Intensity Is Not Just Volume

We often use intensity as another word for loudness. But waiting, density, repetition, and sudden silence can also create intensity. Volume is one ingredient, not the only measure of the experience.

When listening to System of a Down, I find it useful to hold this distinction as a question. Which moments are simply loud, and which moments create pressure through a change in structure? Even sound at a similar level can be experienced differently when its context changes.

This is not a claim to have a perfect psychological measurement. It is a listening exercise. I can write down what happens before and after a particular moment, and separate my own reaction from the audible relationship that may have contributed to it.

If intensity remains only an adjective, part of the work the music is doing disappears. Looking at how sound builds pressure through time makes the discussion more specific, and it also makes the quieter elements easier to hear.

Source: official reference.