Death hangs over everything on
Hotel Diablo, rapper/actor
Machine Gun Kelly's fourth and most well-executed artistic statement to date. Less aggressive than the 2018 trap EP
Binge and more pop-savvy than 2017 predecessor
Bloom,
Hotel Diablo presents
MGK's melding of rap and rock in seamless fashion with balance and finesse. Tortured and introspective, the melodic and genre-fluid set examines childhood trauma, the perils of fame, the demons that continue to haunt him, and creeping mortality. Analyzing his own fast-living lifestyle, he also invokes the spirits of his late friends and contemporaries
Nipsey Hussle,
Lil Peep,
Mac Miller, and
Chester Bennington, whose influence looms largest, especially on the
Linkin Park-channeling highlight "Hollywood Whore." Clocking in at under 40 minutes,
Hotel Diablo is a brisk listen and rarely lags (a pair of comedy interludes halt the momentum somewhat, but they are fortunately short), jumping from the funky, synth-washed intro, "Sex Drive," to aggressive bangers "El Diablo," "Floor 13," and "Roulette." Proving his past hits with female foils weren't just flukes, he recruits guests
Naomi Wild,
Phem, and
Madison Love on a triplet of introspective standouts that delve into suicide, depression, broken relationships, and self-doubt. Much like "Bad Things" and "Home," the vocal interplay amplifies the dramatic depth of his lyrics and helps balance with the more aggressive rap tracks. Of those,
Lil Skies provides ample support on the "Sicko Mode"-esque romp "Burning Memories," while
Trippie Redd is forced to reflect on his own substance intake with a particularly angsty
MGK on the pained "Candy." Throughout,
MGK drops a guitar lick in here and there, but it's not until album closer "I Think I'm OKAY" that he truly captures the rap-rock marriage that he's been chasing for years. Along with English upstart
Yungblud and drummer
Travis Barker,
MGK delivers a bouncy rock blast that hints at exciting new directions. With such variation and conviction,
Hotel Diablo is a highly enjoyable piece of cathartic release, a peak in
Machine Gun Kelly's catalog. ~ Neil Z. Yeung