Hellfire
by Black Midi
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. Glide Magazine
    Jul 15, 2022
    60
    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.
  2. The Telegraph (UK)
    Jul 15, 2022
    60
    While still manic in its tempo-changing lunacy, Hellfire is more approachable and organised, as the production by sometime Björk engineer Marta Salogni asserts a certain order amid the vari-speed chaos.
  3. The Guardian
    Jul 14, 2022
    60
    It’s noisy, jolting and filled with gruesome imagery, but somehow arid and remote, music presented with a self-satisfied smirk (“idiots are infinite, thinking men numbered”, drawls Greep at one point) that prevents wholehearted commitment. Maybe it takes on a different, more direct power live.
  5. Rolling Stone
    Jul 7, 2022
    50
    black midi take a serious detour into pretentious overreach here. [Jul - Aug 2022, p.120]
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Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Most Discussed Album of 2022

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 38
  3. Negative: 2 out of 38
  1. deedeedee33
    Jul 16, 2022
    10
    This is my personal favorite of their 3 albums so far. It’s also the one that flows best as an album track for track and conceptually. IfThis is my personal favorite of their 3 albums so far. It’s also the one that flows best as an album track for track and conceptually. If you’re a fan of 70’s era King Crimson, not to mention myriad other influences, then this will make you happy as hell, all while also managing to be very much its own thing. The control and chaos, smirking absurd humor, whimsical flights of fantasy, visceral action, and spots of roiling darkness are all here. A masterpiece.… Full Review »
  2. Stillwaetr
    Jul 6, 2023
    3
    The only good part about the album is the instrumentals. This sounds like they threw in random loud noises and called it "experimental". SomeThe only good part about the album is the instrumentals. This sounds like they threw in random loud noises and called it "experimental". Some songs like "Eat Men Eat" actually sound coherent unlike most songs on the album, however I would never willingly go back and listen again.… Full Review »
  3. Cyi
    Apr 27, 2023
    10
    I love this album, it's my favorite of their current 3, with Schlagenheim coming in close second. This album has a great tracklist with songsI love this album, it's my favorite of their current 3, with Schlagenheim coming in close second. This album has a great tracklist with songs that are so chaotic and crazy and have clear theming and stories. It's also helped with its concise runtime of 38 minutes, it's such a crazy project that if it were longer it could likely go into an overwhelming territory, but being shorter allows the listener to greater appreciate each song, and the album as a whole.… Full Review »
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