Comus sounds like a pagan ritual occurring in a deep, forgotten forest. It is folk music stripped of its politeness, replaced by a frantic, percussive energy that feels both ancient and dangerously unhinged. The acoustic guitars aren't strummed so much as they are attacked, creating a rhythmic bed for screeching violins and haunting woodwinds that dart in and out of the mix like woodland spirits.
What truly sets them apart is the vocal performance of Roger Wootton, whose delivery shifts from a vulnerable, high-pitched warble to a menacing, guttural growl. There is a theatricality here that borders on the grotesque, leaning into themes of mythology, lust, and madness. It is 'pastoral' only in the sense that it inhabits the wild, untamed parts of nature where humans are no longer at the top of the food chain.
Newcomers must start with their 1971 masterpiece, 'First Utterance'. It is the definitive statement of their sound and one of the most singular albums of the 1970s. Listen to 'Diana' to hear the band at their most relentless, or 'The Herald' for a glimpse into their more expansive, though no less eerie, progressive side.
Comus are a British progressive folk band who had a brief career in the early 1970s. Their first album, First Utterance, has garnered them a cult following that persists to today. They reunited in 2009, and have played several festivals and released a new album called Out of the Coma.
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