THE CLOCKWORK FABLE

I think the boys of Gandalf's Fist may have outdone themselves with their latest musical adventure in 'The Clockwork Fable'. After releasing their 2014 musical adventure album 'A Forest of Fey' I wandered how they would be able to top it, a double CD, best of Gandalf's Fist or maybe a live EP? No, instead a 3CD epic story told through actors and songs.

Most of the reviews pretty well sum up this beast of a 3 CD musical extravaganza, and with it Gandalf's Fist has once again shown the world how much talent and soul they throw into their work.

Having a 3 CD album that goes for just over three hours may seem a bit of overkill but with The Clockwork Fable it works just fine. From the introduction you get involved in the story line straight away and continue to be intrigued all the way to the end. Yes you can skip the spoken parts and just listen to the music, but in my opinion you would be very easily lost on what the album is about. Both spoken and musical pieces fit together extremely well with professional actors really adding depth to the storyline and you can feel how much enjoyment they have in being a part of this album.

The music in itself shows just how much they have developed over the years musically with each song showcasing different styles of music and the influences of other bands and genres on the Fists members that have made Gandalf's Fist into a band well worth listening to.

It is hard for me to pick a favourite song as they are all excellent pieces of work, but ones that really stand out for me are ' The Great Cog' with its brilliant use of organ work (reminds me of Deep Purple), 'Fight for the light' hints of the great Iron Maiden influence with guitar riffs and 'Lamplighter (parts XIV-XV)'.

'At the end of the aperture' is a classic rock performance with 'Eves Song' once again showcase's the vocal talents of Melissa Hollick with beautiful soft tones and yet a powerful strong voice.

With its incredible artwork and classic Gandalf's Fist sound punctured with powerful rock riffs this is an album that most definitely would do well in any music collection. If you don't own it I strongly suggest you get your hands on a copy.