for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis praises moments of technical virtuosity in which the band "lock into a groove that manages to be hypnotically repetitious while constantly shifting and changing" but also said of the band "at their least appealing, there’s no doubt that Black Midi can sound pretty pleased with themselves [...] it’s hard to avoid a sensation of po-faced seriousness, of music that exists largely in order to make its authors and fans feel superior". Petridis concludes "Schlagenheim is an imperfect, intriguing debut: behind the overheated prose lurks a young, self-conscious band who clearly aren’t as fully formed as the hype suggests [...] for all its flaws, Schlagenheim is promising enough to suggest that watching them develop could be fascinating." Joshua Copperman of PopMatters says that although "on talent alone, Black Midi exceeds the hype" they are "technically proficient but emotionally shallow". Copperman cites "Of Schlagenheim" as an example of this stating that the track "bounces between atmospheric interludes and unhinged screeching but does both extremes no favors. There are so many ideas [...] that they cancel each other out." He calls Schlagenheim "both the most promising and exasperating record of 2019." Year-end rankings Track listing Personnel Sourced from the Albums Liner Notes and AllMusic. Black Midi Geordie Greep – vocals , Reverend Descend Baritone guitar , Gretsch Spectrasonic Baritone guitar Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin – vocals , 1996 Fender Mustang guitar , Fender Telecaster guitar , Fender Thinline Telecaster guitar , Supro Val Trol guitar , Gretsch Falcon guitar Cameron Picton – vocals , Gretsch White Falcon bass , Eastwood Sidejack Bass 32 , Fender Jazz bass , Gibson EB 2 bass , Rickernbacker 4003 bass Fender Mustang bass Morgan Simpson – Rogers drum set , Ludwig Black Beauty snare drum , Craviotto Timeless Timber snare drum , Meinl cymbals Katie Sherrard – additional vocals "Overdubs" (not credited to the Band Members) – Rickenbacker 4003 Bass 50p , Fender Telecaster , Fender Mustang , nylon acoustic guitar , modular synth , Swarmatron , Nashville Strung Electric Guitar , bells , tambourine , finger cymbals , guiro , bongos , Kawai Upright Piano , Russian guitar , wah-wah guitar , Fender Mustang Bass , Buchla Music Easel , Dave Smith Prophet 2 , Gibson Kalamzoo , Deckard's Dream , Mellotron , Roland Jupiter 8 , tack tom , MPC X , clavioline Simon & Patrick Acoustic Guitar , Fratelli Crosio Chromatic