Virus are one of the pioneers of British Thrash Metal Formed in 1986 by H Heston & Tez Kaylor, members of the punk/oi! band Criminal Damage. They brought in John D Hess in their forming year & called on the services of Coke Finlay in 1987.
Their first recording (PRAY FOR WAR) was completely funded by the Band itself, it wasn’t till their 2nd album (FORCE RECON) in 1987 that people really started to take notice of the true potential of the band. The Press dogged them,probably because of their strong punk roots, but were favoured more by the skateboarding culture of the late 80′s
Labelled the bad boys of Thrash metal because most of their gigs ending up in fights, drunken brawls & roadie punch ups.
Virus hit the stage for the very first time supporting Suicidal Tendencies & punk outfit Chelsea at the Clarendon in London, they gigged & toured with some of the most influential outfits of the late eighties; Megadeth, DeathAngel, Nuclear Assault, Lazz Rocket, Cro-Mags, Kreator,Celtic Frost, Voi-Vod, Sabbat, Acid Reign, Overkill, Lawnmower Deth, Deathwish, Nalpalm Death, Sacrilege BC, Carcass ….
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Hello my friend , is it Virus ? What’s new ? How long has the band been together ?
Coke : This incarnation of the band has been together less than one year, and  already we sound 100 times better than we have ever sounded, but the band was formed in 1987, i joined soon after as they were about to do their first gig..it was supporting Suicidal tendencies in London.
What does Tharsh metal mean for you ? How long ago did you discover this kind of putrid music and are you some kind of nostalgic individual ?
Coke : Yeah i think i discovered it through listening to the very first albums of Venom & of course me being a punk rocker in late 79 early 80’s loving the Discharge, Broken Bones & GBH, Thrash metal means a way of life to me…too many bands take it seriously like it should be an angry form of metal & maybe it was back then, but me now its having fun & enjoying the Adrenalin filled Metal .
<
div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment:initial;background-clip:initial;background-image:initial;background-origin:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-size:initial;">Your last release “A New Strain of an Old Disease” was released a few years ago… In which state of mind are you?
Coke : Â “A new Strain…. ” was an E.P..it was a turning point for us, a few years before that we released “Raped by Mutants” which i was very proud of as it was an updated sound for an old style of thrash metal…A new strain saw us take a more complex, technical style that pushed our writing ability.
Usually Virus lyrics reference War, Death, Insanity type of stuff what you think about it ?
Coke : Â The writing process has changed a bit from the death, Nuclear war destruction type of thing, its still there but ive adopted a more personal writing style…things that i have experienced, suffering, depression, you know, conditions of the mind…state of mind & body.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7nu01Yk6Do&w=320&h=266]
How do you personally describe the music of Virus ? Do you have special words to tease the hears of wandering metallers? Perhaps you have a special slogan to spell before every gigs ?
Coke : At every gig i usually announce the band like this….” are you muthafuckas ready for some T.N.T ” (Thermo Nuclear Thrash) , There are lots of bands to listen to in the new English metal/thrash scene checkout Shrapnel. Gama Bomb or Rezinwolf & from my home country ScotlandAmok & Circle of Tyrants .
‎How does Virus  sound in real conditions, I mean during live, or rehearsals, compared to the recordings? Is it rawer ,  fucking Brutal or faster ?
Coke : We played many gigs, festivals & tours & still do….Virus sound very brutal very attacking live our stage show just makes us a better band than most as we interact with the fans…. we don’t take ourselves seriously but we take our music seriously & play with a very professional attitude…we always play faster live…our songs are long & usually people are too fucked to dance in the moshpit to the next song hahahaha
Do you have any new songs ? Do you plan to release a, album? How will it sound ?
Coke : Fuck yeh..we are currently writing our 4th album “Evolution Apocalypse” which will be out in May 2017 it is the most advanced & most experimental thrash we have tried & turn it up loud & let your eardrums bleed….this .album has a few interesting things about it…firslty we have a track called Defective Detective (The Ballad of Inspector gadget) i mean who the fuck didn’t like Inspector Gadget when they were a kid??? hahaha then we got a song about Josef Fritzel the Austrian Psycho who kept his daughter locked up in a cellar for 24 years & was the father of her children its called “Basement Conversion… then we got another about all those geeks who think “Call of Duty” is real war..so lots to look forward to there.
Which albums and demos did you listen to the most lately? Do you generally prefer to listen to the older bands, or there are new outfits you enjoy as much?
Coke : I’m really not crazy about new metal or new thrash..i tend to listen to Vio-lence, Forbidden, Suicidal Tendencies, Nuclear Assault, altho i do like Periphery & Toska (British Dgent) either that or old metal like Accept, Van Halen or Joe Satriani…i’m slowly getting into Disturbed tho..i think theyre very good…ohhhh and  i absolutely love Steel Panther…nothing better than The Shocker eh girls ???? ( two in the pink, one in the stink ) hahahahaha.
What are the future projects of the band? Something special to announce ?
Coke :  Were very busy this year, we got  Hammerfest (massive UK festival) coming up in 2 weeks then we got Mosh against Cancer, then when the album is released a massive tour….who knows we may even play
in North Africa..i hope so .
What do you know about Tunisia ? What do you know about Tunisia Metal scene ?
Coke : I know Tunisa is a beautiful country with great golf courses & lovely beaches but apart from the fuckin obvious that happened a few months ago i know very little…i would like to know more about it as culture & history of a country appeal to me. I don’t know anything about Tunisian metal scen, but i assume its extremely hard to have a metal band in Tunisia because of religious restrictions…which really sucks as i bet there is a wealth of talented musicians there…who don’t get the chance to show the world how good the metal scene is in Tunisia…i for one would like to know more .
What do you think if I say that I’m the only Virus Fan in Tunisia ?
Coke : I’d say spread the fucking disease dude, contaminate Tunisiawith Thermo – Nuclear- Thrash…
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tStH6V-HtH0&w=320&h=266]
Thanks for your time answering my questions. I wish you all the best. Please close the interview in any way you like…
Coke : :I  would just like to say, man you do an amazing  job to promote Metal in north Africa & if we get the opportunity, Virus would love to play in north Africa and expose you guys to old school U.K Thrash Metal
Long live Acier Doux !!!!!!!
 Interviewer : Med Manef SlamaÂ
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