FIRST UTTERANCE

After reading about this album in Mr. Trane's wonderful Prog-Folk blog, I set my heart on finding this album someday, and happened to chance on it on a visit to Toronto a while back. It was almost $30.00, but I decided it would probably be worth it, even though I'd heard talk of chanting trolls and quite a mixed bag of reviews from this site. Boy am I glad I got it though! This album has turned out to be one of my favorites, and I really hadn't heard anything like it in my life. It is just the most bizarre yet wonderful folk music. It's dynamic and dramatic and brutal and violent and pleasant and beautiful and riveting and in a word, an absolute DELIGHT, in my opinion. Even though he does at times sound like some sort of bleating troll at times, I think Roger Wooton has a wonderful voice, and plays tons of beautiful guitar. Bobbie Watson has a massive vocal range that makes a nice large contrast between the vocal parts as well. I consider all of the songs to be excellent, my least favorite being Bitten.

The album starts with Diana, not my favorite track but the violin is absolutely beautiful, and the chorus is really driving and infectious. The male vocals aren't the greatest on this track, but the female echoing of "Diana, Diana" near the end of the track is lovely.

Next is The Herald, which used to be my favorite, is rather long (over 12 min.) but is divided into 3 distinct parts, the second being instrumental, and the 1st and 3rd featuring beautiful female only vocals at an insanely high octave, and the 3rd also features some very pretty violin and flute.

Then the opening twangy guitar of Drip, Drip starts. This track has the most amazing and disgusting lyrics I think I have ever heard. Such dark poetry, and wonderful instrumentation. This is easily my favorite track, as it sums up everything wonderful about this short-lived band. The chorus is so infectous as Roger Wooton growls "Drip, Drip.. from your sagging lip.." with wonderful violin and guitar chorus. The hand drums give this song a really cool vibe as well. all in all a VERY worthwhile 10:51 of your life, if you are so inclined.

Next is Song To Comus, with equally pained and wonderful lyrics, with a brutal loudly yelled chorus:( "Comus break, Comus rape, sweet young virgin's virtue take... naked flesh, flowing hair, her terror screams they cut the air...") that is brilliant. This song switches mood from pleasant to violent just as day turns to night, trust to terror, the sweet gone sour, and then the next verse comes in, and the day starts over. Just great stuff indeed.

Next is The Bite which has wonderful flute throughout, a great bassline, absolutely frantic guitars and violin, and again wonderful poetic lyrics, this one in particular about a Christian individual being hung, and is again top notch in every department.

Second last is Bitten, a reliatively short instrumental track very dark in atmosphere, that would be out of place and intrusive, but at just over 2 minutes, this is hardly anything resembling a flaw for me.

The final track is The Prisoner, which I found to be sub-par for quite some time, and just recently 'got.' It is really rousing and energetic and has a sort of false ending ("Let me be, set me free...") before firing back into top gear for a few more minutes, much like The Bite does as well. The only thing about this song I don't like is the last 20 or so seconds of yelling in an echoey sort of fashion leading to a very abrupt ending of the album.

The CD comes with three bonus tracks that were previously an EP entitled Diana that was also released in '71. One is an alternate version of Diana, (of which I still cannot tell the difference between it and the original) The next is a short song called "In The Lost Queen's Eye" that is rather sub-par compared to the actual album material. The last track is called "'Winter Is A Colored Bird" and is rather long, about 8 minutes, and is actually quite good in my opinion. It is very different than the album stuff, and is more traditional folk than the insane Acid Folk found on the rest of the album, but is good in it's own way.

All in all, even though I sound elated about it, some may not enjoy this album at all, and I could see some acually hating it. As far as prog goes, it may be seen as 'difficult' music, but if you are musically opened minded and can find joy in listening Magma, I strongly reccomend you listen to this album, as it is one of the best albums I have EVER heard.

5/5 Absolute Masterpiece