All Music Magazine UK - Album Review - Melanie Martinez – HADES
- Desh Kapur
- 46 minutes ago
- 2 min read
WORDS HARRY K
Melanie Martinez – HADES
OUT NOW
Melanie Martinez has never exactly been one for subtlety, but HADES sees her ditch whatever restraint she had left and dive headfirst into something far more chaotic, confrontational and, at times, genuinely unhinged. it plays less like a traditional pop album and more like a fever dream stitched together from industrial noise, nursery rhymes and societal dread.
Opener “Garbage” wastes no time setting the tone, lurching between distorted beats and warped vocal layers like it’s actively trying to repel you. It’s a bold move — and one that pretty much defines the entire record. This is not Cry Baby, and it’s not even PORTALS. If anything, HADES feels like Martinez daring her audience to keep up.
At its best, that gamble pays off. “Possession” is a standout, pairing eerie, sing-song melodies with suffocating production that feels like it’s closing in from all sides, while “Disney Princess” delivers one of the album’s sharpest moments — a sugar-coated takedown of image, expectation and the performance of femininity. Elsewhere, “Monopoly Man” is as blunt as its title suggests, thrashing through anti-capitalist commentary with a jagged, almost chaotic structure that mirrors the systems it’s tearing apart.
There are moments where the cracks start to show. The sheer length — 18 tracks — means the album occasionally collapses under its own weight, with songs like “Gutter” and “The Plague” blurring into a wall of noise rather than standing out on their own. But even then, there’s something compelling about the excess; the mess feels intentional, like part of the world Martinez is building rather than a misstep.
Lyrically, she’s operating in full allegory mode, trading in subtle storytelling for heavy-handed symbolism about power, control and identity. “The Vatican” leans into religious imagery with all the nuance of a sledgehammer, while “Chatroom” taps into the anxiety of online existence, identity and surveillance. It’s not always delicate, but it doesn’t need to be — HADES thrives on its lack of restraint.
What’s most striking is how little Martinez seems concerned with accessibility. Hooks are buried under distortion, structures are warped beyond recognition, and the album rarely offers a moment of relief. It’s abrasive, theatrical and, at times, exhausting — but also weirdly captivating. For every moment that feels like too much, there’s another that pulls you back in.
HADES won’t win over the casual listener, and it’s not trying to. Instead, it doubles down on everything that makes Melanie Martinez such a divisive figure: the commitment to concept, the willingness to alienate, and the refusal to play it safe. It’s messy, ambitious and occasionally brilliant — even if it sometimes disappears into its own chaos.
4/5
TRACK LISTING
Garbage
Is This a Cult
Possession
White Boy with a Gun
Disney Princess
Grudges
Monopoly Man
Avoidant
Monolith
Weight Watchers
The Plague
Batshit Intelligence
Gutter
Uncanny Valley
The Vatican
Hell’s Front Porch
Chatroom
The Last Two People on Earth
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