friday You all keep that album young no matter how old it gets! amiintrouble.bandcamp.com/album/spectrum

Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

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The second pressing of Spectrum from @bolverkcollective.bsky.social is reduced price today $25! Normally $30! Happy Bandcamp Friday! amiintrouble.bandcamp.com/album/spectrum