Entry 676 - Decoherence - Order

Style: Dissonant black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Order through insanity, quantum mechanics

Thoughts: Decoherence is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where the math begins to break down. It's a way of describing a particle such as an electron when it can no longer be described in a wave form. The math gets incredibly complex and is way over my head so I'm not going to begin to describe it here.

I mention all of this because the music that Decoherence the band plays is very much along the same lines as the quantum mechanics version. It is complex, it is obtuse and it is incredibly difficult to wrap my head around.

I hear individual instruments, I heard different comings and goings but much of what's happening simply did not register on the first listen. It feels like I'm listening to the musical equivalent of an alien trying to communicate with the human race and having no idea where to even start. 

I can't stress this enough, this is s t r a n g e music. It's not as hard to follow as some dissonant music but it certainly is up there. The riffs have this sense that they are just slightly off from what they should be. They never quite match up to any known chords even though they do get close from time to time. 

There is no discernible melody throughout the album, only a progression of chords (if you can call it that) that again sound aberrant. These chords range between slower and more atmospheric moments to a flurry of quick riffs that are nearly impossible to follow. The end result is a highly chaotic yet incredibly atmospheric sound. 

The vocals and drums are much more in line with expectations than anything the stringed instruments are doing. The vocals are a half shout half scream half screech that overlays the music with incomprehensible mutterings. The drums are by far the most "normal" thing on this record. They alter between blast beats and slower beats that fit the music disturbingly well. They are the anchor that my mind grabs on to so that I'm not completely swept away in the insanity that is this record.

Order is a bit of an ironic name. This is not order in any sense of what most humans would consider it. There does appear to be an order to the music, but much like my understanding of the more obscure principles of quantum mechanics my brain fails to fully understand what is going on here. 

Written January 31st 2024