Melanie Martinez, “Portals.”

“Death is life is death.”

The harrowing cadence opens Portals, the third album from alt-pop songstress Melanie Martinez. The 13-track album leans heavily into darkly vibrant art-pop. Upon hearing Martinez’s music, it feels like a lifetime ago she was a young upstart auditioning for her big break on “The Voice.”

“I’m back from the dead,” Martinez declares on “Death,” an explosive five-minute opening track that contains a mix of fuzzed-out instrumentals and a multipart harmonized chorus. Each track shape-shifts and feels alive. “Alive,” for example, moves from a mid-tempo R&B groove to an urgent alt-pop anthem.

The beginning of “Tunnel Vision” could have been picked from a movie soundtrack. A layered eerie vocal opens the track, which becomes a more traditional pop song. But while the instrumentation veers more conventional, Martinez’s melodies feel new and different, giving the song an experimental vibe. Similarly, “Nymphology,” in the bottom third of the album, starts off cinematically before exploding into a chaotic climax.

The intricate alt-pop ballad, “Faerie Soiree,” takes things in a different direction, embracing an ethereal atmospheric sound somewhat reminiscent of Canadian singer-songwriter Lights. The track ends on a very different note, when all of the music drops out and Martinez sings a cappella with a layered vocal. What’s interesting about Martinez’s harmonizing is each individual part has such a different sound, from clean vocals, to distorted, to spacey, creating a vast soundscape.

There are just a couple of light ballads on the album, but they’re effective ones. “Light Shower” is even mores simplified and stripped-down as Martinez sings alongside the light strumming of an electric guitar.

“You made me want to plan out my last days on Earth,” Martinez admits on the ballad, which has dark undertones.

Album closer “Womb,” meanwhile, is light and intricate.

“Spider Web” rolls on a heavy backbeat but takes a lot of risks with the rest of the instruments. Rather than being filled out with a symphony of synths, it’s quieter and more understated. That dichotomy makes for an interesting listen and a twist on todays traditional mid-tempo pop anthem. The song seamlessly transitions into “Leeches,” an ode to the “slimy and superficial.” While a ballad, it infuses a moody energy via the keys.

Mid-tempo ballad “Battle of the Larynx” is closer to rock territory with its fuzz-toned guitar riff and emphatic beat. It eventually fades away to ocean waves crashing ashore, offering a brief space and quiet energy. Later in the album, kiss-off fist-pumper “Evil” brings a similar energy. It features Martinez’s signature sarcasm and packs it into a fun and engaging self-empowering romp.

“The Contortionist” takes a more traditional pop structure and turns it on its head, mixing the rhythm with an array of orchestral elements and creating a pop symphony.

“I could win a fight on my period/ Matter of fact, right now I could build a pyramid,” Martinez sings on the sarcastic and low-key “Moon Cycle.”

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.