You missed the boat on Virus. Steve can get sketchy when he tries to get political in his songs, but not this time. He nailed this one in that special music-matches-the-lyrics way only Maiden can do. What you call a drawn-out intro, is to me a great musical representation of the resignation and restrained anger of the protagonist, a man who is trying his best not to let the shitty state of the world get to him. You have to pay attention to hear it, the point being society is too self-absorbed to pay attention to what seethes in the hearts of people as their institutions fail them time and again. The anger bubbles a couple times, pulls back, then explodes into musical bitterness and fury. After a magnificent musical passage, it calms slightly into a pointed (rats in the cellar) statement of clarity. This speaks to the truths that often surface at the tail end of the angry outbursts of most good people. Then the song returns to the muted frustration of those who understand that their anger won't change a thing. This song, my friend, is a work of art.
In that respect, I agree with you about the content of "Virus". As I said, the lyrics are very meaty. The writing is quite inspired. The music matches the lyrics and it shows that the band put a lot of thought into the song. I'm glad that you're passionate about it that way.
