VIRUS was formed in 2000 from the ashes of his 90’s avant-garde black metal project VED BUENS ENDE by Carl-Michael “Czral” Eides (AURA NOIR, ex DODHEIMSGARD, ex SATYRICON, ex ULVER), with the idea of creating a new kind of experimental metal / rock based on the dissonant chord foundations laid down by VED BUENS ENDE. With Czral on guitars and vocals, he brought with him his VED BUENS ENDE colleagues, bassist Petter “Plenum” Berntsen (AUDIOPAIN etc.) and drummer Einar “Einz” Sjursø (BEYOND DAWN etc.) and the band recorded their only demo that same year.
Having been picked up almost immediately by Jester Records, VIRUS released their debut album “Carheart” in 2003, but Czral’s accident in 2005, which hospitalized him for a year, resulted in the band going on hiatus until the release of their sophomore album “The Black Flux” on Season of Mist in 2008. An album, incidentally, that earned them the title of “Album of the Year” in several publications, as did 2011’s follow up album “The Agent That Shapes The Desert” , which was released on the band’s own label Virulent Music.
VIRUS’ long awaited live debut came in 2011, and aside from club appearances and tours in both Europe and the USA, the band has appeared at a variety of prestigious festivals.
As one of the most unique bands coming out of Norway, Virus has built themselves a big following in both the metal and rock scene throughout the world. From the debut album, “Carheart”, in 2003, they’ve developed their otherworldly style for over a decade. In 2016, Virus debuts on Karisma Records with their 4th album called “Memento Collider”, and the single “Investigator” in 2017.
