The band was founded in 1992. Rather than taking the normal route of releasing Demos, DA instead recorded a multitude of limited edition split albums, though rehearsal tapes and demos were released later on various compilation sets. Some of these have such poor sound quality that they just sound like blasts of noise, whereas later releases like The Inalienable Dreamless have very clear production which revealed the complexity of the guitar riffs.
They split up in 2003 when guitarist Rob Marton developed tinnitus from standing too close to the amp during rehearsals and live shows. They gained somewhat of a cult status post-split, and are renowned as one of the foremost art-grind bands.
The band was notable both for having no bassist and for packaging most of their full-length releases in DVD cases rather than standard CD cases, presumably to accommodate the unusually large booklets (normally with liner notes for each song longer than the lyrics).
Delusion Envelope
Discordance Axis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of inertia, unstirred
Undercurrent disorder
Perceive the same
Anxious drones carry out virus sorties
Unable to fracture displacement from our minds
Mind fuck sift repeats itself
Drawn to bleached definitions of gender, semiotics and race
Sealed into, a vicious circle
Incapable of receding
Indentured precedence
Mistook to select, the true means of freedom
Instead breathing in deeply, from this vacuum
Brewing complacency in the delusion envelope
Retained in the bereft lobe of alienation
Harmony gouged out until depleted
Inevitable breakdown, of automated life.
The lyrics of Discordance Axis's Delusion Envelope describe the entrapment and stagnation of modern life within a societal construct that is both suffocating and limiting. The vacuity of inertia is spoken of, highlighting the sense of emptiness that pervades when one is trapped within the boundaries of the status quo. Without stimulation or excitement, the mind becomes dull and uninterested in the world beyond its self-imposed walls.
The undercurrent disorder is viewed as a way to break free from the constraints that society places on us, but this disorder is not necessarily a solution in itself. It seems as if the anxiety and stress that modern life creates leads people to fall into predictable patterns of behavior, unable to free themselves from the mental and physical boundaries they have created for themselves. The lines about "bleached definitions of gender, semiotics, and race" suggest that we are living in a culture that is obsessed with categorizing and labeling people based on superficial differences, leading to further alienation and separation.
The "delusion envelope" itself is a metaphor for the delusional sense of safety that such societal constructs create, while also trapping people within their confines. The brewing complacency and inevitable breakdown that are spoken of in the lyrics point to the fact that eventually, the cycles of behavior that people fall into will cause the entire apparatus to collapse in on itself.
Line by Line Meaning
Spiced with, the vacuity
The emptiness is flavored, giving it an illusion of substance
Of inertia, unstirred
Lack of movement causing an unchanging state
Undercurrent disorder
A hidden chaos running beneath the surface
Perceive the same
Seeing everything in a similar, monotonous way
Anxious drones carry out virus sorties
Nervous individuals blindly spreading negativity
Unable to fracture displacement from our minds
Incapable of breaking free from ingrained notions
Mind fuck sift repeats itself
Mental confusion continuously resurfaces
Drawn to bleached definitions of gender, semiotics, and race
Attracted to superficial, artificially defined categories
A preset, unconscious
An automatic behavior, without conscious thought
Sealed into, a vicious circle
Trapped in a self-perpetuating cycle
Incapable of receding
Unable to retreat or move backwards
Indentured precedence
Bound by previous obligations and expectations
Mistook to select, the true means of freedom
Made an incorrect choice when seeking liberation
Instead breathing in deeply, from this vacuum
Taking in emptiness instead of something meaningful
Brewing complacency in the delusion envelope
Developing a sense of comfort in a deceptive setting
Retained in the bereft lobe of alienation
Feeling isolated and detached from reality
Harmony gouged out until depleted
Continuous discordance until nothing is left
Inevitable breakdown, of automated life
Unavoidable collapse of a meaningless existence
Contributed by Sebastian C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.