ARTIST: Virus
TITLE: The Agent That Shapes The Desert
STYLE: Psychedelic Rock, Avantgarde Metal, Experimental
FORMAT: CD
LABEL: Duplicate Records
Double CD edition including a 40-minute instrumental pre-production session as bonus. Limited to 300 copies.
"The Agent That Shapes The Desert" is the third album from Norwegian avantgarde rock maestros VIRUS. Its title and lyrical themes reflect the red desert sands on the cover as well as the shifts of the various lifeforms and elements of a planet headed for extinction. Observing the forces of nature, in contrast to their previous outing "The Black Flux", which pictured the end of the world on a more psychological level. Whereas "The Black Flux" was a dense maelstrom that threatened to pull you under, "The Agent That Shapes The Desert" is dry, sharp and refined. It combines the dissonant guitar-washes of mastermind Czral's former band VED BUENS ENDE and "The Black Flux" with the outlandish nature of the band's "Carheart" debut, while simultaneously moving in several new directions at once. At the same time, "The Agent That Shapes The Desert" is the band's most coherent, and well-produced effort yet, and should appeal to music addicts across a vast spectrum of genres. Czral's trademark sideways riffs are perfectly underscored by the concise, efficient drumming of Einz and Bjeima's adventurous bass lines. The vocals, also courtesy of Czral, are stronger than ever, at times reminiscent of a choir of mad preachers, at others subtle and brooding, giving off an air of desperation.
TRACKLIST:
1-1 The Agent That Shapes The Desert 5:18
1-2 Chromium Sun 4:20
1-3 Continental Drift 4:43
1-4 Red Desert Sand 4:54
1-5 Intermission: Furnace Creek 2:20
1-6 Dead Cities Of Syria 6:42
1-7 Where The Flame Resides 4:50
1-8 Parched Rapids 4:53
1-9 Call Of The Tuskers 5:12
Preproduction Demos 2009
2-1 Parched Rapids 3:57
2-2 Dead Cities Of Syria 8:00
2-3 Chromium Sun 4:26
2-4 The Pull Of The Crater 4:56
2-5 Inverted Escape 4:09
2-6 Furnace Creek 2:21
2-7 Red Desert Sand 2:35
2-8 Gaslight / Seen In The Sediments 7:20
