Comus

Paternoster - Paternoster (1972)


Starting off with a latin chant and organs this album certainly hits the ground running, er well directly into obscurity. I'd like to comment that this will be my first listen through. The chant turns from Latin to English urging you to be good to your neighbour, the organ and vocals both create a tense feeling of expectation, when will it break and turn back. You're left wondering when the drums will kick in and right from the get go it starts to get a strong hold of you mentally. When it comes it isn't the climax you expect but an effects laden slow start with a lovely little what I hope is a guitar solo.

Strong, it already reminds me a bit of the Doors and "Red" era King Crimson with the guitar. The song fades and launches into Realization which early makes good use of silence, effect and time, continuing with the guitar work which truly shines early into it. The vocals feel a bit stinted, if they were just a tiny bit deeper it they would have the allure of Jim Morrison. Near military stule drumming complements a brilliant guitar solo and some more effects which give a very spacy feel to the album.

There is a sense of something epic slowly building here and the mood of the album already feels well established. Already I can see this is an aquired taste, but it is certainly obscure enough that only those that would like it would ever seek it out. Stop These Lines starts with a slow buildup creating an intense feeling with some fleeting guitar and brilliant layering moving into the return of organs and more synthesised areas as in the title track.

There is a lovely classical organ departure here that simply seems to suspend time before the track once again regains focus. There is certainly a sense of fusion about this yet it never quite gets there fully, everything continues to feel very organic and yet there is a definite sense of direction. Paternoster know where they are going with this even if it has a very improvised feel to it, the playing is very tight with everything but the vocals seeming to be in perfect harmony, even as they play against each other.

The guitar here is incredibly refreshing and uplifting, it has a certain extra quality to it that most definitely adds a lot to the album. Being a guitar man myself it is great to once again witness such brilliant solo's that defined the era yet have mainly been forgotten. There is a heavy tinge of pyschedelia here very much along the same lines as the Doors however much more musically diverse.

Blind Children keeps the organ and the guitars very much alive, and beyond this the vocals finally start warming up to the standard of the rest of the album. Or at least the vocals have grown on me, it is very much worth mentioning here that the rhythm section is incredibly tight in keeping the rambling miasma of guitar and organ in line. There is very much a noxious feeling of intoxication eminating from the album, it very much sucks you directly in. The only sobering influence is the well crafted rhythm secion which sometimes involves the organ if the guitar is trying to fully gain prominence.

Despite the Length of blind Children and Stop These Lines they very much feel short and to the point, even with the musical journeys and somewhat extended jams that emerge. The songs never feel overly long and as a result there is a feeling of loss with the album, much to its credit. You get the feeling that this will end far too soon, which will most definitely make impulsive listening likely. The end of Blind Children is very reminiscent of Pink Floyds' Welcome to the Machine a song which will be released 3 years after this.

Old Danube starts with a fast beat and some more lovely repeating melodies that all add up to a very whimsical psychedelic feel and sound. There is a genuine feeling of fun here which can often be absent, however the song quickly changes pace to allow for the vocals. It has to be said that the lyrics are difficult to follow on a first listen since there is so much more going on musically. Again this adds to the albums allure, making it a larger effort to explore, however for the prog fan that's the fun in music, exploring all the different avenues of the sogns and the lyrics.

The Pope is Wrong starts off doing the exact opposite of the title, it treads forwards carefully, adding some melodies slowly and feels very much in no hurry to start. Suddenly however it develops into each of the musicians playing a completely different song to the other, somehow it comes together well once again supported by brilliant rhythm. The overall effect creates a very intense first half of the song, that like most of the others on the album quickly changes into something completely different.

Apart from the obvious Doors influences this album feels two or three years ahead of its time. Comparisons are to be made with King Crimson with 1974's Red and Pink Floyd with 1975's WYWH, even if the latter comparison is not very substantial. The album then goes towards the final song, aptly titled Mammoth Opus O, starting very much like The Pope is wrong with a slow careful if disjointed start. It builds up and eventually develops a form of identity supported by some quite whimsical melodies that can even be described as childish.

The military style drumming returns here and you suddenly expect the organist to play "pop goes the weasel". That's not to say it doesn't sound great, it strings you along, adding on the context of the previous songs, and it works brilliantly. If you listen to the lyrics here they are brilliantly nonsensical adding a very psychedelic feel which very much sums up the album. It would be apt to mention they're an Austrian band so the English lyrics aren't expected to be the best, but they still do it very well. There are various changes in tempo and direction here that adds to a very disorientating feeling which is exactly what it aims to do.

The album here has been created with several goals in mind I'm sure, and they've succeeded in all of these, however they are somewhat let down by the vocals, a certain lack of flow and most definitely a lack of direction between and during the songs. It is certainly a brilliant album and definitely deserves a listen.

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