Album review: Spectrum by Am I in Trouble?

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Hey Harlots!!! ₍₍⚞(˶˃ ꒳ ˂˶)⚟⁾⁾ Spectrum by Am I In Trouble was one of my favorite albums of the year so here’s my review.

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Background

Spectrum is the debut album of Am I in Trouble which is a solo project of Steve Weiner from Negative Bliss. It features contributions from other members of Negative Bliss and Ember Belladonna on flute. I would classify it as avant-grade black metal but I’ve also seen it called progressive black metal or even symphonic.

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Track by track breakdown

The album opens with the track Yellow which is a fully acoustic track featuring a flute part performed by Ember Belladonna. It really sets the stage for the album to immediately introducing the progressive element with an upbeat tone reminiscent of a march. Yellow then transitions perfectly into White with the through line of the flute connecting the two songs. White is very quite melodic but quickly incorporates harsh vocals alongside its slower chants switching back and forth between all of the ideas it introduces, never letting one be fully forgotten. This continues throughout the album as it gets heavier as next track Pink starts off with an intensity that hits you like a ton of bricks. Immediately having harsh vocals and a driving rhythm that never really lets up till the end with a short acoustic section. This sonic intensity culminates in Red. It reintroduces leading clean vocals and is a bit more melodic than pink. Iit slows down and with the addition of the choir shows clear doom influence that leaves the listener in an oppressive almost melancholic atmosphere before fading out. The next track shows the clear shift set up by red as the intensity lowers. Blue is much happier in the intro with a bright guitar riff that almost reminds of a like xenoblade battle theme and then has a short acoustic section. Only then it does get a little heavier and slower ,as if to give the listener a break, but it never gets as heavy as red. The Next track Black is my personal favorite. It  starts slow with calm clean singing but quickly brings back the more black metal style from pink. Shrieking is interspersed with the mostly clean vocals and slow instrumentals that seem calm, not building to anything. This changes right when you think the song is fading out with more clean singing and a variation on the chorus before ending. The album truly circles all the way back as last the track Green is acoustic. Whereas Yellow sets up the album Green provides a satisfying conclusion building on the fade out of black. This album starting and ending with acoustic tracks leaves it feeling almost cyclical but also much more cohesive.

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Concluding thoughts

Spectrum is truly a beautiful balance between black metal and acoustic or melodic sections. These two things are so opposing and so often do come across that way but in this album they complement each other. Every track barring the first and last has a mix of these two styles. The album is also split into two. The first three tracks Yellow, White, and Pink all build on each other getting heavier until it reaches Red after which the album mellows out. This symmetrical arrangement really ties the different ideas together while still allowing for contrast. It is that contrast that is the strength of this album and honestly of all prog. Overall Spectrum is a must listen album for anyone into prog, symphonic, or black metal.

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Thank you so much for reading and I do truly hope I’ve convinced you to listen to Spectrum.

Farewell!!!!⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂)⸝♡

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