HELLFIRE

black midi's musical evolution continues on Hellfire, a brutal prog trip through territory you might have previously glimpsed in the jazzier sections of Mr. Bungle's Disco Volante but which black midi have certainly claimed as their very own. With a dramatic, almost theatrical flair, it might even be a concept album, though you'd need to spend a good long time simmering in its murky depths to navigate what's going on here. Greep, Picton, and Simpson have really come into their own as composers and multi-insturmentalists; imagine three Mike Oldfields unleashed on a studio with full access to all the instruments they want to use and a big dose of PCP to get things hopping and you might end up in similar turf.