The Sequence of Prime - Virion

Release Date: April 26th, 2010
Label: Corporatedemon Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Enlightenment
2.  Cenozoic Anoxia
3.  Backlit
4.  Nuclear Winter
5.  Icosahedron
6.  Particulate Matter
7.  Dandelions in Spring
8.  Ecophagy
9.  Extremophile
10.  Compression

Total playing time:  30:00

June 25, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

When I initially offered to review the Kansas thrash/industrial hybrid known as The Sequence of Prime I automatically figured the sound might be of a Wumpscut or Velvet Acid Christ persuasion, both very good bands. What I hear is more in line with a pretty good thrash outfit using slightly processed effects to build an even larger wall of sound and scare you into individual thought. However, being the morose individual I am in this life what grabs me about Virion is the utterly despairing, foreboding content made only more solemn by a myriad of musical offerings that compliment and aptly describe the mood.

Main man Brandon Duncan at times spits out a vocal somewhat reminiscent of a wired Dave Mustaine meeting a lightly subdued Douglas McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb. He’s actually very good and quite talented in his vision to create something so frighteningly real. The entire concept of Virion is the mass contamination of a world or universe from one tiny microbe, which Duncan channels effortlessly through the music and vocal delivery. By the time I got to “Particulate Matter” I was hooked into the pattern of despair Duncan manages to convey:





What always captures my attention are the lyrics to any conceptual piece, so when a band takes pride in rising above the vacancy of a simplistic or boring storyline I’m always more impressed. When a band also undertakes the daunting task of claiming to want to awaken our senses and scare us out of self-submission I want some clear back-up for that. Duncan’s proclivity to stir the fear in your head is achieved tenfold on Virion. The CD is a lesson in the catastrophes awaiting mankind within the veil of its own manic hubris.

Thrash metal is certainly a proper representation, yet there are elements of doom both in music as well as story. If one can find the term technical doom a viable term for some of Brandon Duncan’s instrumental dalliances then you might get a feel for what he’s attempting to achieve with Virion. The sounds and aura align to find the perfect inept balance of man’s egoism and music’s neutrality, a marriage that made for an interesting experience for this listener.

For those familiar with any electro, EBM or harsh industrial I might add this to the line of releases like Bunkertor 7 from Wumpsut or Remission by Skinny Puppy in that they can enlighten you and make you think outside the box, even if you don’t want to. There’s always something to be said for being scared silly, and kudos to the person or persons that bring forth such visions of discord. You are the yin to our yang. 

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*Comments:

“Particulate matter breeds a black apparition
Synthetic possession without differentiation
Whether worm or a woman it makes no distinction”