iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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NEWT | Steve @neastwizardtyrant.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

OK, another Bandcamp Friday giveaway contest! PRIZE: a CD copy of Enter the Woodland Realm by @eveale.bsky.social USA and Canada only WINNER: The first person who can tell me every song that features @loachy16.bsky.social singing with clean vocals

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florgoth @florgoth.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I can't make a list of my favorite releases without mentioning this extremely colorful and just as amazing sounding album by @amiintrouble.bsky.social. amiintrouble.bandcamp.com/album/spectrum

amiintrouble.bandcamp.com

Spectrum, by Am I in Trouble?

7 track album

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Garry B. (Sallow Moth) @gonemage.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

2nd Pressing for Sallow Moth ‘Hydrophilous Brood’ up for preorder on Bandcamp by Willowtip Records. -Maroon Splatter on Seaglass -Black Green Marble Order at sallowmoth.bandcamp.com/album/hydrop...

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

🥳🥳🥳🎉🎉🎉🎊🎊🎊

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🎃 Alicia de La'Fey 🎃 @allieinchains.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Just won Spectrum on vinyl sick ass album with sick ass art Im so happy 💪😤

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

😆 that was the fastest giveaway contest I've ever done thanks to the incredible rapid-speed knowledge of @allieinchains.bsky.social! Congrats Allie!

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Holy shit that was fast 😂 you are a master Allie!!! F-Zero would also have been accepted! I'll DM you for details!

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Another Bandcamp Friday is upon us, which means I can't resist doing a contest / giveaway! This time it'll be for a vinyl copy of Spectrum! Winner is the first person who responds correctly identifying 3 video games that specifically had an influence on Spectrum! USA entries only unfortunately

The second pressing vinyl of Spectrum by Am I in Trouble?, released by Bölverk Records.

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NEWT | Steve @neastwizardtyrant.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

@winceandfrisson.bsky.social's first shirt ever is now available for preorder! Artwork by @triumvir.bsky.social Printed on Comfort Colors shirt, by Black Moon Ink (www.blackmoonink.co) (Thanks @lammoth.bsky.social for the printer recommendation!) winceandfrisson.ampwall.com/merch/tumult...

winceandfrisson.ampwall.com

Tumult "Archmyling" Shirt - PREORDER from Wince and Frisson

Become mylingar with Wince and Frisson’s first shirt! Featuring a demonic version of Tumult's album cover. Screen printed on black Comfort Colors 1717 Unisex Garmet-Dyed Heavy T-Shirts, by Black Moon...

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Specifically, the piece we bought from @loachy16.bsky.social is titled "Eclectic". Check it out here: alex-loach.ampwall.com/artwork/ecle...

alex-loach.ampwall.com

Eclectic by Alex Loach

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Am I in Trouble? @amiintrouble.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Alex is a brilliant artist, an opinion from me that is likely unsurprising, since we bought a piece of art from him for the cover for Facets. You can see all of his art at alex-loach.ampwall.com

alex-loach.ampwall.com

Alex Loach

Colourful, bold, abstract art & Black metal vocalist!

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MOTH | Alex @loachy16.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

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 · 30/09/2026

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:

youtu.be

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... ⬇️

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

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.... ⬇️

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

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....⬇️

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

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

youtu.be

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 · 22/09/2026

Someday we may see another album....

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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.

youtu.be

Song til Stormen

YouTube video by Solefald - Topic

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

Two unparalleled bands! Love them both

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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

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

youtu.be

Song til Stormen

YouTube video by Solefald - Topic

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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

amiintrouble.bandcamp.com

Spectrum, by Am I in Trouble?

7 track album

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

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

I appreciate that, helps calm the endless beehive of "damn I wish I'd done this differently" in my head 😂

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

I took this approach with the bridge of the song Pink, but every time I listen to it, I regret not pushing the contrast more extremely

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