Comus

Leaf Hound's lyrics are great for what they are, considering they are a complete drug fueled mess.

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ProggyMan

True. I wasn't complaining.

Comus

While not the most obscure artist I've reviewed it's certainly one of the more obscure albums, not considered a fully official part of the Johnny Winter discography it was very difficult to track down. Well as you should all know if anyone's got the blues it's Johnny, and Rollin' and Tumblin' certainly reflect this. An overall twangy feel to the guitar starts this album off with a bluesy bang, bursting with energy and charisma the vocals do lack some finesse yet it does add a certain bit of charm to it. The drums and bass keep it all together really well leaving time for Winter to play on a bit. Tribute to Muddy see a lovely blues song with all the cliches, and why the **** not, it's called Tribute to Muddy. The guitar work is pretty standard, but it works so very well with the song. The beat is incredibly catchy and lets Winter do whatever he wants and I feel this will continue throughout. The solo is nothing short of a nostalgic journey back in time, yet it feels so refreshing.

It's been awhile since I've listened to some great blues, and for anyone wanting to experience some good blues this is what you'll be looking for. Winters does excellent stuff playing up and down certain parts of the song to create a lovely contrast. This is a lovely guitar album because it shows what you can do with just a guitar and a pick without resorting to any of the tricks guitarists used in the next decade. If I could change anything though it would be the sound of the guitar, a bit tinny in bits but it seems to vary from song to song, yet I'd wish for it to be a bit smoother. This album's never really going to get away from the blues aspect but you can certainly respect that, yet it's still certainly a very different kind of blues while remaining very much the same. This album takes the blues guitar to a new standard, bringing a lead instrument even more to the forefront. This is not to say there's not some lovely drum and bass work which at times can be quite spectacular.

The Drummer is none other than Uncle John Turner who has played with such greats as Hendrix, BB King and Muddy Waters himself. Bad Luck and Trouble features some lush mandolin and harmonica performances from Winter who keeps it all together brilliantly without the help of percussion on bass work. A lovely track if just for it's simplicity and great mandolin playing. While not present in this song, the bassist is none other than Double Trouble great Tommy Shannon. Help Me brings a new more distorted guitar style onto the album and it works very well in contrast to the mandolin featured previously. This is just what I've been wanting the guitar to sound like, far smoother and it even has a slight psychedelic feel to it.

If this album had been more popular I would have had to say it was instrumental in shaping the way the guitar was used in progressive rock, there is certainly a very progressive element in his playing that can be heard all throughout the seventies. The vocals improve with each song and shine in Mean Town Blues in a very gritty hard rock fashion, I do still have a few qualms about his voice on the album though. There's just not enough soul in his voice to reflect the bluesy stylings of his guitar, and it's not powerful enough to properly convey his lyrics in the hard rock style. But that's all moot really when he can play a solo like he does in Mean Town Blues. This is definitely one for the guitarists out there, that's not to say any blues fan won't enjoy this either, and it's essential in any Johnny Winter collection.

Even with an acoustic his playing still stays fast and inspired, a perfect example is Broke Down Engine where once again Winter is alone without his rhythm section and once again holds it all together very well. After the sombre acoustic piece Black Cat Bone is a huge burst of energy with a fast powerful blues song, this is probably the band's best performance on the album as a whole, sounding incredibly tight. "Hey man check this out" Winter sings before launching into an incredible solo, you can hear aspects of Jimmy Page's latter playing here and it reflects the styles that would become popular later on in the seventies.

The epic 7 minute long It's My Own Fault shows off Winter's truly bluesy vocals, and it finally showcases his most soulful delivery on the album. Coupled with more great guitar work it's not much different from the rest of the album, but this can't really detract from the feel because I knew going into it, that it was going to be pure blues. Winter shows some great guitar control towards the end of the song and the final solo featuring some scat singing is brilliant. Forty-Four immediately made me thing "Cliffs of Dover" yet that really doesn't feel right. There's a great eastern feel to the guitar that works superbly with the song and the album as a whole. For a straight blues record this certainly doesn't break many boundaries, but it does expand them quite somewhat and Winter takes the guitar to whole new levels.

Overall it's an incredibly enjoyable blues album but it has a lot of obvious drawbacks, the sometimes lack-lustre vocals bring it down and so does the general lack of experimentation, it's still a very good album, just not a truly brilliant one, and as I'm beginning to so often say, my score will reflect that.

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Comus

The album starts us off with a nice ambient guitar and generally annoying vocals that still somewhat retain their charm from earlier releases. The instrumental passages are interesting and but don't really seem to flow anywhere. This could be seen as a good thing as a lot of it is incredibly infectious, it's very stimulating to say the least. My first question here absolutely has to be: okay guys, I understand that you're experimenting and going in new directions, but didn't you used to do metal? Not much stands out in the title track yet it all does come together well and is executed just as it should be. The overall theme is interesting, but you can't really listen to the vocalist for any long period of time, so I don't know what the lyrics are about, it feels like their trying really hard to be the Mars Volta.

Clelia Walking is geniunely fun to listen to, it's like you're back in the canterbury scene with five guys going "okay, how can we make this sound as random as possible". Not enough bands do this anymore, and all the power of these guys for pulling off a fun filled passage. There are some stand out performances, a lovely violin, which although not very technically proficient still sounds absolutely awesome. I can't help but think I've heard some of the accompanying noises before though on a nintendo handheld version of donkey kong. Yeah, trying really hard to be TMV on the lyrics here, somewhat effective, but only because it distracts you from how annoying his voice has become.

The rest of the album follows on much in the same way, with nothing really standing out, it's certainly not as eventful as their other work, and that of motW, but I'm sure this one will have some growing potential. In all honesty this does sound like a straight forward prog/avant garde work without many of the earlier hallmarks of true experimentalism that were present in their earlier work, for better or worse. The whole album is starting to feel genuinely light handed, as if the musicians aren't genuinely interested in what they're doing, with their minds drifting elsewhere. This however does have somewhat of a positive effect on the listener, as I can feel my mind racing all over the place. I often comment on the mental impact of the music I review, and this is certainly one of the most profound.

It's as if it's trying to make me remember everything I've forgotten, it's filling me with a great sense of incompleteness, intentional or not, it's certainly a very strange experience. But on the musical side, I can almost see why, the whole thing does feel incomplete and unpolished, unfinished and not yet fully layered. Maybe their producer died from boredom halfway through the mixing process, before he could add all the awesome metal bits and ambient soundscapes. All this being said, it's still genuinely enjoyable, I sometimes comment on the whimsical side of the old obscure prog I review, and this has a lot of this, but it just doesn't work as well. The whole reason why is because music just simply isn't that innocent anymore, the world is more aware, and thus music has changed to reflect that.

The album does manage at times to be infectiously catchy, like on The Awkward Wind Wheel which is a certain highpoint, some great drumming keeps it all together, and the song is beautifully put together. The faster pace of the passage is entirely welcome in this album setting as it focuses the listeners back onto the music after letting their minds wander for a long time. Effective use of repetition and the absurd keeps the Useless Ladder interesting and ultimately sets up the final song.

For all the drawbacks on the album, Symmetrical Arizona is a true journey into the beauty that music can become. Featuring a beautiful guitar solo that strikes almost all the right notes. This continues on beautifully for the final half, with some more beautiful instrumental passages from several different musicians. The track is layered beautifully and just works on a scale which isn't present anywhere else on the album, except maybe on the Awkward Wind Wheel. Each passage is a welcome change from the next, and there's just no drawbacks. It is truly a fitting end to an overall good album, despite my criticism.

Make no mistake, this is a good album, a contender for the top 20 of the releases this year, but it's not a true masterpiece, and, as I say, my score will reflect that.

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Molecules

i need to catch up with this thread, it's doing alot

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[SIZE="1"]Eff em
tumble her

Comus

A piano plays softly on a scratched vinyl record, a fitting intro to this beautifully melodic black metal effort by the band formed by the former keyboardist for Windir. Staying far away from the tinny black metal guitars the focus is a lot more on the atmosphere. The vocals are as grim and frostbitten as any black metal fan could wish for. The opening track and dare I say "lead single" Ei Fane Svart which was released for free download by the band previous to the album being released is a brilliantly melodic piece of music. The production on the drumming is incredible when it comes to the dynamics it creates within the sound.

The guitars and keyboards continue to add an incredible amount of melody to the album and fans of the more melodic side of Windir will love this type of black metal. However it strays away from the weaker side of melodic black metal in which such bands as Dimmu Borgir and other ****e bands reside. The vocals are incredibly catchy and before long you'll be doing your best to sing along. There are some beautiful quiet parts in the album with focus on the keyboards and bass which is incredibly strange for this type of black metal. The bass guitar is incredibly well produces and can be easily heard throughout the whole album, and it yet again adds another layer of atmosphere.

I, the damned includes some incredibly lush sounding guitars, to put it this way, black metal has never sounded this awesome. This album breaks all the boundaries while remaining soundly inside it's own little square, it's full of contradictions, but that's certainly not a negative aspect. The effort as a whole is incredibly well thought out and it shows, the tracks flow together well and each song is incredibly well layered. There are some infectious folky melodies which carry on the legacy of Windir, and does so in spectacular form. You won't find another Arntor here, Cor Scorpii go far beyond imitating Windir's sound, it all feels incredibly fresh.

The drumming, while adding an incredible energetic atmosphere is the most black metal influenced thing about the album as a whole, apart from the vocals. The drums keep the speed up, while everything else is going along at quite a leisurely pace, this adds a great contrast to the album, and does so to great effect. Some of the longer instrumental pieces are again very reminiscent of Windir, but it's truly a resemblance only in style. Helvetesfossen is one of the more accessible songs on the album, and one of the most dynamic songs on the album. The drumming is nice and fluid, the guitars are beautifully crafted, the whole beat is more rock than metal.

The song is beautifully atmospheric and left me in a complete daze, the layering is dense yet an easy listen, the whole effort is overly melodic and beautiful with some lush passages. The fast paced drumming returns on the Eepic Oske og Innsikt which includes some of the heavier parts of an already heavy album. You'll never be bored despite the length, because there is absolutely always something to hold onto and grasp with your mind. The album is overall too short, clocking in at just under 47 and a half minutes, but if you crave more, play it again sam. The guitars continue to impress here, there's nothing spectacular on a technical level, but it just sounds so incredibly good, and in the end, that's what makes the music.

The album can get quite mentally draining at times, and you can feel yourself slipping, the end effect is that it can feel like a few minutes until it ends, a generally gutted feeling that will leave you wanting more and more. I'm not entirely sure how it's attained but a lot of the great black metal bands and albums evoke the same type of reaction. The music as a whole is very upbeat and not very angry despite the vocals, yet it's still quite aggressive. Kjettar is an incredible song, with some great interesting instrumental/vocal combinations which sound very fresh. The song as a whole is very catchy and works very well after the comparatively straight forward Oske og innsikt.

The guitars are brought far more into the spotlight on the second half of the album and Kjettar is a perfect example of this. With this album Cor Scorpii have created a sound which is unmistakably theirs, and it's one hell of a sound. On an interesting sound note, I'm sure that's a black metal version of the Loituma song levan Polkka in Bragder i stein, a grimmer more frostbitten version definitely, and very awesome. The whole song is very folky and it's a brilliant end to the album.

Make no mistake, this is so far and will be the best black metal release of this year, nothing can possibly top it, I'd be very glad to be proven wrong, but this is just overly too brilliant. My second favourite album of this year, and I can't see that changing. Great album.

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Comus

Lizard has quite a spectacular start considering it's high point is the 23 minute epic title track. Cirkus has vocals that would fit in easily on any King Crimson album and parts which would fit perfectly into Red, yet I wouldn't have it anywhere but here. The total insanity of the construction is a beautiful preview of what is to come, you will be hit by a wall of sound and at the same time, not very much at all, it is never overwhelming but at all times changing. Trying to focus solely on the music will lead you dizzy, and that is a very real prelude to what is coming. However while this is a musically good song it is missing soul, that little bit extra that makes you care. It has atmosphere, intensity and beauty, but lacks that little bit extra, and that is the most dissapointing thing about this song that would be perfect... if only it was more memorable.

Indoor Games has very much the same feel to Cirkus however it adds something extra to what came before it, and because it already has the context of Cirkus to build upon, it is a much more enjoyable track. What Cirkus lacked in soul, Indoor Games very much makes up for it, infact the whole rest of the album does. The various effects use all add something meaningful to the song never seem to be there just so effects can be used. The song focuses blissfully on parts of simplicity that work so very well, eventually settling into a very nice, pallatable groove. It is very much jazzy but at the same time not, which is basically what the whole album is about. Sax improvisations are very aptly played by Mel Collins who also played on three other KC albums and other albums by popular artists of the time. The song ends wtih Gordon Haskell laughing about the lyrical subject matter, which he felt was ridiculous.

Along with Indoor Games, Happy Family borrows heavily from Dazed and Confused, but the humour on Happy Family is far more obvious. The lyrical aspect here is the most important on the album and focus heavily on the four members of The Beatles; "Judas, Rufus, Silas and Jonah". The vocals are laden with effects and adds a completely different tone the songs, while the jamming is all very much entrenched in what King Crimson have done before, but also there is a geniune attempt at jazz which will start to shine as we get to the title track.

Lady of the Dancing Water is a beautiful little piece put together to be very much like parts of their earlier work, where the focus was on calm melodies and intricate beauty. Mel Collins playing the flute here does a brilliant job defining the song, and very much complements the guitars and vocals. The vocal mix is curious and well coreographed and at times it makes it seem less natural than it should be, but it can be overlooked by the sheer beauty of the song. The calm ending is very much in contrast to the title track.

With Jon Anderson on guest vocals, the introduction (Prince Rupert Awakes) to the track features verses sung in two diferent styles, the first, calmer verses and the second more folky, harsh verses contrast each other. While the music contrasts the calmer style and complements the more folky harsh verses creates a very interesting set of changes. The song flows brilliantly here and the intro is definitely one of the highlights to the album. The verses eventually come to a huge, emotional climax which is absolutely stunning the first, second and fiftieth time around. The replay value of the album is absolutely cemented within the first four and a half minutes of the song. However there is so much more to come.

This is Mel Collins finest hour, and he deserves it the next 19 minutes or so is a musical journey into the deep, a journey which melds so many different melodies, styles and genres into one, all focusing towards a jazzy yet classical feel. This is especially felt by the "Bolero" which comes immediately after "Prince Rupert Awakes". Many more guests make their appearance here, and their jazzy improvisations around the general theme under very Bolery like drumming. There is much repetition between each artist, but all of these work to build the theme, the overall result is something which alters the way time is percieved. 10 minute in real time is turned into one minute Lizard time, and it is over far too soon. Each new solo brings a whole new set of emotions, and it runs the gambit of all of them. Hope, despair, joy, inspiration, happiness and an overwheling sensation that everything should remain.

That however is not to be, under a drumroll minor climax the whole nature of the composition changes and leaps into a repetitive section yearning to break free. Your heart will flutter and you will wish to be rid of this spell. And soon enough the vocals return and for a breif moment of serenity you are treated to relative calm. The overall experience is very draining as you're built up, only to be let down time and time again. This album is a master of emotion, suspense and time. More than anything Time in the album is handled in a way which will leave you hanging at the edge of your seat for a musical resolution! Such is the power of this composition that it becomes not only a musical experience, it becomes a visual and even sensual experience.

Many of the same raw emotions experience with metal styles can be found here, the whole atmosphere, and at times, lack of it, serve to create a whole new creation within the song itself. Yearning to break free, but I know it will never quite get there, the main themes return in a plethora of sounds and varying melodies all returning to the main theme revolving around the song. This proves to be incredibly powerful and moving.

The main risk King Crimson toom with this album was the fact that they decided to go with an excessively long title track. If they had not been able to make it entertaining it would have failed, spectacularly so, in the way in which many of the longer prog rock compositions have. However the one and only weak point to the song as a whole is that it's too overwhelming. It will take many listens to come to grips with, and while many will see this as an advantage, the fact that at times it can be so inaccessible due to the sheer length and power of the track will have to be considered a downfall.

Prince Ruperts Lament is the most beautiful piece of that King Crimson have created, it features a haunting rhythm supporting a guitar that seemingly comes closer and closer as it progresses. You march in the funeral train towards the guitar and that is the feeling you're left with, it evokes an incredible sense of sadness, but the same time there's a feeling of relief as the guitar fades further and further away to the same marching beat. The whole part is incredibly moving, and yet so simple, it is definitely one of the best context driven guitar solos.

The song ends very much like it started, it feels much like a Cirkus reprise, and it would have to be, because if it ended with the Lament you'd never want to listen to the album again, so much is the despair that is evoked from it.

On the whole Lizard is many things, beautiful, mindblowing, atmospheric to a fault and in complete control of your emotions, but it is also disjointed at times, especially in the first few songs. I will have to try hard to find flaw with the title track itself however I'm sure it is there, but it is the imperfections that make this... perfect.


How this album SHOULD have influenced music is painfully obvious to me, it should have shifted the direction of the prog scene. The jazzy style of the album is something which has been overlooked, much to the detriment of the genre as a whole. Yes certain albums have jazz undertones, but nothing as striking as this. The whole way that this album progresses and the way that it feels is breathtaking, and it should have aspired many more to try to be like this. Yet for some reason they didn't, Lizard is generally not held in very high regard, and I'm at a total loss to see why. To me it is one of the most perfect albums of all time, and it will always stay this way.

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Seltzer

Nice review. BTW I finally got around to doing a Lizard review in my KC thread - someone with a Comus avatar commented on it when I posted it to Sputnik, but I'm not sure whether it was you.

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Comus

Errrr, if it was me I don't remember, but my memory relating to certain things is very hazy due to extensive drug abuse as a teenager. What did he/me say?

Next review is going to fast forward a bit to a land of mystery and wonder, the recent years. I will review Kings of Leon's Because of the Times, and hopefully immediately afterwards their lacklustre newest album **** and Generic.

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Barabajagal

Great review of Lizard! It baffles me how overlooked an album it is. The title track contains some of the most beautiful music ever put to record and you're right - when listening, the music has complete control. You've inspired me to to put this album on right now.

Another thing that adds to its perfection is the cover. I can't think of a better example of artwork representing sound. The best way to experience this album is to do nothing but sit, listen, and explore the cover art. My thoughts get so crazy between listening and looking, it adds that final layer of dimension to the experience.

Thanks for the good read.