Decoherence’s ‘System I’ Is a Haunting Work of Extravagant Black Metal (album premiere)

Scouring through the endless library that is Bandcamp, you are bound to stumble upon something interesting. Back in 2019, it was Decoherence making their first step into the digital domain with a single track, “Embedded Observer”. Raw and brutal, an uncut black metal gem that relished all the angst and anguish of the genre. And yet, beneath the surface, there was something else brewing altogether.

The following releases from Decoherence saw them forge an intricate path. While black metal was still the defining factor, their sonic adventures became much more poised. What bloomed through Snorre Ruch’s cyclothymic riffs and the Thorns-ian vision, was combined with the industrial facade that Blut Aus Nord excavated alongside the astral projections of Darkspace. It was this culmination of flavors that guided Decoherence to the present, through two magnificent full-length records in Ekpyrosis and Unitarity. 

Still, in recent times, Decoherence remained restless, and 2020 found them in a state of exhilarating creativity. Amidst the pandemic, Decoherence would release two EPs, Nucleosynthesis and Formulation and Solution, along with the Dichotomic Observables single. All three works showcased a further evolution on the Decoherence sound, a pristine and poignant unraveling of their identity. While retaining much of their black metal core, Decoherence would strive towards a disfigured post-punk direction, at the same time boosting their industrial influence. 

It’s this next stage in Decoherence’s career that System I comes to unify. Remixing and remastering the songs from the aforementioned EPs and single, this new work offers a concrete and complete offering. Filled with venomous riffs, a cold-detached precision, and a sharp dissonant edge, System I is a haunting work of extravagant black metal. Here, we present a stream of the entire album, which also includes a cover of “The Wait”, from iconic post-punk/industrial act Killing Joke.