Probably one of the best things about being a fan of metal is that you’re constantly coming across new and interesting incarnations of the music you love; a luxury not so commonly afforded to the “they’ve been there so let’s do that too” mainstream. Another advantage that the underground has over the radio scene is an abundance of musicians with an undying passion for what they do. So much so that they will do whatever it takes to get their music into the hands of potential listeners, up to and including giving it away for free. Such is the case with Kansas’ own The Sequence Of Prime.

The Sequence Of Prime is the brainchild of its single member, Brandon Duncan. The epitome of “do it yourself”,  Duncan handles every aspect of the project; from the playing/programming and recording of all the instruments to the design of the CD packaging and graphics, all of which are professionally and passionately done. In an effort promote his latest endeavor, Brandon has hosted Virion on several of the popular community based music/media websites for free streaming and download, including bandcamp, stereokiller, and last.fm among others. Essentially his own street team — though I‘m sure he must have at least a handful of others helping him to spread the word — his use of these numerous media outlets is bound to gain the attention of a few new listeners from each.

Somewhat of a concept album, Virion has an eerie apocalyptic atmosphere that paints a terrifying portrait of the possible effects of an unstoppable virus that not only brings and end to our world, but entire galaxies. As the title implies, Virion is an infectious and devastating journey from the beginning until the end that is intelligently written both lyrically and musically.

Akin to a mad scientist, Duncan strings together bits of doom, grind, industrial and thrash to create an absolute monster of an album. While Virion teeters more frequently between thrash and grind fundamentals, it never settles solely for one above the other. Though it can be difficult to place precise musical comparisons, subtle hints of bands like Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Slayer and Ministry creep into focus from time to time, but not too often. These songs are rife with raucous riffing (see “Cenozoic Anoxia“), pounding programmed drums (“Icosahedron”) and unhinged discordant vocals that are sometimes strongly reminiscent of Aphex Twin’s “Come To Daddy”.

Like any Frankenstein, some may view Virion as nothing more than a pile of parts sewn together without a thought of the consequences (an abomination, if you will), while others will see it for what it is; a beautiful and brilliant work of art that requires a bit of time and patience to fully understand and appreciate.

[Visit the band's website]

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