The Depths · All albums

First Utterance

Comus · 1971

• Scores: Noise 3, Unease 4, Complexity 3 (each 1 to 5)
• Genre: Folk, Psychedelic Folk
• Mood: dark, frenzied, pagan
• Sound: acid folk, acoustic guitars, violin, flute, shrieked and whispered vocals, abrupt tempo shifts

First Utterance blends progressive rock, folk and psychedelia in a set of dark, pagan songs recorded at Pye Studios in London in November and December 1970. Acoustic guitars are joined by violin, viola, flute and oboe, and Roger Wootton and Bobbie Watson share the vocals. The lyrics deal with necrophilia, rape and shock therapy in a tone of vulnerable innocence facing abusive power. Opeth has taken lyrics from Comus for album and song titles, and Current 93 covered "Diana" in 1997.

Track list

1. Diana (4:37)
2. The Herald (12:15)
3. Drip Drip (10:56)
4. Song to Comus (7:31)
5. The Bite (5:27)
6. Bitten (2:16)
7. The Prisoner (6:15)