OBLIVION CLOCK

"Oblivion Clock" is a compilation album by Norwegian avant garde rock/metal act Virus. The album was released through Virulent Records/Duplicate Records in December 2012. It´s sometimes refered to as an EP, but it´s actually a compilation of a four track EP featuring new recordings (only available on this release as far as I know), the two tracks from the rare 7" single that came with only 250 copies of the vinyl version of "The Agent That Shapes the Desert (2011)" and one unreleased track from "Carheart (2003)" sessions.

While there are notable differences in sound production between the tracks (all tracks feature a raw yet well sounding production), it´s actually amazing how well "Oblivion Clock" goes down as one consistent product. At least I´m greatly entertained all the way through the relatively short playing time of 31:30 minutes. The music on the album is in the band´s trademark dissonant avant garde rock/metal style. It´s dark and sinister and delivered with a sense of carnival madness that only Virus master. While the music only borders metal, it´s often damn heavy and while it´s not always directly aggressive, there´s aggression just underneath every note played, but also a deep despair. References to acts like Bauhaus and Joy Division aren´t completely wrong but the dissonance of Voivod is also a big part of Virus sound. It´s however Carl-Michael Eide´s lunatic singing style that´s the number one defining element in Virus sound. The man sounds positively deranged...

Because the tracks are compiled from different sessions, "Oblivion Clock" is a rather varied release. While all tracks are unmistakably the sound of Virus, tracks like the upbeat "Saturday Night Virus" and the Walker Brothers cover "Shutout" are a bit different from what I usually expect from Virus and I think it suits them well to branch out and try new and different things. Other highlights to me are the title track and "Inverted Escape".

Not all compilations featuring rare material and B-sides, which I´d put "Oblivion Clock" in catagory with, are equally interesting or necessary for that matter, but "Oblivion Clock" is not one of those. It´s in fact a very great release with material that´s fully on par with anything the band have released on their preceeding studio albums. I find "Oblivion Clock" highly recommendable both to fans and to newcommers, who could do well by starting their Virus journey here. A 4.5 star (90%) rating is fully deserved.