Released: 2022

Genres: Avant-Prog, Brutal Prog, Jazz Rock, Art Rock

The Musiquarium’s Hellfire Review Score: 10 out of 10

Expanding upon the chaotic jazz of the previous year’s Cavalcade, Hellfire sees black midi get even crazier with their brand of demented prog rock.

The title track opens up the album with a spoken-word vocal from Geordie Greep, before leading into a WWE style introduction at the start of the fast and chaotic Sugar/Tzu. Cameron Picton takes lead vocals on Eat Men Eat, which has an almost Spanish sound to it. In the twisting, King Crimson-like Welcome to Hell, Greep sings that “in this land of oysters, you are the world”. The folky Still has an almost country style twang to it.

Half Time is a <30 second musique concrète interlude. The Race Is About to Begin is the longest track on the album at 7:15, combining anarchy and chaos with calmness and serenity. Dangerous Liaisons contains the same kind of sensuality as a previous song like Marlene Dietrich. The Defence is a folkier song with a theatrical jazz backing. 27 Questions is a menacing closer, but has some time to fit in an almost Broadway like theatricality.

Hellfire takes the blueprint of the previous year’s Cavalcade and perfects it, with what might just possibly be black midi’s magnum opus. Welcome to hell and enjoy the show.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view black midi on Discogs.

Back to the 2022 Album Guide or the black midi Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard