Comus - 1971 - First Utterance

It's always difficult to write reviews about the albums which came out over 30 years ago, just because of the fact that today we have absolutely overloaded market. And in such ocean of "chaos", I decide for a quite brave step of writing review for Comus' album "First Utterance", which has appeared in 1971. Seven served songs, mainly oriented as progressive rock with folk influences. Those what decorates "First Utterance" is the feeling of strangeness. Once you listen it, you will be covered with some kind of mystery wimple. A circus atmosphere, screams, vocal "contortions", violin tours, gracefully sounds of oboe and flute are just some of the elements which go over this release. Opening track, "Diana" has appeared as a single in 1971, and in fact all these elements I mentioned above are present in this song. I'd like to mention that Swedish band Opeth used the part from song lyrics as a title of the one song from their album "Ghost Reveries" ("The Baying of the Hounds):

And she knows by the sound of the baying, by the baying of the hounds

By lyrical side, this song deals with violence and ravishment.

Next track is "The Herald", and personally it's my favourite from the album. Starts very smoothly by acoustic passage with addition of admirably female vocals of Bobbie Watson and flute that makes you feel soaring. I would especially highlighted intermediate part of the song, which is fulfilled with amazing acoustic decompositions of Glenn Goring and Roger Wootton.

"Drip Drip" deals again with violence and musically it's a song inflated with energy, reanimated with vocal lines, with acoustic riffing and hand drums. Mikael Akerfeldt used the part of the sentence from the song for the title of the album "My Arms, Your Hearse":

As I carry you to your grave, my arms your hearse

Now we come to my next favourite from "First Utterance". A song called "Song to Comus". Echoic vocals, followed by screams, with flute all over which fits very well, the changes in the rhythm, from fast to low and backwards. I'd say - "complete" song. Lyrically this one beside violence, also deals with murder and rape.

Hymen hunter, hands of steel, crack you open and your red flesh peel. Pain procurer, eyes of fire pierce your womb and push still higher. Comus rape, Comus break sweet young virgin's virtue take. Naked flesh flowing hair her terror screams they cut the air.

"The Bite" shows "wildness" over vocal and instrumental lines, but the sound of flute crushes diversion by producing nice melodies and placing them in between.

"Bitten" comes as a continuation of "The Bite" and it's just an instrumental lane towards next song, consisted of a classical violin supported by harsh dark noise.

The last song on the album, "The Prisoner", is a verdict of the story called "First Utterance". With amazing acoustic guitar channel, this songs develops and justifies "progressive" destination. It's dynamic, "mobile" song which ends this album with frantic vocals. As a fan of Comus, I'm waiting eagerly to hear something new from their hands, regards of they reunited and announced new album for near future.

Comes the sunlight, summer day, Comus wakes, he starts to play, play, play, play, play, play, play...