VIRUS – The Black Flux
Finally, a new chapter in the tale of Norwegian avant-garde metal trio Virus has unfolded. The songs that make up ‘The Black Flux’ - one of them 15 years in the making - comprise a milestone in dark, experimental rock/metal.
BIOGRAPHY
Virus rose out of the ashes of avant-garde black metal innovators VED BUENS ENDE in the year 2000. VBE founding member, songwriter and vocalist/drummer Carl-Michael “Czral” Eide wished to further explore the more outlandish terrains of his former band and asked bass player extraordinaire Petter “Plenum” Berntsen (of AUDIOPAIN fame) and versatile drummer Einar “Einz” Sjursø (BEYOND DAWN, INFERNÖ, LAMENTED SOULS) to join him.
The debut album ‘Carheart’ was released by Jester Records in 2003. It combined the off the wall riffing of Eide with an almost post-rock (sometimes bordering on jazz) rhythmic foundation, and topped it off with totally absurd lyrical and visual imagery. Most reviewers hailed it as a masterpiece while a few didn’t get it all.
After the debut, Virus went off the radar for several years, not least because of Eide’s 2005 accident, falling five stories and making a two year-recovery. But, as they say, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, and never has this been more apt.
THE BLACK FLUX
If ‘Carheart’ was the “Monty Python” album of Virus, ‘The Black Flux’ is definitely the “David Lynch” one.
Like a constantly shifting torrent, Virus anno 2008 is as unpredictable as it is addictive. The riffs flow back and forth like waves, the bass undercurrents adding the illusion that there’s a lot more going on here than just three men playing their instruments. The drums keep a steady beat, keeping it all cohesive, yet don’t shy away from the occasional swirly fill. The vocals of Carl-Michael are a story of their own, picking up where he left off on VED BUENS ENDE’s ‘Written In Waters’, taking it to an all new level. Whether it’s the robotic authority of ‘Lost Peacocks’ or the almost-Bowie crooning of ‘Inward Bound’, Eide’s voice has finally become that vital fourth element of Virus, completing a whole that wasn’t quite achieved on the debut.
‘The Black Flux’ is a statement of intent, to say the least. The songwriting is more focused, the music more twisted and hypnotic, and the vocal delivery more poignant than ever. Not to mention the top-notch sound, produced in Amper Tone Studios (ENSLAVED, MADRUGADA, SERENA MANEESH, AURA NOIR etc.) under the helm of Bård Ingebrigtsen.
Overwhelming without being pompous, dark but not difficult, The Black Flux is easily the most important step yet in the careers of its creators. A maelstrom of creativity, and a flux of musical ambition. Now please dive in.
TRACK LISTING:
1. Stalkers of the Drift
2. As Virulent as You
3. Archives
4. The Black Flux
5. Intermission: The Ocean Highway
6. Inward Bound
7. Lost Peacocks
8. Shame Eclipse
9. Strange Calm
VIRUS:
Carl-Michael “Czral” Eide – guitars, vocals
Petter “Plenum” Berntsen – bass
Einar “Einz” Sjursø – drums
GUESTS:
Benny “B9” Braaten / ORIGAMI GALAKTIKA - ambience
Bård Ingebrigtsen – baritone guitar, violin, piano, slide guitar
Release: Nov. 10, Season Of Mist
Previews available at www.myspace.com/czral
