HELLFIRE

Is black midi's 'Hellfire' the best that 2022 had to offer? To put it plainly I will quote an online reviewer of the album whose words just resonated with me the most, and do in fact sum up my personal experience with the band's third studio offering: I had never felt so equally impressed and disgusted before in my life. Full stop. Hardly have any vocals sounded so corny and uncomfortable, since the days of the glorious Canterbury Scene. But there is an overarching trend that goes throughout the albums offered by the bands of the Windmill Scene - they become increasingly unlistenable.

'Hellfire' is a cavalcade of sounds (pun intended) that bombards the unprepared listener with an instrumental menace, topped by the hardly distinguishable lyrics, sang in a pretentious manner, often through spoken word. Despite the interesting and adventurous flamenco and jazz influences, the band intentionally and successfully blurs the line between music and noise. The playing is impressive by all means, but when an album becomes more painful than pleasurable to listen to, then this is a bad sign. Apart from this, 'Hellfire' is so emotionally shallow that one could hardly feel connected to any part of it, generally lost among the bullshit stories or the chaotic instrumental sections. I am generally confused by the record. Mostly messy.