HADES
Melanie Martinez · Alt-Pop
Reviewed
The Roast
“Melanie Martinez released an 18-track concept album about dystopia called HADES, because apparently PORTALS was not enough mythology for one career. Every song examines a different "trap" created by "evil, patriarchal energy," which sounds like a freshman gender studies syllabus set to beats. The aesthetic commitment is undeniable. The subtlety is nonexistent.”
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The Bright Side
Martinez is one of the few pop artists who fully commits to a visual and conceptual universe across every album, and HADES is no exception. The lead single "POSSESSION" hit 33 million global streams. The live performance concept, the Hades Ritual tour, shows an artist who thinks in experiences, not just songs. That is rare and valuable.
Hardest Sneer
“Eighteen tracks about dystopia and patriarchal evil. Eighteen. Martinez looked at RAYE's 17-track album and said "hold my concept art." The lead single is called "Possession" and the second single is called "Disney Princess." The self-awareness is either brilliant or completely absent and honestly it could be either.”
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Issues (3)
18 tracks of concept
Receipt
Eighteen songs exploring dystopian patriarchal traps is a lot. Even concept albums need pacing, and HADES occasionally forgets that not every thought deserves its own track.
Fix
A great 12-track album is hiding inside this 18-track one. Find it.
Subtlety deficit
Receipt
Songs called 'Possession' and 'Uncanny Valley' exploring patriarchal evil leave nothing to interpretation. The metaphors are not metaphors when you explain them in the press release.
Fix
Trust the listener. Let the art speak. Stop annotating your own subtext.
Concept fatigue
Receipt
After Cry Baby, K-12, and PORTALS, another mythology-driven concept album risks feeling formulaic even when the execution is strong.
Fix
Martinez has earned the right to make a record without a lore bible. Just once.