The Sequence of Prime - Inter-

Guest review by That's How Kids Die.

Art by Brandon Duncan

I first experienced the one-man destructive force that is The Sequence of Prime via 2010’s Virion, an album that sounded like a man being assimilated by hostile machinery and forced to play cybernetic metal inside a black hole. Fast forward to 2012 and TSOP mastermind Brandon Duncan has finally unleashed a follow up in the form of Inter-, a record that sees the man crawling out of the bio- mechanical abyss and gaining control of those aforementioned death-machines, bending them to his will in order to create something even more violent and brutal.

Whereas Virion had a devastatingly mechanized feel, Inter- ups the ferocity by scaling back on the electronics, allowing Duncan’s fleet-fingered riff-mongering and vein-popping vocals to take center stage. The results are nothing short of stellar; in less than twenty-five minutes TSOP whips up more ferocity than most metal bands can muster in twice that amount of time with four times as many musicians. The music is mercilessly precise but possessed by a sense of total psychosis; think of it as Today is the Day meets T-1,000.

It’s worth noting that not only does Mr. Duncan handle all of the instruments, vocals, lyrics and programming for TSOP, he also records everything himself and is an accomplished graphic artist who designs all of his own album art and layouts. Even though Duncan gives his music away for free, he’s still dedicated to creating a complete experience for the listener that goes beyond music.

Overall, Inter- is one of the most flat-out ripping metal albums I’ve heard this year, which is saying a lot considering the amount of music I’m bombarded with on a weekly basis. Mr. Duncan’s singular vision has resulted in something totally unique, a razor-sharp assault on the senses that’s as cerebral as it is utterly neck-wrecking. Consider yourselves warned.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]