Country : United Kingdom Label : Rough Trade Records Genres and styles : Avant-Garde / Avant-Punk / Post-Punk Year : 2022

black midi – Hellfire

· by Varun Swarup

Since first bursting onto the scene in 2017, black midi has only gone from strength to strength. Their debut record, Schlagenheim, was a strong statement, a confident release by a prodigious young group eager to make waves with their frenetic breed of post-punk. Perhaps aware that their music could too often be brushed aside as a modern rehashing of the No Wave aesthetic of the 1980s, the band never settled on their sound, always looking to tread new ground, to defy expectations. Their second record, Cavalcade, took a definitively more melodic direction, with lusher harmonies, a wider orchestral palette, and more ambitious songwriting. Their latest offering builds upon these foundations, culminating in their most daring record yet, Hellfire

Loosely a concept album, thematically structured around a series of vignettes, Hellfire is unapologetically theatrical in its constitution. The playing credits for each title are indicative of just how orchestrally oriented the band has now become. Since Cavalcade, the band seems to have made Avant-jazz elements a staple of their sound, and on Hellfire this big band timbre is made clever use of, used to great effect in accentuating dissonant chordal stabs or in more tender moments endowing the album with some Film Noir undertones. As one would expect from a black midi record, the musicianship here is of a very high calibre, and especially commendable is drummer Morgan Simpson’s strong rhythmic command, the élan vital of the black midi sound. 

The album begins with an overture of sorts, frontman Geordie Greep’s deadpan delivery setting the feverish tone that saturates the record and is followed by one of the band’s strongest numbers, “Sugar/Tzu”, which within the span of 5 minutes covers a dizzying amount of ground. Frequent shifts in dynamics, idioms, and genre is a recurring theme throughout the album, indeed it is something of the modus operandi for black midi. The band have always relished in being chameleon-like, transitioning from brutal instrumental passages to soft acoustic riffing at a moment’s notice. The dynamic spectrum in which black midi resides is far and wide, and the lowest lows are met with the highest highs.

As impressive as these musical feats are, the effect is no doubt jarring and as such the album is not always particularly enjoyable to listen to, but is undeniably captivating and a truly visceral experience. Hellfire will no doubt garner much praise simply for how audacious it is, and deservingly so, but I anticipate their next record might be their best. 

Latest 360 Content

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Sparks – MAD!

Sparks – MAD!

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Cazzu – Latinaje

Cazzu – Latinaje

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Subscribe to our newsletter