''Hades'' (; or , ''Háidēs'') is the sixth

single album In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

, and the second part of the ''VIXX 2016 CONCEPTION'' trilogy, followed by '' Kratos'' and preceded by '' Zelos'', by the South Korean boy band

VIXX VIXX ( pronounced "vicks"; acronym for "voice, visual, value in excelsis") is a South Korean boy band formed by Jellyfish Entertainment through the 2012 reality show ''MyDOL''. Originally a sextet, the group is currently composed of four members: ...

. The album was released on August 12, 2016 under the label of

Jellyfish Entertainment Jellyfish Entertainment (), is a South Korean entertainment company established by composer and producer Hwang Se-jun in Seoul, South Korea. Jellyfish Entertainment is the home of artists including Jang Hye-jin, VIXX, Verivery, Evnne and fo ...

. The song "Fantasy" was used to promote the album.

Background and release

On March 29, 2016,

released the ''Conception Art Film'', which signaled the start of their year-long project and trilogy ''VIXX 2016 CONCEPTION'', through which the group would show their wide musical and conceptual spectrum and would be themed around the gods that appear in

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

. An official Instagram for the project was also created at that time. On April 10, 2016, VIXX released the opening trailer of ''2016 CONCEPTION'', and nine days later on April 19 released the first album in the trilogy, '' Zelos'' which is based upon the god of the same name. On August 1, 2016, VIXX revealed that the second album would be ''Hades'', which is based on the God

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

; who was the

ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

chthonic In Greek mythology, deities referred to as chthonic () or chthonian () were gods or spirits who inhabited the underworld or existed in or under the earth, and were typically associated with death or fertility. The terms "chthonic" and "chthonian" ...

god In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

of the

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

. On August 2, VIXX began releasing teasers for the album, On August 5, 2016, VIXX revealed the track list of the album, it was also announced that the album would come in two versions, a regular version and a Kihno version. The regular version would come with the CD, 68 page photobook, photo card and poster whilst the Kihno version would come with the Kihno card, post card with printed autograph, a set of 31 photocards and a poster. On August 5, 2016, the group revealed the ''Hades'' Concept Film on Naver TV Cast, and on the following day released a video music spoiler to the title song "Fantasy" which features VIXX member

Leo Leo is the Latin word for lion. It most often refers to: * Leo (constellation), a constellation of stars in the night sky * Leo (astrology), an astrological sign of the zodiac * Leo (given name), a given name in several languages, usually mas ...

playing

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's "

Moonlight Sonata The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, marked ''Quasi una fantasia'', Op. 27, No. 2, is a piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven, completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil Countess Julie "Giulietta" Guicciardi. Although known throu ...

". On August 9, VIXX revealed a highlight medley of the songs featured in the album, and on the following day released a teaser of the music video. The music video for "Fantasy" was released on August 14, 2016. "Fantasy" has a darker theme that emphasizes the concept of Hades, Greek god of the Underworld, unlike the first ''2016 CONCEPTION'' release that was conceptualized around Zelos, representative of zeal and jealousy. ''Hades'' charted at number 1 on the Gaon album chart, with the title song "Fantasy" charting at number 22 on the Gaon Digital Chart and number 5 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' World Digital Songs. ''Hades'' sold cumulative 97,222 copies in August.

Composition

The title song "Fantasy" was written by songwriter Kim Mi-jin from Music Cube and VIXX member

Ravi Ravi may refer to: People * Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director * Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist * Ravi (rapper) (born 1993), a Sou ...

. The song was composed and arranged by Devine Channel. The track has a "dramatic, orchestral sound" with an "elegant ndethereal quality". The second track "Love Me Do" was written by Kim Changrock, Andrew Baag, Han Kyoung-soo and Ravi and composed by Kim Changrock and Andrew Baag with arrangement by Kim Changrock, Andrew Baag and DEVILCAT. The third and final track "Butterfly Effect" () was written by Hwang Ji-won from

Jam Factory Jam Factory may refer to: * Jam Factory (band), an American soul music group from Syracuse, New York, active in the 1970s *Jam Factory (music publisher) Jam Factory may refer to: * Jam Factory (band), an American soul music group from Syracuse, Ne ...

and Ravi and composed by Erik Lidbom and

Andreas Oberg Andreas () is a name derived from the Greek noun ἀνήρ ''anēr'', with genitive ἀνδρός ''andros'', which means "man". See the article on Andrew for more information. The Scandinavian name is earliest attested as antreos in a runestone ...

. Erik Lidbom for Hitfire Production arranged and produced the track.

Promotion

VIXX began promoting ''Hades'' and performing songs from the album at their third concert ''VIXX Live Fantasia – ELYSIUM'' from August 13 at the Seoul Olympics Gymnasium, followed by a live Comeback Special on Naver V LIVE on August 14 to commemorate the release of the album. VIXX also performed "Fantasy" and "Love Me Do" on

SBS MTV SBS M is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by SBS Medianet, a division of SBS Media Holdings. It features South Korean pop artists, international music, news, and a few reality and variety programs. It was launched in 2001 as t ...

's ''

The Show Show or The Show may refer to: Competition, event, or artistic production * Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry * Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy ** Cat show ** Dog show ** Horse show ** S ...

'', followed by music programs

MBC Music MBC M (formerly MBC Music) () is a South Korean specialty channel, specialty television channel owned by MBC Plus Media. The cable channel primarily broadcasts programming related to music. It was first announced in July 2011, with the announce ...

's ''

Show Champion ''Show Champion'' () is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan. Hosts * Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012) * Hahm Eun-jung (January 30, 2013 – ...

'', KBS's ''

Music Bank ''Music Bank'' () is a South Korean music program which airs every Friday at 17:15 KST on KBS2. the show is also broadcast in more than a hundred countries through KBS World. Episodes are filmed at the KBS New Wing Open Hall in Yeouido-dong, Ye ...

'', MBC's ''

Show! Music Core ''Show! Music Core'' (), or simply ''Music Core'' is a South Korean music television program broadcast by MBC. It airs live every Saturday at 15:30 (KST). The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform live on stage. I ...

'', SBS's ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' (; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who perform on stage. ...

'', and Mnet's ''

M! Countdown ''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet from the CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. It features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. First hosted by Leete ...

''. VIXX gained their first win for "Fantasy" on August 23 on ''

''. VIXX wrapped up their month long promotions for "Fantasy" on September 11, 2016 on SBS's ''

'' and during that time VIXX won 1st place three times on the music shows.

Track listing

The credits are adapted from the official homepage of the group.

Awards and nominations

Awards

Music program awards

Chart performance

Release history

References

External links

Hades - EP
on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

* {{Authority control 2016 albums VIXX albums 2010s Korean-language albums Jellyfish Entertainment albums Stone Music Entertainment albums Single albums Popular songs based on classical music