Black midi – Hellfire
Black Midi has
proved themselves to be one of the most forward-thinking rock groups of the decade,
so forward-thinking in fact, that even classifying them as “rock” seems
reductive. 2019’s Schlagenheim and 2021’s Cavalcade are not
perfect albums, but they are, completely unique and singular in their fields;
album’ that seemed destined for cult status on first release. Hellfire
on the other hand, seems destined for that same cult status, albeit amongst
Black Midi’s very own fans.
The reason being,
for the first time it seems the band’s ideas have overshot their grasp.
Throughout the album there are still touches of greatness, whether it be the drama
of the incendiary “Welcome to Hell” or the calming oasis’s of the progressive
country jam “Still” and the Scott Walker-esque “The Defence”. Elsewhere though,
the band’s efforts are scattershot, finding diminishing returns from the mathier
parts of “Sugar/Tzu” to the detriment of its own showmanship. The more chaotic
elements were often where Black Midi shined and those softer and sweeter
moments, where the band showed their versatility. Now, it seems the band has
reversed course, making those quieter tracks the most compelling and the
frantic ones, less dissimilar. Take “The Race is About to Begin” a
frustratingly nervous track that always seems destined to build to a particular
catharsis, but instead routinely descends into a breezy, finger-picked requiem that’s
both captivating and once the busy drum work kicks back in, nostalgic.
These moments are
frustrating, not because the disparate elements on incongruous, but because
they used to be so much more effective. “Dangerous Liaisons”, one of the final tracks
here, does find the right balance though. As a slow-building track, even Geordie
Greep’s sweetest croons, have an oft-putting bite, and Morgan Simpson has an uncomfortable
edge to every drum fill, hinting at the blaring horns that will eventually straddle
the mix.
Hellfire is a decent album, one where on at least
half the tracks come from the Black Midi we remember, always on the cusp of
something brilliant and humbling and confounding in the best way possible. On
the other half though, they are lost in their own precision, echoing their better
work and confusing ability with purpose. There is no doubt that Black Midi are
still great, and deserve to be the torch bearer’s they are, on Hellfire,
they’ve simply loosened their perfectionism.
~6.0
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