In a world that seems to oscillate between overwhelming sensation and complete annihilation, Pittsburgh's M.E.L.T. have crafted the perfect sonic document of our fractured times. Innervate/Obliterate, the band's third studio album, is a masterclass in controlled chaos — a 11-track journey that splits itself down the middle to examine both the intimate and the apocalyptic.
The album's conceptual framework is immediately evident in its structure. Side A, Innervate, delves into the realm of sensory experience, consciousness, and bodily sensation. Side B, Obliterate, turns its gaze outward to confront societal decay and the external forces threatening to tear everything apart. It's a bold organizational choice that mirrors the cognitive dissonance of modern existence: the simultaneous need to feel everything and the impulse to destroy it all.
"This record is our response to the daily and weekly grind," explains bassist and vocalist James May. "Side Innervate is all songs about sensory experience. Side Obliterate represents the state of the world."
album art by Emily Wooddell
Guitarist and vocalist Joey Troupe elaborates on the album's central metaphor: "Innervation is literally the process of nerves connecting to the body to provide control and sensation. We play with that concept musically and lyrically, while also documenting the unraveling of society around us."
A Sonic Evolution
Recorded once again with producer Nate Campisi at a camp in western Pennsylvania — the same setting that yielded 2023's critically acclaimed Replica of Man — Innervate/Obliterate finds M.E.L.T. pushing their sonic palette to new extremes. Campisi's production captures the band's raw power while allowing space for their most intricate arrangements to date.
"Nate Campisi is the wizard that synthesizes our sound from the raw elements," Troupe says. "Nothing defines our sound more than our collaboration with Nate and his leadership in capturing, shaping, and refining our sound."
The album also marks a significant milestone in the band's evolution. Drummer and vocalist J.J. Young, who joined during the early stages of Replica of Man, contributed throughout the entire writing process this time around. His input has expanded the trio's sonic architecture considerably, introducing a three-pronged vocal attack featuring powerful leads and haunting harmonies while driving the rhythm section's hypnotic, thunderous foundation alongside May.
Inside the Maelstrom
The title track "Innervate/Obliterate" serves as the album's mission statement, built around a long-gestating bass riff from May that anchors the song's exploration of the record's dual themes. It's a perfect encapsulation of the band's approach: heavy, intentional and uncompromising.
"Gnomeskull," meanwhile, showcases the band at their most progressive. The sprawling, multi-part epic draws inspiration from Yes's Fragile era, featuring M.E.L.T.'s most ambitious vocal arrangements to date. It's a bold statement from a band unafraid to let songs breathe and evolve, trusting their audience to follow them into uncharted territory.
Bridging the album's two halves is "Tranquilized," the record's most overtly Sabbath-indebted moment. The track serves as a perfect transition point, its crushing riffs and narcotic groove connecting the internal explorations of Innervate with the external devastation of Obliterate.
The Steel City Rises
Since their 2021 self-titled debut, M.E.L.T. have become fixtures in Pittsburgh's thriving underground scene and beyond. They've shared stages with Lightning Bolt, Pigsx7, The Mystery Lights, and Rickshaw Billies Burger Patrol, consistently proving themselves capable of holding their own alongside more established acts. Their live shows—characterized by extraterrestrial-inspired aesthetics and an almost supernatural intensity — have earned them a devoted following throughout the region.
The band's early 2025 rebrand from MELT to M.E.L.T. signaled a new chapter, and Innervate/Obliterate confirms that the change was more than cosmetic. This is a band operating at the height of their powers, synthesizing influences from Black Sabbath to King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard into something distinctly their own.
M.E.L.T. will celebrate the album's release with a hometown show on October 4 at Thunderbird Music Hall in Lawrenceville, with support from Blinder and World II. For fans unable to make the Pittsburgh show, the band has an extensive fall tour planned, including stops in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Richmond, Cleveland, and Detroit.
Innervate/Obliterate arrives at a moment when we need it most—a reminder that sometimes the only appropriate response to chaos is to turn everything up and lean into the noise. M.E.L.T. have given us a record that's both a balm for overstimulated nerves and a soundtrack for watching the world burn. In other words, it's exactly what 2025 demands.
Innervate/Obliterate drops October 3 via independent release. Stream it below and catch M.E.L.T. on tour this fall.
Tour Dates:
10/4 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Music Hall (Album Release Show)*
10/16 - Boyds, MD - The Garage
10/17 - Richmond, VA - Another Round
10/18 - Morgantown, WV - 123 Pleasant St.
11/13 - Cleveland, OH - Dunlap's
11/14 - Ypsilanti, MI - Eastern Michigan University
11/15 - Columbus, OH - TBA
11/22 - Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox
*with Blinder and World II
