Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Gandalf's Fist
Label: Self-released
Release: 2015
Length: 38:02
Rating: 4/5
England’s Gandalf’s Fist are modern progressive rockers who formed in 2005 and already have five studio albums under their belts, plus a decent following, even though they rarely get a mention whenever people list the most colorful modern prog acts. The band was founded by singer Luke Severn and singer/multi-instrumentalist Dean Marsh, who made all the music completely on their own terms until 2013, when German drummer Stefan Hepe and bassist Christopher Wen joined them. Gandalf’s Fist’s regular outside collaborators also include a rotating cast of guest female singers, who provide lush vocal harmonies and occasionally keep Severn and Marsh company on lead vocals.
Their unusual name, which signals that these are aspiring but not overly serious fans of the life and work of the legendary British author J.R.R. Tolkien, comes from a slightly goofy incident in 2005. A mutual friend of the two founding members, Severn and Marsh, was trying to impress a girl in a nightclub by making up the cheapest, most pompous name he could think of for a totally imaginary band. And so a ‘legend’ of modern prog was born.
Gandalf’s Fist, who put out the ‘best of’ compilation »Uprooted« in 2015, play an offbeat mix of melodic neo-prog, folk rock and hard rock with a typically Anglo-Saxon/Celtic ambient flavor and often razor-sharp guitar riffs. Instrumentals are no stranger to them either, and given that Severn and Marsh are decent but unspectacular singers, those instrumental moments make up some of the best chapters of their ten-year career.
Most Gandal’f Fist compositions deserve the attention of anyone who loves old-school prog rock from the seventies, especially fans of bands with a nostalgic folk touch like Jethro Tull, Gryphon and Comus. Perhaps the most interesting detail of the Gandalf’s Fist sound collage is that they use relatively few keyboards and put more emphasis on electric and acoustic guitar, which is rather unusual for modern prog. Fiery hard rock-based guitar passages aren’t foreign to them either, as »The Ballad of Treebeard Transport King«, the first track on the ‘best of’ compilation »Uprooted«, already proves. Despite its acoustic intro, it has very little to do with a ballad. The rest of the tracklist on »Uprooted« features one song from each of their five albums and rounds out a good cross-section of their relatively short career.
»Uprooted« is a solid collection of some of the most interesting pieces from the catalog so far of a relatively young but supremely ambitious prog band that doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is also obvious from the titles of the individual pieces and the lyrics, where assorted fantasy themes are deliberately presented in an over-the-top pompous, psychedelic and satirical way. Maybe the compilation »Uprooted« will manage to put them on the radar of those who haven’t yet heard of this interesting modern prog rock band, which Gandalf’s Fist absolutely deserve.
Lineup
Dean Marsh – guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, vocals, percussion
Luke Severn – vocals
Christopher Ewen – bass guitar
Stefan Hepe – drums and percussion
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Troy Donockley – whistles on 7
Melissa Hollick – vocals on 7
Rebecca Watson – vocals on 4 and 6
Production
Gandalf’s Fist
Track list
1. The Ballad of Treebeard Transport King (2015 Version) (4:03)
2. The Siren’s Kiss (2015 Remix) (5:25)
3. The Council of Anderson (2015 Remix) (6:23)
4. She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways (2:44)
5. The Gathering of the Clouds (9:18)
6. Stowaway to the Mushroom Planet (4:09)
7. Gardens of the Lost (6:00)
