HELLFIRE

Considered the modern saviors of modern avant-prog by many, BLACK MIDI has certainly set the world on fire with its last album "Cavalcade" which was greeted with critical acclaim finding music reviewers and even indie rockers frothing at the mouth to get their fix. And rightfully so, the album truly was a masterwork that skillfully mixed various sensibilities of progressive rock, jazz-fusion, math rock, avant-prog and experimental weirdness. Even i joined the crowds and gave the album a whopping 5 stars as i myself gushed with glee at prog's latest superstars that traversed the line between classic prog excesses and modern day indie rock brazen bravado. The band led by vocalist / guitarist Geordie Greep didn't spend any time bathing in its newfound success but rather kept the momentum going by working on what comes next. What came next was the next chapter of the BLACK MIDI world.

That next chapter would begin with 2022's HELLFIRE, an album of only ten tracks that sticks to a classic vinyl album's time of just under 39 minutes, a wise move as some bands get cocky following a hit record and perform the career-killing deed of releasing a double album's worth of material. Despite having only formed in 2017 in the greater London region of the UK, BLACK MIDI has already released three fully developed albums and a huge number of EPs and live releases. That indeed is intelligent marketing as bands fall out of fashion as quickly as they emerge in the volatile modern world of the music biz. Thankfully BLACK MIDI hasn't gone the route of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard which unleashed a whopping five albums during the same calendar year as 2022. Not overwhelming the fans is a great strategy as well.

Notably different than previous works, HELLFIRE eschews the excesses of post-punk and tributes to the angularities of King Crimson scattered on the previous works, "Schlagenheim" and "Cavalcade" and rather looks to the lush orchestrations that swept across "Calvalcade" and smoothed things out even further in that direction. A noticeably less jagged little pill to swallow for many, HELLFIRE does indeed drift into a more accessible albeit far from commercial musical experience. Steeped with influences from jazz-rock, art pop and even Vaudville theatrics, HELLFIRE is indeed a larger than life production with the three main members of Geordie Greep, Cameron Picton and Morgan Simpson playing an unthinkable number of various instruments along with well over a dozen guest musicians and vocalists.

With the King Crimson and math rock focus out of the way, BLACK MIDI joins the ranks of Fred Frith, Mr Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3 and other similarly minded bands as it wends and winds its way through various musical genres ranging from cabaret, country, flamenco and show tunes while it still implements its razor-sharp avant-prog math rock laced prog for key moments. Greep has taken on the role of crazed carnival barker for much of the album but still finds himself in crooner's territory but for the most part this is an art rock album laced with indie rock leanings that happens to incorporate all the aforementioned genres. One of the primary influences is the world of Vaudville, a popular mid-19th century theatrical style of musical performances that remained en vogue well into the 1930s. This is the aspect of the album that drops this album down a few notches in my world but i seem to be the minority regarding this as its seems many more are loving this album much more than the previous "Cavalcade."

Despite my apprehension and repulsion by the overall and overused Vaudville aspects especially on over drenched tracks like "Dangerous Liaisons," there's no denying that HELLFIRE is a quality release that dances circles around where most music dares tread these days. This is an album of unthinkable precision that will allow you to dive in and sample various aspects time and time again without ever really catching all the details. Mixing reckless chaotic moments with tender earnest moments of tenderness, the band seems to have found a balance that was tilted in the more chaotic world on previous works. For my ears this sounds a little sappy at times, even cheesy as if BLACK MIDI was resurrecting the spirit of vocal pop legends like Engelbert Humperdinck. I have to admit that i did not like this it all with a single listening experience but it has grown on me to the point i recognize its brilliance, still though i long for the days of "Cavalcade," as i sense the band has gone in a direction that i am loath to follow.