FIRST UTTERANCE

At first, I was wary of giving this album the full 5 star rating, but upon a very quickly realized second thought, I decided it's very deserving of it. This is dark, evil prog folk at some of its very best.

The album starts off with a song dedicated to the goddess of hunting, Diana. The song has a very driving percussion backing which brings to mind what I would imagine horses to sound like carrying someone on a hunt. The vocals carry on the theme of the song very well, depicting a hunter lusting after a prey and pushing on until he's gotten what he wants. 9/10

Next up is what is possibly one of the most beautiful folk prog songs written, The Herald. It's an even more acoustic piece than the first, with bass not showing its face very often. The vocals by the female vocalist in this song are captivating. This song can bring serenity into my life at rather hectic times, and is among my top 20 songs ever, prog or otherwise. 13/10

We don't get to stay so calm and serene for long, though. Drip Drip ensures that. The song has a very dark, disturbing sound to it, aided by the vocals. It seems to be about some sort of murder, whether something personal or ritual I don't know. Another very high quality song, which seems to be the normal with this album. 10/10

Song to Comus is next. Comus is, according to the Theoi Project, the god of revelry, merrymaking and festivity, also shown to represent chaos. The song displays a certain sort of chaos and terror, mainly on the part of young women who Comus takes advantage of. 9/10

The Bite is the song which displays the most similarities to the more conventional prog folk bands like Jethro Tull. The theme of the song remains dark, this time about a hanging. Good song, but after the first four is a very slight drop in quality. 8.5/10

The only song on the album without vocals, Bitten is lacking that which I feel to be a very essential part of the band's sound, the unusual vocals. It's an interesting piece, fairly experimental and some of the violin reminds me of bits of King Crimson's improv pieces on Red. Not as good as the rest of the album, but still worth a listen. 7.5/10

The final song of the album ends up on another good note, with The Prisoner. It depicts someone in a mental institution after some mad wanderings about. The vocals continue on to be a plea by the character to be freed, as he feels to be cured from whatever was ailing him. The song is very good, and can leave you feeling just a wee bit insane yourself if you allow it. It serves as a very good ending to an exceptional album by a band which sadly didn't put out much more material. 9.5/10

Overall, between the consistently excellent music and the intriguing cover art, this album is one which is very deserving of a place in any prog fan's collection.

(9+13+10+9+8.5+7.5+9.5)/7=9.5/10