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- Posted: 08/21/2026 20:00
- Post subject: Album of the day (#7393): Hellfire by Black Midi
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Today's album of the day
Hellfire by Black Midi (View album | Buy this album)
Year: 2022.
Country: 
Black Midi discography rank: 2 (out of 6 listed on BEA)
2022 rank: 5
2020s rank: 17
Overall rank: 768
Average rating: 80/100 (from 307 votes).
Tracks:
1. Hellfire
2. Sugar/Tzu 
3. Eat Men Eat
4. Welcome To Hell
5. Still
6. Half Time
7. The Race Is About To Begin
8. Dangerous Liaisons
9. The Defence
10. 27 Questions
indicates a top-rated track.
Top voted comments:
"Holy shit. I didn't think anything would possibly beat Ants From Up There as my AOTY and now I find myself faced with an incredibly difficult decision. Right now, I genuinely think this might be the best album of the decade. At first I thought this album had lows, but after a few listens I realised it's just that the highs are so high some of the best songs I've heard seem weak in comparison.
After repeat exposures, I can no longer even point to the best song here, as my bias to Eat Men Eat and Welcome To Hell has worn off. Hellfire is one of the best album openers I've ever heard, with Greep's showman-like fast-paced greetings and rantings literally welcoming you to hell. The album then launches into the best 3-song run I've heard since The Place Where He Inserted the Blade through Basketball Shoes, starting with Sugar/Tzu, a song very much in the same vein as the two singles - a detailed, graphic tale of the worst humanity has to offer.
The album slows a little with the appropriately titled "Still", the only other song on this album featuring vocals by Cameron Picton, and boy do I wish they'd let him out more often. The cryptic lyrics and smooth delivery remind me of MGMT in a way. The track switches things up several times, with a quiet acoustic middle and a soothing ambient ending that fades into a locked groove loop reminiscent of the way the Beatles closed off Sgt Pepper. Half Time serves it's purpose well as a breather between the two longest tracks on the album and a cheeky reference to black midi's alter ego the Orange Tree Boys. There's also a bit of morse code in there which I can't wait for someone with more patience than me to translate.
The Race Is About To Begin kicks the 2nd half into 1st gear immediately, continuing the story of a character previously introduced in Welcome To Hell. Despite being the longest song on the album, it never settles into a groove, shifting and changing every minute, becoming more chaotic as it becomes a descent into addiction, madness, and shacks. Like Still, it ends on a quieter note, with a delicate ballad that reminisces on how people can change.
Dangerous Liasons, The Defence and 27 Questions form another trilogy of songs mirroring the first half of the album, each telling a story of the worst of humanity - A man tempted into murder with promises of money, a brothel owner attempting to justify his trade, and finally the closer 27 Questions, in which an audience revels at the suffering of a dying man. This song is a great way to close the album, with a show-tune style section that recalls the opener and passes a number of philosophical (and funny) questions onto the listener.
In conclusion, Black Country, New Road and black midi have both released masterpieces this year. This feels like the logical conclusion (or perhaps a new phase) of the new British Post-Punk scene that's cropped up since 2016, with it's two forefront bands releasing what will be remembered as two of the greatest albums of all time. No pressure Squid."
- @Puzzlr (Rating: 100/100)
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"Black Midi’s songwriting skills, technical chops and musical creativity have all found their share of praise over the years, but never did I think they would coalesce and strengthen themselves so soon. Hellfire is phenomenal, a show-stopping showcase of the most daring band in the world taking their thrilling band of rock to the next level.
Every single one of the individual songs on Hellfire, possibly excluding the interlude ‘Half Time,’ is astonishing in its attention to detail. No stone is left unturned in bringing lush life to these accounts of sin. The performances, too, are exquisite. While Cameron Picton excels as always with two strong vocal performances, it is Geordie Greep who sounds most invigorated; his vocals on Hellfire are his strongest yet, ranging from Cavalcade-era crooning on ‘The Defence’ to Schlagnheim-y auctioneering in ‘The Race Is About to Begin.’ Morgan Simpson remains, as always, the best drummer in the world; his versatility, power and complexity on Hellfire continue to boggle the mind.
While Black Midi’s creative process does not contain ‘genre’ in its lexicon, I would argue that Hellfire fits fairly neatly into the category of progressive rock. However, they do not traffic in the sedentary sounds of modern prog on here. In many senses, this album is the purest essence of what progressive rock should be: not a stylized sound, but an ethos. Everything here is played with absurd technicality, but nothing is played for its own sake: all of these tremendous moving parts have a purpose of their own, and their inclusion furthers the musical experience. The tools Black Midi possess are utilized for the purpose of songcraft, and boy, does Hellfire have its fair share of songs. Each track is a miniature fable unto itself, again with the sole exception ‘Half Time;’ even those thirty seconds have a clear role of delineation within the wider anthology of misdeeds chronicled on this album.
If anything, this proves that Black Midi are among the greatest, most original bands of the 21st century. Comparisons to their friends in BC,NR’s masterwork Ants from Up There will no doubt abound, but the two groups have gone in separate artistic directions in spite of their personal kinship. Let us instead revel in the fact that we are blessed with not one, but two outrageously talented groups, each with wonderful discographies behind them and dazzling futures ahead."
- @barbarossa (Rating: 100/100)
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About album of the day: The BestEverAlbums.com album of the day is the album appearing most prominently in member charts in the previous 24 hours. If an album, or artist, has previously been selected within a x day period, the next highest album is picked instead (and so on) to ensure a bit of variety. A full history of album of the day can be viewed here.
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