Some bands aim to be different. The Melting Minds, however, aims for another level of outlandishness.

The band's debut album, the June-released Alternate Universe, is an occult-inspired piece of rock music that finds the seven-piece ensemble singing about magical serpents, witches and astral creatures. 

"We wanted to push the limits," said vocalist and guitarist Slinky Bones.

"Like, how far can we explore [these subjects]? When we started, we took a standpoint that The Melting Minds is an experiment of the imagination. How far can we bring our fantasy into the form of music? [The answer was] To the point where our brains would melt."

A sinful world: The Melting Minds' debut album 'Alternate Universe' was digitally released on June 3. (Courtesy of Boneless Records) (Courtesy of Boneless Records/Courtesy of Boneless Records)

The wicker men

The band was formed by Slinky; a musician who was inspired to start it after visiting his home village in Wonosari, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, in late 2019. 

His excursion led to a reunion with some old friends. In one of their conversations, Slinky recalled his friend — Aamaga, who would eventually serve as the band's multi-instrumentalist — asking him bluntly: "How come you haven't made an album yet at your age?”

Looking back, Slinky remarked that such words were the "punch in the gut" he needed considering at the time, he was feeling disillusioned with a stalling solo career. With Aamaga's assistance, he decided to form a band with his old pals from scratch, his lack of industry experience be damned.

"I had no skill when it came to how to make a music record. Eventually, I recorded the album by watching lots of tutorials on Google," he continued.

The septet soon came up with their pseudonym The Melting Minds. The band's guitarist, Ahmad Tubagus, explained that it took a "pretty long journey" to come up with a stage name that represented each member's spirit and musicality. 

Ultimately, the septet agreed that they wished to create music that "thaws people's brains. It was actually as simple as that," he chuckled.

After a thorough discussion, The Melting Minds decided to explore the occult rock subgenre as its sonic direction — a derivation of rock music that incorporates supernatural or occult elements in the act's lyrics and stage performances, similar to bands such as Coven and Black Widow.

"Slinky is the key lyricist, and he writes by taking inspiration from the mythology that originated from his home village in Wonosari," said Aamaga. 

Yafet Yerubyan, the band's synthesizer player who also provides additional vocals, was personally interested in The Melting Mind's unusual style — a fascination that gave him the motivation to continue moving forward with the group. 

In particular, he took cues from the Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.

"This was completely brand-new stuff for me. And I love learning new stuff. It's been fun," he continued.

The Melting Minds acknowledged that, at least in terms of the Indonesian music industry’s current standard, its occult rock style might come off as too eccentric that it could baffle the contemporary, wider audience. 

"But we've got three guitars, two drums and seven personnel. Like, what would the music sound like? I think that's what will attract our audience," opined Marcell Yoga who plays bass.

Lords of darkness: The Melting Minds' unusual style is rooted in the band's desire to 'push the limits'. (Courtesy of Boneless Records) (Courtesy of Boneless Records/Courtesy of Boneless Records)

Season of the witch

The Melting Minds released its debut full-length album titled Alternate Universe on digital streaming platforms on June 3. Christian Gratia, the septet's drummer, acknowledged that, lyrically, the English-language album found its main inspiration from the folklore stories of Slinky Bones' home village.

"It's a story of what happened there, once upon a time. The time when the ancestors built that village," he offered.

Slinky chimed in, elaborating how the band attempted to create a red thread between the old wives' tale from his home village and the present state of the world, which he described as "ignorant and intolerant".

"Lyrically, we ask our audience to wake up and have their minds wide open. They get to realize different sets of thoughts that they haven't tapped into before. Realizing that, despite the world's rottenness, there are still good things that remain," he explained.

Moreover, Slinky could not help but feel inspired by the ancestor's spirit of building new things for a better future. "The Melting Minds does what my ancestors did, though by pursuing a different path," he appended.

The lead singles of Alternate Universe, "The Snake" and "Possessing the Witch", were the band's attempt at "poisoning" the album's listener, added drummer, Aswar Syarifuddin. The lyrical content of the songs was inspired by the prophetic story of a snake that would lead humanity to the wrong path.

"The songs' notations are repetitive, they're going in a circle. People might find the songs 'tedious', but on the other hand, they would, like, get bitten by the snake's venom. We poison them by delivering this mind-numbing sound," Aswar elaborated.

The septet found an opportunity to deliver social criticism as well. The album's seventh track, the heavily processed "Digitized", is The Melting Minds' commentary about how "the biggest problems of our lives are [literally] in the palm of our hands," he later quipped.

Last but not least, Alternate Universe is the band's musical medium in which it wishes to exercise its wildest imaginations. The gothic and gritty "Vermilion" and "Evil Vermilion" are based on a story that Slinky came up with; the songs tell a story of a Chosen-One type character who enters the Vermilion Forest where he encounters a devious, astral creature called Evil Vermilion.

"The fight against evil has just begun," Slink said, dramatically closing the interview.

The Melting Minds' debut album Alternate Universe is available to stream.