The last grotesque gasp of ’60s folk, Comus emerged from Bromley with a worldview — encompassing hanged Christians, murdered maidens, and nature’s indifference — that was practically metal. 1971’s First Utterance is regarded as a masterpiece now, but it got no traction when it was released, and the band drifted apart. A couple of years later, though, Virgin Records came calling. The label was new on the scene, but had already scored with Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. In search of other progressive sounds, they convinced co-founder Roger Wootton and two other members to assemble under the Comus name. To Keep From Crying (produced by Family vocalist Roger Chapman) was the result, and while Wootton disowned it as too commercial, as usually happens, the combination of askew instincts and pop concession made for fascinating listening. The record still tanked, and Comus scattered. Vocalist Bobbie Watson got an art degree and spent the rest of the ’70s as an illustrator and animator (most notably on Pink Floyd’s The Wall). Violinist Colin Pearson fell into session and arrangement work, eventually scoring big as a producer for Alphaville (of “Forever Young” fame). Guitarist (and co-founder) Glenn Goring restored paintings, while Wootton embarked on a series of creative endeavors. By the 2000s, subsequent generations of musicians were starting to namecheck Comus, most notably David Tibet of Current 93 and Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt. In 2005, the band’s two records were reissued as the Song To Comus compilation; in 2008, the band played Sweden’s Melloboat festival at Åkerfeldt’s behest. Four years later, the apt Out Of The Coma was released. Consisting of three new compositions and the unearthed “Malgaard Suite” — intended for a never-recorded followup to First Utterance — Out Of The Coma depicts a group of folkies as uncompromising and abrasive as ever.