A FOREST OF FEY

"Don't leave the path" the intro section says, and almost instantly I felt like I have! This, all in all, seeks to be an immersive concept in which it partially succeeds. The musicianship and songwriting is strong and the female vocalist in particular elevate this album into "must listen" status in my book. Some well-respected guests are on show but never steal the limelight from what, upon first impressions, appears to be a very well constructed work. There is a good balance of ideas with the second and penultimate songs being my initial favourites. I am getting the feeling this album is going to be a "slow burn" already I am liking it more with each listen, and I generally appreciate records more when they challenge me in this way. Looking forward to delving further to see what else this one holds!

Well, here it is: the newest release from Gandalf's Fist. I discovered them between their "Road to Darkness" and "From a Point of Existence" phase, and was hooked immidiately by their enormous Pink Floyd influenced sound (see "Emerald Eyes" and compare it with "Echoes" or "Breathe in the Air"). Anyway, this is their fifth Album, and I did not think they could top the predecessor "A Day in the Life of a Universal Wanderer" at all - boy, was I wrong!

"A Forest of Fey" takes us into a magical forest, where lots of strange creatures dwell. We accompany a young girl, who strolled off the path and got lost, her mother(?) yelling after her in panic. She wanders through the forest and meets some of those creatures within, at several strange places (a circus, a tournament which turn into a battlefield). She somehow manages to actually win that tournament, which would allow her to leave that forest - but her benevolence offers the jester (who got severely wounded during the tournament) to return to his "Forest Rose", leaving her in the forest forever (it seems).

Musically, we have lots of Folk-Rock and Space-Rock in there - not so much Pink Floyd as in recent releases, but some Jethro Tull, some medieval stuff (Gryphon, Pentangle), a bit of Steeleye Span and (to my surprise) galloping triplets a la Iron Maiden (and some very Maiden-like Vocals in the end). What a mixture.

Go and get it. If you're into concept albums, you're really in for a treat here...

I pre-ordered this ages ago after listening to the excellent "day in the life of a universal wander". Originally I was intrigued to have this as part of my collection, being the completest that I am I was especially interested in the contributions by Clive Nolan and Gryphon's Dave Oberle (huge gryphon fan here!!)

I am loathe to do a track by track review, firstly because I still have the impression that this CD has yet to fully digest into my system, but mainly because this album flows like one long song with many of the tracks transitioning into each other? something I always enjoy in a concept piece (mindcrime being my fave example)

The album, overall has a mix of folk and psychedelic prog (and almost mixed with maiden-style riffs at times) ? with the individual songs being diverse due to the addition of guest musicans (special credit going to the female vocalist who sounds SUPERB!).

After loving their last release so much and looking forward to this one for what seems like months now I have to say I am far from disappointed ? there is a 'moody' overall quality to the record that gives it a definite sense of "otherworldlyness" , something that is emphasised by excellent King-Crimson-esque sections like "Circus in the Clearing" and eerie whistles from Donockley that tie the LP together.

As previously mentioned I'm a fan of folk-prog like Gryphon and Tull so the direction the band has chosen for this album is truly up my street (even can hear some Anderson-inspired flute toots in there at some points!)

One slight niggle at first as the record sounded a bit quiet to me? but I cranked it up a notch (never one to fully approve of the nonsensical "Loudness wars" these days)? and man - What a journey, what a ride, what a trip! If you're looking for something a bit different, a bit refreshing and a bit strange this is definitely one to add to your collection!

I liked them before but the Fist have made a fan of me!

Now I am back with a review of a new record and it's time for a band that's totally new for me, the north English "Gandalf's Fist" which this year, has released their fifth studio record "A forest of Fey". Their last one(which I haven't heard) "A day in the life of a universal wanderer"(what a lovely name) did get good reviews here and it has begun good even with this. I don't use to like Neo-prog very much, I am quite new to it. Some reasons draw me to this album: the weird name and the odd and spectacular cover of the album. It is darkar than many prog covers. Gandalf's Fist consists of Dean Marsh on vocals, guitars, mandolin, keyboards and bass, Luke Severn on vocals, Chris Ewen on bass and Stefan Hepe on drums. They also have got help from a bunch of talanted guests from other prog bands(read for yourselves if you are curious).

I have listened a lot to the album and I must say it's clear there was a lot of hard work and musical inspiration that made this posible. I also think the album is worth hearing and it is quite unique, at least it gave me some new thoughs and the spirit of the record inspired me a lot. I have already written the "typical" neo-prog sound is not my favourite sound(I can't say if this is "typical") and the twelve songs of the album had different effects on me. The best songs are "Stories Old and Stories Told"(8/10) a symphonic and very melodic track, "The Circus in the Clearing" which is even more symphonic and folk inspired(8/10) and the shorter "Return from the Tournament" (8/10) great great acoustic guitar. Some songs lie between good and very good, especially "Gardens of the lost" (7/10) with great vocals and the different and exciting "The world we created"(7/10) which verses are similar to King Crimson's "Happy Family"(Lizard 1970). The opener "Childhood Ghosts" and the related closer "A poison tree"(7/10) would get the same rating. The other tracks are good but a bit too average and ordinar for me.

This different and well produced album of some form of neo prog has many relations to older prog such as folk prog and symphonic prog of the seventies but the spirit is modern I believe. I like it but am sorry I can't give it more than three stars, they are solid though and I could almost guarentee that others will call it a masterpiece. Best track: "Stories Old and Stories Told(Of Children Brave and Children Bold)"

English- Ayreon-Meets-Pastoral-Genesis? As a subscriber to both Classic Rock and Prog Magazine I was instantly aware that this album has divided opinion between the reviewers in each mag, with Prog giving it a Mixed review and Classic Rock's Geoff Barton singing its praises and awarding 8/10. After reading both reviews I decided to check it out and decide which side of the fence I came down on? and man am I glad I did.

I fully agree with Geoff Barton's assessment that this is almost a folk-tinged 'Operation Mindcrime' style concept ? not in terms of sound but defiantly in terms of general vibe of being lost in another world and having the tracks blend into each other, sometimes through narrative transitional tracks.

There was some jibes in Prog Magazine that these guys have a silly name and are Tolkien obsessed? well I see little (or no) evidence of middle earth here ? are porcupine tree obsessed with spikey creatures/shrubberies? Pineapple thief with heisted fruits? All silly throwaway names that have little to do with the music!

The thing that makes this a standout album for me is that no two song sound the same, theres some Tull inspired flute going on, spacey phasing guitar, a range of diverse vocalists some King Crimson-esque moments? perhaps a description of English- Ayreon-Meets-Pastoral-Genesis would be apt?

First impressions are excellent ? this album is getting regular spins on my commute to work and is quickly becoming one of my faves of the year! I can see why some people might not agree but I find it weird and "catchy" in equal measure ? nice one!

Listening to this album for the last two days has been an absolute pleasure for me and with good reason. Let the music take you into a magical realm of a lost child and magical creatures and you have entered "The Forest of a Fey". Every song on this album is unique in its own way and I can see where the band gets their musical influences from. Songs such as "Forest Rose" and "Return from The Tournament" for me would not be out of place on a David Bowie or Pink Floyd album.

With electric and acoustic guitar solos coupled with pipes, flutes, strong drumming, excellent lyrics and vocals, for me this is one highly polished album that really shows off the enormous talents of its band members. When you add in the vocal talents of Melissa Hollick on lead female vocals, coupled with the musical and vocal talents of special guest artists, I am hard pressed to find any single track to call a favorite, so I won't and just say they are all equally favorites to me.

This album may not be for everyone's taste, but for me having listened to other Gandalf's Fists songs and having now been pulled along the hidden path into "The Forest of Fey", this album is pure magic. I highly recommend this album to one and all to indulge in some mystical fantasy rock pleasure.

A Forest of Fey - translated into something like "a cursed forest" or "a magic forest" - something in between.

The Album starts with some kind of a radioplay where we witness a mother (or a nanny?) with her child, and the child running off, getting lost. Seamlessly, we're sucked into the story, as the first song begins right at this very moment, telling us that something is luring the girl deeper into the forest, some iron gate slamming shut, leaving the girl trapped into the forest. Again, some radioplay footsteps on leaves and some heavy breathing - as if the girl ran away from something, but apparently deeper into the forest.

Next song (again, seemslessly) begins, "Gardens of the Lost" telling the story in it's lyrics - what happened and what lured the girl into the forest. Very nice sounding voice of Melissa Hollick and some good riffing from the band, leading up to some Ian Anderson-esque flute (after some really strange "the Jester plays" bit - in waltz-rhythm). Great song, really pushing up emotions.

Then the title track with some very "hasty" vocals and a great refrain (possibly repeated a bit too often - but then again, as he sings: Seasons never change - repeating itself over and over again? If so - nice concept!).

After some ghostly/creepy speech (possibly by the "figure standing in your way, dressed in smoke") we enter a "World we created" - very spacey and psychedelic (which is quite prominent throughout the whole album), telling us that not all is what it seems to be at first look. This ends, what I reckon, Side 1 of the album, as here we have the first bit of silence before the next song.

Okay, off to side 2 - starts with "The Circus in the Clearing". Indeed, the intro music sounds like some circus music, but played through a somewhat mushroom injected wurlitzer. Really psychedelic... off to this strange circus. The song is divided by some swirling space-travel rotation time-machine piece of journey. Doesn't make sense? Well, you've got to listen to the song in order to fully understand. These words came to my mind when I listened to that bit for the first time.

We exit this journey with some very Iron Maiden-esque fanfare, triplets and stuff - really wanting me to jump up and rock out! Next song (again seemlessly transitioned with a huge and epic battle-scene - must be the tournament mentioned before) again seems to be some way of driving forward the storytelling, as it raises the expectation of what comes next - the "Drifter at the edge of time", a slow ballad which gains speed at the end supporting Clive Nolan's solo quite well!

Lots of Folk-vibes in the coming two songs, drifting off into medieval style on "Return from the Tournament" - thanks to the collaboration of Gryphon's Dave Oberlé.

But then the one I was personally waiting for - John Mitchell doing lead vocals at "Stories Old and Stories Told (Of Children Brave and Children Bold)" - and what a great song that one is - intermission with a bassoon, some creepy childs-choir singing some king of "ring-a-roses", and John with his smoky voice, it fit's that song sooo nice! That really is my highlight of the album! You have to hear this song, if any!

Last song "A Poison Tree" is a poem by William Blake, brought into sound with some Iron Maiden like vocals in the end - really sounds like Bruce Dickinson in the end, but he's not listed, so I guess it's Mr. Marsh emulating at a very high level.

A Forest of Fey is a hell of a ride, if you let it suck you in. Grab a bottle of old red wine, put on your headphones and dim the lights - you're really in for an adventure! 5/5 Stars!

Having listened to 'A Forest of Fey' numerous times now, I can honestly say that I rate this as one of the top rock releases of 2014. Whist the intro, interludes and outro sections help to wonderfully weave the tale of a young child becoming lost in a mystical forest, it is the songs themselves that really set this album apart from others. Each of the songs have different elements that make them stand out. The extremely catchy choruses of 'A Forest of Fey' and 'Forest Rose', the rip roaring intro to 'The World We Created' and the epic outro's for both 'Drifter on the Edge of Time' and ''Stories Old and Stories Told' are just some of the highlights of the album. Coupled with the excellent collaborations from the likes of Gryphon's Dave Oberle and It Bites' John Mitchell, this album has so much to offer and certainly warrants multiple listens to fully appreciate it's quality. As the band themselves might say, Prog out with your log out!!

Appearances by members of heavy neo-prog and prog folk powerhouses Arena and Gryphon serve as a kind of a stamp of approval from the larger prog community to Gandalf Fist's combination of olde englishe folke, folk-influenced metal (think the likes Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy) and pshychedelic hazy dreaminess. A steady stream of albums in the last few years seems to have elevated Gandalf from a joke-sounding oddity to a cult status. On Forest of Fey, while retaining the trademark eccentricities like a soar throat (but melodic) whispering vocal, juxtaposition between riffy outbursts and slow dirges and exploitation of old English fantasies, I think they gave their sound a more populist approach that would appeal to old Genesis fans. More folk and traditional rock than metal and psychedelia, and a female vocal given even more space than the respiratory-ill male one. On the downside, many melodic fragments here sound like passages from their previous albums.

Don´t be misled because other reviews: this is a good CD to have around if You are in the mood of some neo prog. I didn´t know this guys before this recording but now I feel I have to get the other ones. The second half is waaaaay better than the first one and if You like Ayreon (specially ¿his? first recordings) this will be much to your very liking. A muddled production, where is Rick Rubin or Jimmy Iovine when You need them? But It is enjoyable after two or three spins. Good addition to my growing collection (@ 350 CD's). So, as I stated before, I will look their older material.

Despite a cast of prog all-stars as guests, this album is formulaic "prog-by-the-numbers." There is nothing new hear, despite an admirable blending of styles (folk, metal, symphonic). The electric guitar chord playing is especially disturbing as it plays out in almost every song as if a studio musician is playing the same heavily-distorted guitar, chord by chord, as if from orchestral street music. No flare, no flourish, no soul. Several of the vocals are interesting, especially Melissa Hallick on the opener, "Childhood's Ghost"--I have to admit she and that first song got me hooked in enough to give this album a thorough listen. My other favorite, as predictable as it is, is "Drifter on the Edge of tIme." This and the other folk instrumental, "Forest Rose" are, to me, the album highlights. Troy Donockley (of IONA, not NIGHTWISH) adds some nice touches with his wind instruments--though I wonder on songs like "Garden's of the Lost" whether band leader Dean Marsh asked him to do his best IAN ANDERSON/J TULL impression (unless that's someone else on C flute). Clive Nolan and super guitarist John Mitchell's vocals-only contributions are negligible to the over all effect. In the end there is nothing new here. There is already too much of this kind of prog out there--Neo in the extreme. As pure as Dean's intentions were, this is the kind of album that has turned me away from the Neo-Prog sub-genre. For me, prog must keep its music evolving, not merely repeating old masters and old styles.

Well what a surprise! Gandalf's Fist did it again! A Forest of Fey - I've had it on iTunes for about a week now and there's a lot of different sounding tracks here, each of which I have a different opinion but with a 100 words limit I highlight the three which I like best.

Forest of fey: Largely instrumental with more low whistles. Some dark lyrics and a contrasting catchy chorus that was stuck in my head for most of yesterday. Tempo changes keep things interesting.

Circus in the Clearing: Man what a song! I can hear some mellotron wheeling away in the background with pshychadelic distorted vocals and crunching guitar. A really trippy midsection that I really dig with some Bouzouki again provided by Donockley followed by some wakemen- style moog! Really great! More of this please!

Forest Rose: If this isn't an homage to Jethro Tull I don't know what is ? breathy vocals, folky acoustics and flutes-a-tooting left right and center! Whimsical for the most part but has quite a punchy, almost commercial chorus?. Fades seamlessly into: Return from the tournament: this is again the return to the motif we encountered in the circus in the clearing but this time 100% folked up! Donockley again on Bouzouki is accompanied by acoustics (and maybe mandolin?) with lead vocals by Gryphon's Dave Oberle'. What a blast from the past! It made me want to go and give "the unquiet grave" another spin!

All in all, recommended! Not yet on par with the great ancients like Jethro Tull but close!

Edit: got it all wrong! More words!

So here's to the other songs:

Childhood Ghosts: this is essentially an opener/narrative piece, it's rather dark and broody and sets the scene nicely? very malevolent sound effects add to this. There are some flanged (phased?) vocals towards the end that forshadow the mood of the record to follow? sounds of footsteps siege nicely into?

Gardens of the Lost: Great female vocals and acoustic guitar passages. The vocalist here reminds me of Kate Bush during the intro but then takes on a different tone later in the song. Some heavy guitar riffing and flute seem to, bafflingly, recall both thin lizzy and Jethro tull at the same time. Whistles from Troy Donockley add a cool 'celtic' vibe ? probably my favourite track on the album

Figure speaks: Really a narrative track?a low voice that recalls the intro to "the number of the beast" moves the story on onto the next song? The world we created: Interesting track that mixes spacey/verby vocals and Floyd-style guitar with a catchy female hook. Interesting song and very different from everything else in the set.

Blood for a royal pardon: Another narrative track which does it's job quite well. Short vocal section towards the end. Drifter on the edge of time: Another different track ? this time led by some excellent interplay between a male verse and female chorus. This plays to me like the ballad response to 'circus' ? very nice, almost dream theater in places and a groovy little synth solo from Clive Nolan at the end ? probably tied for my second favorite here!

Return from the tournament: this is again the return to the motif we encountered in the circus in the clearing but this time 100% folked up! Donockley again on Bouzouki is accompanied by acoustics (and maybe mandolin?) with lead vocals by Gryphon's Dave Oberle'. What a blast from the past! It made me want to go and give "the unquiet grave" another spin! Stories old and stories told: Another guest vocalist here in the guise of Arena's John Mitchell ? This recalls latter era genesis as well as returning to the themes set up in the first song ? very clever. The song switches to a minor key with the arrival of female vocals and has a very mournful ending ? up there with "drifter" for my second favorite! A poison tree ? very moody closer using the lyrics from a William Blake poem. The vibe again is very different and really seeks to end the story on a cliff hanger. Its short but sweet and then brings in some narrative parts from the intro ? everythings comes full circle!

Gandalf's Fist are fast becoming my favourite band, their new album is quite different from the last, but equally great. This one opens with a mother shouting for her child to stay with her and the voice drifts off into the background as the child wanders from the path. The album flows with interludes filling the gaps between the songs which add atmosphere and let the album flow, as with other Gandalf's fist albums its meant to be listened to in one go, which I have done repeatedly, that's not to say there's no stand out tracks,I would love to hear Forest Rose on the radio for one, Gardens of the Lost and Drifter on the edge of time for others. Guest vocalists add much depth to the proceedings with Stories old, being a prime example.

It's hard to pin down exactly what I love about this band, maybe that none of their songs really sound the same and no 2 albums have had a similar theme. this one is very Tull like in places and then the Maiden like guitars kick in and I'm not sure like I've quite heard anything like it before, all I know is that I like it.

9.5/10

Gandalf's fist are probably the band that excites me more than any other in the current crop of new prog bands. They have taken traditional neo prog, mixed it with some folk an a magic ingredient, with the result being similar but at the same time so different to anything else before them. The forest of fey is a very strong album - especially considering the budget they probably worked with. It is not perfect, but it is different and constantly changing to keep you wanting more. These guys have an edge that I truly believe will result in great things, and I am so pleased to have discovered them early on in their career. A whole bunch of music is already available (and the original digipacks are so hard to find. Think early porcupine tree and the value now). Please give these guys a try. Free music is available on the site, but puchase the forest of fey. Awesome.