tag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:/blogs/project-updates?p=1Project Updates2018-08-31T06:46:24+01:00Gandalf's Fistfalsetag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/41925092016-05-23T09:46:09+01:002016-05-23T09:51:16+01:00Shadowborn Video<p style="text-align: center;">Behold! Grown men pissing about in a shed with a green screen!</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8q_EwY7tabw?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe></div>
<p style="text-align: center;">Our new video 'Shadowborn' is taken from our acclaimed 3-CD concept album <a contents="'The Clockwork Fable'" data-link-label="The Clockwork Fable" data-link-type="page" href="/the-clockwork-fable" target="_blank">'The Clockwork Fable'</a>! </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>(9/10 -<em> "Reduces Rick Wakeman's King Arthur to the level of a Chas & Dave cockney knees-up"</em> - Classic Rock Magazine) </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">So, if you want to download the album this very second (of course you do), we would recommend doing so via our <a contents="bandcamp page!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://gandalfsfist.bandcamp.com/album/the-clockwork-fable" target="_blank">bandcamp page!</a> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Not only will you get the album in the highest possible quality, but also a digital booklet as well as an EXCLUSIVE download of "A Traveller's Guide to Cogtopolis", featuring page upon page of back-story and juicy details surrounding the extended universe of the record. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">With an all-star dramatic and musical cast, you simply can't miss out on this album and what is being heralded as one of the most unique listening experiences in the Progglesphere! </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Prog out with your cog out!</p>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/41232002016-04-06T17:43:16+01:002017-01-14T18:49:41+00:00Meet the Cast: Tim Munro is “The Tinker”<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/b5a1d6586a20bac2b7a42fd4bc9541728d9cc47c/medium/dsc-0373.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Tim comes from a long line of actors and directors and has had an extensive career in theatre, TV, film and radio. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Herbert Pocket in the BBC 12 part dramatization of<em> “Great Expectations.” </em><br><br>He has played many good parts in countless productions including <em>“The Anatomist,” “Dr Who”</em> (in two time warps!), “<em>The Bill,” “East Enders,” “The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady,” “Running Loose,” “Casualty, “Holby Blue,” “Judge John Deed,” “Poirot,” “Nanny,””Whycliffe,” “Dangerfield,” “A Christmas Carol”</em> and many more. <br>He is a commissioned writer for TV and radio, including<em> “Boon”</em> for Central TV. <br><br>Now, in <em>The Clockwork Fable</em>, Tim takes on the role of “The Tinker”, a mad inventor whose only companions are his assistant, Eve, and his clockwork child! <br><br>Here’s what Tim had to say about the part: <br><br><em>"I've been in Dr Who twice in my career but playing the Tinker in ‘The Clockwork Fable’ tops it. Loved working with everybody on such an ambitious project. It was a terrific script to match the brilliant music. Gandalf's Fist have created an underground maze of a world that will draw the audience into its complexity." </em><br><br>Tim also performs his one man show of his poems and songs and has released an absolutely fantastic album of his songs, “One Last Time,” through cdbaby.com and iTunes. Make sure you check it out!<br><br><a contents="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/timmunro&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/timmunro" target="_blank">http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/timmunro </a><br><a contents="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/one-last-time/id443959912&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/one-last-time/id443959912" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/one-last-time/id443959912 </a><br><a contents="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tim-Munro/151342194939330?id=151342194939330&amp;sk=app_2405167945&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tim-Munro/151342194939330?id=151342194939330&sk=app_2405167945" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tim-Munro/151342194939330?id=151342194939330&sk=app_2405167945 </a><br> <br> </p>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/40967892016-03-21T09:00:00+00:002019-07-27T14:15:59+01:00Guest Musicians, Album Art and Release Date Revealed! <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/94c590a7dcac69e1e3ad49f7910cfaaac8576c06/large/cover-1.jpg?0" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>We are over the moon to announce that <strong>Arjen Lucassen</strong> <em>(Ayreon)</em>, <strong>Blaze Bayley</strong> <em>(Ex-Iron Maiden)</em>, <strong>Dave Oberlé</strong> <em>(Gryphon)</em> and <strong>Matt Stevens</strong> <em>(The Fierce and the Dead)</em> will guest on on our latest album “The Clockwork Fable”. <br><br>The album, which is scheduled for release on May 1st, also features artwork expertly created by German artist Thomas Huth, also responsible for 2014’s excellent cover on “A Forest of Fey”. <br><br>It was a real privilege to work with Dave and Matt again, having produced something really special working with them both on the last album, we think we’ve gone one better this time! It’s also fantastic to have Arjen on board; it must be nice for him to join an ensemble of musicians for a change and his performance is simply faultless! We approached Blaze early on in the production, so it’s great to finally announce his participation. Playing the sung part of “The Primarch” he really bosses a 10 minute epic… it sounds huge and we can’t wait for it to blast everyone’s socks off!<br><br>Dave Oberlé, drummer and vocalist for folk-prog pioneers <em>Gryphon</em>, who performs the sung parts of “Pastor Simon” as well as performing traditional percussion on the LP , commented: <br><br><em>“When Dean contacted me last year about getting involved with “The Clockwork Fable” I was extremely pleased to be asked. Especially after the success of “Forest of Fey” which I also had an involvement with. The band’s composition capabilities coupled with superb arrangements and production skills really do set Gandalf’s Fist apart from most others in this genre. I’m honoured to be asked to be a small part of this incredible production which, in places for me, has slight tinges of Gryphon. This is most definitely a band to discover if you haven’t already”. </em><br><br>Arjen Lucassen, <em>Ayreon</em> mastermind, takes up the singing role of “Armistead” and said of the part: <br><br><em>“I had so much fun singing this part, the music really inspired me. It really brought out the inner-Gilmour in me, guess it turned out quite ‘Floydy’. Thanks Gandalf’s Fist for asking me to be a part of it!” </em><br><br>Matt Stevens, guitarist for the acclaimed instrumental group <em>The Fierce and the Dead</em>, once again has been drafted in to provide some ambient guitar textures on the album. He said of the experience: <br><br><em>"I had a lot of fun making some very nasty and lovely noises with a bit crusher, octaver and odd reverb on the new record by the mighty Fist. Lovely people to work with." </em><br><br>The Musicians join an ensemble cast of actors, including Mark Benton and Zach Galligan, on our 3-CD concept epic! For further information and to order your copy visit <a contents="www.clockworkfable.com&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.clockworkfable.com" target="_blank">www.clockworkfable.com </a><br> </p>
<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:500px;"><tbody> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>THE CLOCKWORK FABLE TROUPE</strong></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><strong>CHOIR:</strong></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><strong>PLAYERS:</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Dean Marsh:</strong><br> The singing voice of the good people of Cogtopolis<br> <strong>Luke Severn: </strong> <br> The singing voice of the Nightkeepers<br> <strong>Arjen Lucassen:</strong><br> Sung words of Armistead<br> <strong>Blaze Bayley:</strong><br> Sung words of The Primarch<br> <strong>Dave Oberlé:</strong><br> Sung words of Pastor Simon<br> <strong>Melissa Hollick:</strong><br> Sung words of Eve</p> </td> <td> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mark Benton:</strong><br> Spoken words of The Lamplighter/Prison Guard/First Secretary<br> <strong>Zach Galligan:</strong><br> Spoken words of The Steam Ranger<br> <strong>Tim Munro:</strong><br> Spoken words of The Tinker<br> <strong>Alicia Marsh:</strong><br> Spoken words of Eve<br> <strong>Paul Barnhill:</strong><br> Spoken words of Pastor Simon<br> <strong>Bill Fellows:</strong><br> Spoken words of Armistead/Nightkeeper Spy<br> <strong>Paul Kavanagh:</strong><br> Spoken words of The Primarch/Nightkeeper Brethren 1<br> <strong>Chris Ewen:</strong><br> Spoken words of The Boy<br> <strong>Luke Severn:</strong><br> Spoken words of Second Secretary/Nightkeeper Brethren 2<br> <br> <em>With</em><br> <br> <strong>You, the Listener:</strong><br> As “The Traveller”</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;"><strong>ORCHESTRA:</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Dean Marsh:</strong><br> Guitar/ Synths/Mandolin/Octave Mandola/Bass<br> <strong>Chris Ewen:</strong><br> Bass/Bargain Snacks<br> <strong>Stefan Hepe:</strong><br> Drums/Percussion<br> With<br> <strong>Matt Stevens:</strong><br> Ambient Guitars<br> <strong>Dave Oberlé:</strong><br> Bodhrán/Tan-Tan</p> </td> </tr>
</tbody></table>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/40752482016-03-06T09:46:37+00:002017-01-14T18:49:41+00:00Meet the Cast: Bill Fellows is "Armistead"<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/01b36a1e42172fdf6baea211932c968f49543ded/original/billfellows.jpg?0" class="size_orig justify_left border_" /><br>Bill was born and bred in the North-East town of Middlesbrough, close to the North Yorkshire border, and trained at the Guildford drama school in the early Eighties. </p>
<p>He has been seen on television many times, most recently in <em>Vera</em> with Brenda Blethyn, the hugely popular drama <em>Broadchurch</em> with Olivia Colman and in the multi award-winning <em>Downton Abbey</em> opposite Phyllis Logan - as well as starring in Alan Bleasdale's <em>Monicled Mutineer</em> with Paul McGann and Hallmark's <em>Blackbeard</em> with Stacy Keach and Jessica Chastain and has recently finished filming <em>Scratch</em>, part of the BBC's Moving On series directed by Reece Dinsdale and, most recently, <em>Dark Angel</em> directed by Brian Percival. </p>
<p>His film credits include <em>The Tournament</em> with Robert Carlyle, <em>In Our Name</em> with Joanne Froggatt, <em>United</em>, the story of the Munich air disaster, with Jack O'Connell and David Tennant, Harrigan with Stephen Tompkinson, <em>Extremis</em> with David O'Hara and <em>Lady Macbeth</em> with Fiona Pugh. </p>
<p>Amongst his many Theatre credits are Mickey in the West End production of <em>Blood Brothers</em>, alongside Stephanie Lawrence, Tony Harrison's <em>Trackers</em> at the Royal National Theatre, <em>Pastoral</em> at the Soho Theatre and, most recently, <em>Hobson's Choice</em> at Regents Park Theatre directed by Nadia Fall. </p>
<p>…And he makes an excellent Shepherd’s Pie :)<br><br>Bill joins the cast playing, in the first instance, Armistead, who is the Northern equivalent of Ben Kenobi in Cogtopolis! He gave a really great performance with a great comic edge and delivered some great improvisation and ad-libs! <br><br>… So much so that Bill also tackled the role of the “Nightkeeper Spy”, channelling his inner Ray Winston, that included undoubtedly our favourite scene in the piece, where the spy berates a clockwork child about festival supplies. Poor Boy. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br>Bill is also a pretty crafty musician in his own right! So make sure you grab is stuff on iTunes. Check out this stunning little ditty of his:</p><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="justify_center" frameborder="0" height="150" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cz0dqYNysK8?rel=0" width="200"></iframe>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/40616462016-02-26T15:26:57+00:002020-11-08T16:58:27+00:00Meet the Cast: Paul Barnhill is "Pastor Simon"<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/016bb1f3b9891b181a0d50ad7c5fb63e25df8792/medium/img-1936.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><p><br>Playing the role of “Pastor Simon”, Paul has worked extensively in the world of show business for over twenty four years (to be precise). His television work recently includes rubbish guest parts in <em>Foyles War, Homefires, Holby City, Coronation Street, Doctors, Emmerdale</em> and in the past as the petrol-bomb-throwing racist Josh Carter in <em>Brookside</em>. <br><br>He has dressed up in bad costumes, playing parts in theatre everywhere in the UK and abroad including awful Roman outfits with the RSC, to playing Mr Beaver in a huge circus tent in Kensington surrounded by Narnians. He has co-written and acted in various comedy series for BBC Radio 4. <br><br>On film he can be seen in an awful vintage Chinese outfit in Mike Leigh's film <em>Topsy Turvey</em> and most recently working with a very friendly giant in Buckingham Palace in <em>The BFG</em> directed by Steven Spielberg. <br><br>Paul is a top bloke and we had a great laugh recording the parts, I bombed up to a recording studio near Crewe with my wife and dachshund in tow (both of whom were duly treated to some Burger King hash-brown bites on the M6) to meet Paul where we had a good chat about all our favourite Prog records and flew through the pages of the script in record time. The performance was excellent, however I’m pretty sure the recording engineer, Dan, was baffled by what he was hearing! I’m sure once he hears the full thing he’ll understand ;) <br><br>Paul said of the experience: <br><em>“I love concepts and I love fantasy, I love storytelling. When I first read the script for Clockwork Fable the first thing I admired was the ambition, the images and the world that Dean had created. The second thing was when I read my character Pastor Simon, I was in! A Steampunk priest...in an underground world, worshipping the darkness, it doesn't get more Prog than that! Trying to capture that in a studio in Cheshire on a dull, grey Saturday morning was a challenge but I was clear on the style and character and Dean just told me to do it better if he thought it sounded shite" </em><br><br>The role of the Pastor is an interesting one, he has an air of control over the whole plot, however does not fully understand his manipulation at the hands of the Primarch. As with many of these characters, he definitely deserves his own spin of album (or twelve!) <br><br>Paul has his own company “Goofus” who love work that is stupid, surreal and moving. Check it out over at <a contents="www.goofus.co.uk" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.goofus.co.uk" target="_blank">www.goofus.co.uk</a><br><br>More news soon,<br><em><strong>Dean</strong></em></p>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/40293742016-02-25T12:38:00+00:002021-12-16T09:07:50+00:00Meet the Cast: Mark Benton is "The Lamplighter"<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/da6f014cb3a5f53fcf78eceed273b5480b421992/small/mb.jpg?0" class="size_s justify_left border_" />We’re chuffed to bits to announce Mark Benton will be voicing one of the characters on our upcoming LP “The Clockwork Fable” .</p>
<p>Playing the spoken words of “The Lamplighter” character, Mark Benton has shown his versatility on television, on stage, on the big screen and now on a Gandalf’s Fist triple concept album. </p>
<p>Appearing on TV in <em>Dr Who</em>,<em> Silent Witness</em>, <em>Early Doors</em>, <em>Land Girls</em>,<em> Britannia High</em>, and <em>Waterloo Road</em>, as well as in such films as <em>Career Girls</em>, <em>Breaking and Entering</em> and <em>The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus</em>, Mark is a great actor, and more importantly, a top bloke! </p>
<p>Narrating the tale as the wistful Lamplighter, Mark really knows and loves his Prog, making him the perfect fit for this role! </p>
<p>We had a great laugh recording the part and Mark has been instrumental in getting this album to the level it is - so we’d like to send him a massive thanks! We’re proud as punch with his performance and with his great sense of timing he really has helped bring the world of Cogtopolis to life!</p>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/40409032016-02-15T09:00:00+00:002017-01-14T18:49:41+00:00FIST ANNOUNCE FABLE ACTORS<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/f7dfab9ca38cb5e33f08d452c8be6aed592c3cd2/original/cast1.jpg?0" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>We are delighted to announce the spoken word cast for our upcoming 3-CD concept album “The Clockwork Fable”. <br><br>Mark Benton, Zach Galligan, Bill Fellows, Paul Barnhill, Tim Munro and Paul Kavanagh have been confirmed as the ‘players’ acting out the dramatic sections of the record, joining Alicia Marsh who reprises her duties from 2014’s acclaimed “A Forest of Fey” LP. <br> <br>Gandalf’s Fist frontman, Dean Marsh commented: <br> <br><em>“We’re over the moon to announce Mark Benton has become a part of our weird and wonderful world. He has been instrumental in getting this album to the level it is - so we’d like to send him a massive thanks! We’re proud as punch with his performance and, with his great sense of timing, he really has helped bring the world of Cogtopolis to life! To have Zach on board too, is a real piece of geek-wish-fulfilment! Every single person I’ve met in this process has been warm, welcoming and enthusiastic for what we’re trying to do and I can’t wait for everyone to hear Bill Fellow’s turn at berating a sentient clockwork infant about festival supplies.” </em><br> <br>Zach Galligan, best known for his role as the Mogwai-battling Billy Peltzer in the 80’s classic “Gremlins”, is cast as the world-weary “Steam Ranger”. Speaking about being a part of the record, Zach said: <br> <br><em>"I've always wanted to be on a concept album, so I was thrilled when Gandalf's Fist asked me to contribute to their exciting new work. I just hope that I did the piece justice!” </em><br> <br>Paul Barnhill, who has recently finished filming on Steven Spielberg’s BFG, takes the role of “Pastor Simon” and said of the process: <br> <br><em>"I love concepts and I love fantasy, I love storytelling. When I first read the script for Clockwork Fable the first thing I admired was the ambition, the images and the world that Dean had created. The second thing was when I read my character Pastor Simon, I was in! A Steampunk priest...in an underground world, worshipping the darkness, it doesn't get more Prog than that! Trying to capture that in a studio in Cheshire on a dull, grey Saturday morning was a challenge but I was clear on the style and character and Dean just told me to do it better if he thought it sounded shite" </em><br> <br>Tim Munro, whose acting credits include a stint in Dr Who as well as a variety of TV and Film Drama, has been announced as playing the part of “The Tinker”. Tim Commented on the role: <br> <br><em>"I've been in Dr Who twice in my career but playing the Tinkerman in 'The Clockwork Fable' tops it. Loved working with everybody on such an ambitious project. It was a terrific script to match the brilliant music. Gandalf's Fist have created an underground maze of a world that will draw the audience into its complexity." </em><br> <br>Paul Kavanagh has worked extensively In Film, TV and Theatre. With film appearances in Green street 2, The Shouting men and Edward the second, he now takes on the role of the cunning “Primarch” in The Clockwork Fable. Paul said: <br> <br><em>"After an hour’s drive from Canterbury, and, the warmth of my good lady, I found myself on old farm land in what looked like converted out buildings. I was met by Dean (King Creator) and a cup of tea. For the next four hours was transported into a land of Steampunk, great characters and warm, naughty laughter. A fabulous early Christmas present courtesy of Mark Benton and his phone call." </em><br> <br>The band have also confirmed that there are still yet-to-be-announced musical contributors on the record with a number of guest vocalists expected to portray the characters within the musical sections of the record. <br> <br><a contents="Pre-orders" data-link-label="pre-order" data-link-type="page" href="/pre-order" target="_blank">Pre-orders</a> of The Clockwork Fable are already underway and we are still offering a special “early bird” discount price!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <br><strong>THE CLOCKWORK FABLE DRAMATIC CAST: </strong><br>Mark Benton: Spoken words of The Lamplighter <br>Zach Galligan: Spoken words of The Steam Ranger <br>Tim Munro: Spoken words of The Tinker <br>Alicia Marsh: Spoken words of Eve <br>Paul Barnhill: Spoken words of Pastor Simon <br>Bill Fellows: Spoken words of Armistead/Nightkeeper Spy <br>Paul Kavanagh: Spoken words of The Primarch</p>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/40342732016-02-10T16:00:19+00:002017-03-08T20:34:40+00:00What is Cogtopolis?<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/e030c2af6b5fe7aa5e495b23b8c82e88a872a2d4/medium/dean-luke-background3.png?0" class="size_m justify_right border_" />Luke’s Thoughts: </strong><br>The world of Cogtopolis was formed from an idea that we created over the course of 6 months last year. The first character we had was the Lamplighter, the subject of our pre-christmas teaser song. In a way we created a world around this character, cogs and all, Tinker, Eve and the clockwork boy all soon followed. </p>
<p>Cogtopolis is a city beneath the earth, which we have created, with it's own religion, language and geography. Unlike previous albums it is not based on an existing idea or story, this is a 100% original idea formulated by myself and Dean, mainly the morning of Dean's wedding, but also in the ale houses of Ireland. While creating this story we tried to stay away from clichés and formulaic story telling. </p>
<p>Also unlike previous albums, the story is not just told through music, but fleshed out into a fully fledged script. The decision to do this was not taken lightly. I can't think of anyone else doing this kind of album, especially not an independent group with a marketing arm consisting only of the band members themselves. I couldn't imagine a record label signing off on what is a crazy idea. </p>
<p>Yes, we are not so far up the pretentious Prog road that we can't see what a risk this album is. But hopefully once you've heard who we brought on board as spoken and guest vocals, you'll understand the level of quality that we have put into this project and you'll love the world of Cogtopolis as much as we do. <br><br><strong>Dean’s Thoughts: </strong><br>For me, The Clockwork Fable, Cogtopolis and all its inhabitants is much more than our upcoming album; it’s a collaboration between some of my best friends. <br><br>I consider the previous albums where I’d write all of the music, and it was pretty much a one-man show when it came to song writing. But, the most enjoyable part of Gandalf’s Fist is when Luke and I quaff a few ales and work on lyrics and recording together, or when Chris and I have a good old laugh recording his bass parts. Even though that has, historically, been an infrequent part of the process, it is pretty much the only reason that Gandalf’s Fist still exists to this day. <br><br>The fact that Luke (in full-best man mode) and I plotted out this album over a tentative coffee in the hours before my wedding speaks volumes. What has now become an epic 3-part concept album, far outreaching the ambitions of many bands that have far superior resources to our own, began quite simply as two mates shooting the shit about a cool story idea. Equally, what a great laugh it was, whiling the way a few evenings around the kitchen table with a couple of jars of whiskey, Chris and I scribbling down some of the more surreal, Monty-Python-esque scenes and then acting them out in as many silly voices we could imagine. <br><br>As Luke says, this is a bold statement, I’m quite sure some people will be baffled by the structure and format of this piece. They might not <em>‘get’</em> it. <br><br>But I care not one jot. <br><br>It is different. It is trying something new. It is <em>Progressive</em>. <br><br>That said, even if nobody outside Luke, Stefan, Chris and I like this record, and it falls flat on its arse, I will take away surely one of the most rewarding creative experiences of my life. <br><br>And that, in and of itself, has made the adventure worthwhile.</p>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/40124432016-01-28T16:41:39+00:002021-08-13T16:39:12+01:00Discovering the Ideologies of Cogtopolis<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/6038c96612404f5e13f49f7d9a61dbe3f9aeb14c/original/nk-badge.jpg?1453998912" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">The Nightkeeper Insignia. Worn by all swore-in brethren with pride.</p></div>
<p><br>Bad guys. It’s all too easy to craft some rip-off, intrinsically evil, “dark lord” or a faceless oppressive regime as the antagonist in your story. But what we wanted to do in “The Clockwork Fable” was really create the structure of conflict and, as such, we devised the two opposing religions in Cogtopolis. The logic behind the “Nightkeepers” is that in a civilisation that exists underground, following an apocalyptic event, people would eventually turn to worship the darkness as their saviour. Obviously this inverted Christian symbolism works thematically, the dark associations with evil, Star Wars, Dark side, blah blah blah… but I genially believe that such a belief system would establish itself in reality should the Sun be obscured by a Nuclear Winter. <br> <br>I imagine the Nightkeepers were once benign, literally celebrating still being alive and thanking the dark bowels of the earth for their very existence, but as with many ideologies, it eventually became twisted to suit the needs of the few. I imagine the Shadowmas, the celebration whereby the events of TCF transpires, is a vestige of when the religion was still benevolent… there is at atmosphere of community and festivity amidst the everyday people of the city. However, this occurs on the periphery of the action. We can hear through speech and song how the Nightkeepers have become a religious militia, enforcing their doctrine by force… their direction and purpose twisted and dictated without their realisation, by the Primarch himself. <br> <br>Of course, musically, this lends itself to a grand theme; you can hear it symphonically, as a monolithic Sabbath-esque riff and as a synth melody played out throughout the entire album. It’s a simple, yet great, motif and probably is my favourite recurring theme on the album. <br> <br>Of course the Nightkeepers would be nothing without their opposition; the “Wardens of the Light”… so let’s take a little ‘topolis history lesson… <br> <br>There were few that believed that the troubles that plagued the surface would return to the underbelly of the earth with such reckless frequency. Namely: religion, famine and war. <br> <br>Cooped up amidst the darkness, desperate and defeated, two distinct belief systems developed within Cogtopolis neither of which were willing to conceit over their visions for the future of mankind. </p>
<p> <br>In the beginning, formed amidst the dingy, crowded burrows of the first excavators, came The Wardens of the Light. Their symbol, an all-seeing eye emanating a radiant sun, was a symbol of hope. <br> <br>The Wardens clung to the faith that one day life would return to the surface. That a life, still lingering in the memory of the old, would once again be theirs. <br> <br>Years passed. Fuelled by hope, the city grew. Banners carrying "the eye" spread far and wide, from the highest 'Scrapers, to the lowest dungeons. Thus, on the final day of construction, the Wardens unveiled their last gift to the City: The Aperture. <br> <br>Second only to The Great Cog, the Aperture was a marvel of engineering. Both the door and the window to the surface. At its centre, a tremendous lens, focused by two intricate gears was positioned, waiting for the day the sun returned to flood light down onto the city below. A shining beacon of mankind's hope. <br> <br>But it was a hope short-lived. <br> <br>With each year of darkness the shadow of doubt grew and grew. <br>There were some that believed that the sun had vanished and would never return. The true saviour of mankind was the dark that housed and protected them from the surface. They called themselves Nightkeepers. <br> <br>Seizing the Domicile Tower by force, the battle between the two factions was short, yet the war lingered on. Decreeing themselves guardians of Law and Justice in Cogtopolis, it became Heresy to speak of the Sun's return. <br> <br> <br>Punishable by exile. </p>
<p>One by one the Wardens fell and the Nightkeeperstightened their dark grip on the city. Blinded by the Shadowmas, a Nightkeeper Festival celebrating the death of the Sun, there were few that opposed their doctrine. Their minds clouded by festivities and Turnip Mead. Their spirit all but crushed. </p>
<p>Fearing that the Nightkeepers would achieve their goal, and imprison mankind in the bowels of the earth for all eternity, the last remaining Wardens clambered to the Aperture, prising away the two controlling gears: The Alpha and Omega Wheels. For what can open can also seal the door to the surface. </p>
<p>Forever. </p>
<p>In a matter of moments, the metal rings of the lens shuddered to a close. <br>Should the Sun ever return, the Brass-Bound citizens of Cogtopolis would never know. </p>
<p>And yet, all was not lost. </p>
<p>The Alpha and Omega had vanished. Despite a century of searches and crusades by the Nightkeeper Pastors, their location remained a secret. The door to the surface remained safe. </p>
<p>And thus it remained until this day. <br> <br>Well… That’s the bad guys for you! I knew we could get an evil empire in there somewhere, yet everything is not entirely as it seems! Hopefully that whets your appetite for some of the dramatic conflicts in the fable… more behind-the-scenes musings on the rest of the world coming soon! <br><br>Cheers, <br><br><span class="font_large"><em><strong>Dean </strong></em></span><br> </p>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/39960592016-01-19T16:04:49+00:002017-01-14T18:49:41+00:00From a Drummer's Point of View: Melodies and Themes<div class="captioned justify_right"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/323cdc98c6d0c5031a0b1e3814bf9a0bacd4480c/medium/a-steampunk-snob-drummer.jpg?0" class="size_orig justify_right border_" /><p class="caption">One Drummer: Awaiting the next Zeppelin Shuttle.</p></div>
<p>So then, you’ve all visited <a contents="clockworkfable.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.clockworkfable.com" target="_blank">clockworkfable.com</a> and delved into the story-background there, right? If you missed it, do it now - I'll be waiting here for you. <br> <br>Oh, you're back already? Now then... there you have it: a 3-CD album. Believe me, this wasn't intended when we sat down to begin writing the next album. <br>But let's start where the concept was born. We already had some music and melodies together, when Luke arrived with the concept. <br> <br>Ideas about the narration/”radio-play” bits were there rather early during the planning stage (as we did on "A Forest of Fey"). On "Forest..." it didn't turn out really well, we had some bits recorded, including a section about a bike-riding weasel, but they just didn't work. The flow of the album was interrupted by them rather than the songs benefitting from the narration. <br> <br>But this time, we had a rather different approach: We wrote a complete story. A complete 50 page script. <br> <br>Collaborating online, we had the opportunity to write whenever we had the time to, or simply add an idea for the story itself. Whenever someone had an idea, he put it online. Religion? Sure, there's two factions... If there is a daytime-cycle (even without day and night changes in brightness), they do need a proper daytime-greeting, right? And when it's all dark, they need some decent alphabet to write (or scratch their words into rusted metal or the swampy muds of Porfan). All this went in sync with Dean's songwriting and the ideas were polished up into the narrative story arc that exists today. <br> <br>So, in order to interconnect the narrative with the songs, we decided to have melodies, or “themes” which are revisited throughout the whole album, slightly changed each time, to represent the main characters (or actions) within the story... <br> <br>Reoccurring melodies aren't new on our albums. It happened on "A Day in the Life of a Universal Wanderer" and it was pushed forward in "A Forest of Fey". <br>This time, we really mean it. Melodies finally reflect a certain character/person or an action taking place. So on "The Clockwork Fable", you will encounter <br>certain melodies over and over again - on different instruments, with different rhythms, with a different feel to it. Sometimes, we even mix up a rhythm <br>from a certain action with a melody of a certain character. <br> <br>It’s subtle, but you will notice when Eve enters the scene. When the focus of the story lies on the clockwork child, you will recognise it. You will notice when a Steam Ranger is nearby, and you will know when the Lamplighter has trudged through the scene in a song. <br> <br>Having that in mind, we wrote the songs, driving the story forward. We weren't looking at times or watching boundaries - we just told a story, and a song ends when that part of the story is told… <br> <br>…That led us into a 3-CD album, containing the entire, interconnected script recorded by some fantastically talented actors… but those details can wait for another time!<br><br><span class="font_large"><em><strong>Stefan</strong></em></span></p>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/39828002016-01-10T20:29:54+00:002017-01-14T18:49:41+00:00Announcing: The Clockwork Fable<div class="captioned justify_left"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/4fcf8f6e3b6d9f4856f9db7d30e3f905c10a317c/medium/placeholder-artwork.jpg?1452457693" class="size_orig justify_left border_" /><p class="caption">Final Artwork Yet to Be Revealed!</p></div>
<p>We are delighted to announce <em><strong>“The Clockwork Fable”</strong></em> a Prog-Rock Mind Movie in three oscillations. <br><br>As a follow-up to the acclaimed “A Forest of Fey”, we’ve gone all-out, creating a truly epic triple concept album. <br><br>Set in the fictional world of “Cogtopolis”, each CD of the record serves as a different “act” of the story, with Dean and Luke, along with to-be-announced guest vocalists, providing the singing voices of the inhabitants. However things don’t end there; the characters are also brought to life by a 50-page script that has been professionally recorded by a range of hugely talented actors. <br><br>A far cry from a musical, where characters burst into song at the drop of a proverbial hat, The Clockwork Fable serves as a sprawling motion picture that will play out in your Neocortex with Gandalf’s Fist, of course, providing the soundtrack. <br><br>Aside from the depth of story and characters, we have also fully developed the world of Cogtopolis. From geography, religious doctrines, even down to the language of Cypheridia, the amount of work we’ve put into this conceptual piece is staggering. <br><br>But that’s not the best of it. <br><br>We truly believe that this is the finest musical work we’ve ever created. There’s a mix of all of our influences and were you to put all of the best bits of our discography into a huge melting pot you’d end up with something quite close (but not as awesome) as what we’ve created! But don’t just take our word for it – head over to the <a contents="pre-order store " data-link-label="pre-order" data-link-type="page" href="/pre-order" target="_blank">pre-order store </a>and have a listen to a whopping 10 minutes of audio previews! <br><br>Feel free to trawl through the world we’ve created over at <a contents="clockworkfable.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://clockworkfable.com/The-Clockwork-Fable-The-Story.html" target="_blank">clockworkfable.com</a> – there’s much to digest! <br><br>Most importantly though, if you could show your support by pre-ordering this bad-boy, not only will you get 20% off the retail price but you will also massively help us out as independent musicians! <br><br>Cheers guys – more news soon!<br><br><em><strong>Dean</strong></em></p>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/39617312015-12-12T12:18:32+00:002015-12-12T12:19:21+00:00Festive "Prequel" Track Now Available!Ho, Ho, Ho indeed! <br><br>Winter is upon us so we've, once again, cooked up another festive treat for you all!<br><br>A far cry from Wham! and Noddy Holder, this track is a bit more foreboding... setting the scene for our our new record with a bit of post apocalyptic fallout. <br><br>We knocked this up in an afternoon, so don't expect a 30-minute master-work, <strong>but the track itself acts as a prequel to the events on our next LP</strong>, so it's a nice little teaser in that respect! <br><br>Head over to our <a contents="bandcamp page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://gandalfsfist.bandcamp.com/track/the-first-lamplighter-memories-of-nuclear-snow" target="_blank">bandcamp page</a> to grab the beauty for the Scrooge-pleasing price of £1!<br><br>Cheers, for your continued support - Prog out with your Yuletide Log out! <br><br>Enjoy!<br><br> <iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2616976566/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 442px;">&amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href=&amp;quot;http://gandalfsfist.bandcamp.com/track/the-first-lamplighter-memories-of-nuclear-snow&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;http://gandalfsfist.bandcamp.com/track/the-first-lamplighter-memories-of-nuclear-snow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;The First Lamplighter (Memories of Nuclear Snow) by Gandalf&amp;amp;#39;s Fist&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;</iframe>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/39551212015-12-08T14:52:44+00:002021-03-05T09:06:29+00:00Mission Statement<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/ea40ffe41885138ef7479ea83d09541f539c7edb/medium/taptaptap.jpg?1449582849" class="size_m justify_right border_" />What is an album in any case?<br><br>In an ever-changing world where we are constantly having to think about how we consume music, it's about time we really had a think about the other side of the coin.<br> <br>So, we’re producing an album. It's brand-spanking new and it's exciting, yet strangely there's a sense of pressure, knowing that people actually listen to and, strangely, like what we've done in the past.<br><br>I'm fine with that. I work best under pressure. <br> <br>My outlook has never really changed with anything that I've created musically, I write records that I'd like to (and do) listen to myself. So here I am, writing tunes for the new album and really starting to notice one key change... Production value. With each record our sound has become more refined and, dare I say it, "professional". <br> <br>At this moment, it hits me. I realise what we've actually achieved. Something we've been doing all along, something that has become a mission statement without us even realising it: <em>Independence.</em><br> <br>Being an “indie” musician is something that is banded around all too commonly in the cyber-age we live in, with varying degrees of applicability. More often than not, it’s become interchangeable with “unsigned”.<br> <br>That’s not technically the same thing.<br> <br>Many, if not most, unsigned musicians will, for example, utilise professional recording studios, sound and mastering engineers to produce their product. Perhaps even utilise an indie record labels for disc pressing and distribution.<br> <br>That’s because most musicians, believe it or not, are sensible humans.<br> <br>The lads from Gandalf’s Fist are not sensible Humans.<br> <br>From start to finish we:<br>Write all the songs, record in our own homes in ramshackle studios, mix all the tracks ourselves, master the record, write and distribute press releases, tackle advertising and promotions, film and edit music videos, do our own photo shoots, assemble all the artwork, put together templates for printing CDs/Booklets, pay for CD’s to be pressed, send out promo CDs and finally, post the result out to you guys… <em>Phew!!</em><br><br>...The latter usually involving me heading down to the post office in my lunch hour with a carrier bag filled with Fist Merch!<br> <br>That’s not including ongoing tasks and costs such as juggling our websites, social media and doing tax returns… no small task, considering each and every one of us also has full-time jobs!<br> <br>It’s a miracle that we ever get anything done, and even more of a miracle that the new record is a) the biggest thing we’ve ever done (by a long shot!) and b) sounding leaps and bounds above our other productions.<br> <br>I suppose, partially, this is to do with our growing experience in audio-production. Every year we get better, learn new tricks and hone our production skills. More significantly though, with each year we invest some of the money from our CD sales into buying better gear!! With our first experiment we started off with nothing apart from a knackered guitar and a dodgy pre-amp. But that was years ago. For this record alone we’ve invested in high-quality digital pre-amps, a brand new Strat, a range of studio quality compressors, delays and reverbs, studio monitors, an octave mandola and a heavy dose of bloody rock n’ roll!<br> <br>So there you have it, our mission statement: Do everything ourselves, make it better than last time, go to the pub, get pissed.<br> <br>God knows how long we can continue under that banner, I’m sure the arse will fall out of our little independent experiment at some point, but, until then, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and it’s a testament to what you can do if you put the graft in.<br><br>Hopefully you'll hear all that hard work in the finished album, but even if you don't, I'll know it's there ;)<br><br>More new soon!<br><br>Cheers,<br><em><span class="font_large"><strong>Dean</strong></span></em><br> Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/39250462015-11-15T20:06:24+00:002017-01-14T18:49:41+00:00Unearthing a New Record<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/0c9e09cf512a59c46f60e5c16e29c04f7af77e57/medium/deantc.jpg?1447617678" class="size_m justify_right border_" />As every year swings round and I start to think about creating a new Gandalf’s Fist record it’s always going to be a mystery as to what direction the record is going to take. We’ve done everything from Neo-Prog with <em>“Road to Darkness”</em>, Prog-Metal with<em> “From a Point of Existence”</em> and even Sea Shanties with <em>“Songs from the Solway”</em>. I would say it wasn’t until 2013’s <em>“Day in the Life of a Universal Wanderer”</em> LP that all of those individual elements came together to create a cohesive piece in its own right… The point in which we discovered what the “Gandalf’s Fist” sound was!<br><br>Of course, there were hints all along. If you trace a line from the song <em>“Master and the Monkey Pt I” </em>through <em>“Council of Anderson”</em>, <em>“Regency Rascal”</em> and finally <em>“Gathering of the Clouds”</em> you can see that sound has always been there, waiting, biding its time to be developed, embellished.<br><br>With last year’s <em>“A Forest of Fey”</em>, we took that sound and added some folky undercurrents, something we had outlined as our starting point from the start, and as such it informed the concept of that particular record.<br><br>This time round we approached things slightly differently. Whereas before we would see where the songs were taking us and start to mold our stories and conceptual ideas around demos and works-in-progress, this time we started with the narrative.<br><br>In April, actually, on the morning of my wedding, Luke (the on-call best man) and I pretty much bounced the world and story of the upcoming record off each other while we were waiting for the women-folk to get ready. The gears were set in motion. Everything that has followed has stemmed from that moment and has ultimately informed every note and lyric that has been played since. Once we reveal the concept, and release some samples I’m sure that will become abundantly clear.<br><br>In terms of pre-production, let me say this: it was dense. The amount of “world building”, characterisation and narrative thought that has gone into this would rival many a novel, or even movie, for that matter. Countless hours creating the layers and structures that underpin the story of the record, most of which will never be visible, but I’m confident in doing so we’ve created something with real depth and character…<br><br>Yes I am being deliberately vague… all will be revealed soon enough!<br><br>In terms of musical direction, there are a few key elements that you can expect. Firstly, there are some rather tasty, lengthy compositions on here, in varying styles and palettes. Secondly, there was one thing that I was very keen to bring to this record, and that was the<em> “RIFF”</em>! Strangely, it seems riffs have never really been a key component of this genre of music, with the focus being, quite rightly, on virtuosity, atmosphere and melody. Well, we’re bringing it back… Meaty Riffs that sound straight out of Tony Iommi’s Crunch Kitchen and I can’t wait for you to hear what we’ve been cooking up!<br><br>More soon,<br><br><span class="font_large"><em><strong>Dean</strong></em></span><br> Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/39063702015-11-09T08:23:43+00:002017-01-14T18:49:41+00:00From a drummer's point of view...<div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/946a316a701b91c6e6f8d44b7cbbde20956a28b5/medium/drum-mixing.jpg?1446277896" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Although the first demo from Dean arrived here in the first week of October 2014 (yes, that's prior to the release of "A Forest of Fey"), with the second song-demo coming in on December 31st (I still remember standing in the kitchen, ready to leave the house for the annual new years eve party with the family), we didn't really "work" on something. We just threw some demos at each other to fiddle about...<br><br>Plans were made for two sub-releases during 2015, as Dean had some family stuff going on over the year. One was a "Best of" Free-EP with three re-recorded songs (drum-wise), and the other one was an acoustic EP. We developed the idea during recording of "Forest..." as we have quite some acoustic stuff going on there as well. We were on a hiatus for 2015, so to say, just interrupted by the "Voices for Hospices" charity CD with Mr. Steve Hackett and others. We wrote and recorded our bit in February. Check it out, it's really a great album, really worth the cause!<br> <br>Anyway, with all those fiddling about, autumn arrived quicker than we thought, and we quite had some songs together already, when suddenly, destiny struck... It was one late evening, we were chatting about different things, debating song structures and stuff, as suddenly Luke went in and said "I hope you're all sitting down, ‘cause I have a concept story for you". Within the next five sentences, he laid out the complete foundation for the next album.<br> <br>Silence in the chat. You could hear the literal pin drop. After that shock (in a very positive way), ideas were filling the chatroom. Sub-plots, characters, moods, key-events and -songs. Everybody would then add descriptions of places, characters, actions, stories and so on in an online shared script-book. I know I'm probably a bit biased (forget that, I AM biased as f§#k!), but I have yet to find an album with a story as dense and intense as this one. Won't give away too much, as that's reserved for a later announcement, but it IS. PRETTY. DAMN. AWESOME.<br> <br>Being not that pleased with the drum sound on "Forest..." (which is my own responsibility, so if anybody, it is I that is to blame for that), I fiddled a bit on the knobs and faders (given the fact that I had quite some spare time during the year) and came up with - what I would call - the most transparent and clean drum sound that ever left my Mix-console's Main Outs so far. Have a listen at the sound bites (which will be released in some future blog-posts), and you'll notice...<br> <br>We're really excited about the progress of the writing and recording so far, we have lots of songs and musical bits in a near-finished state, and of course we will post some samples here and there, so keep your eyes and ears peeled...<br><br><span class="font_large"><em><strong>Stefan</strong></em></span>
</div>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/39044962015-11-02T16:05:08+00:002018-08-31T06:46:24+01:00Announcing the first guest vocalist: Melissa Hollick!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/286b60a4e8b344eec382a8cb22533e2926331f75/medium/mellissahollick.jpg?1446207862" class="size_m justify_right border_" />We are delighted to announce that Melissa Hollick will be returning for a third time to a Gandalf's Fist studio project!<br><br>Yes, it does almost seem strange to be calling Melissa a "guest" given her previous involvement on our last two records, however, after featuring on two tracks on our "...Universal Wanderer" LP and then returning to guest as the female vocalist on last year's "A Forest of Fey", we thought it would be mad not to invite her back... especially given her excellent performances and the great feedback we've had from the tracks she's featured on thus far!<br><br>We have already cut a number of tracks with Melissa for this project and, I have to say, it's up there with the best work we've ever done.<br><br>Whether you're a fan of the anthemic "Gardens of the Lost" or the haunting space-ballad of "Somewhere Beyond the Stars", it's safe to say we've got all your bases covered on this one!<br><br>Without giving too much away, there's some really cool up-tempo stuff as well as some really touching slow, delicate numbers as well as a few choruses that really soar up into the stratosphere. Can't wait for you guys to hear it!<br><br>As a little reminder, here's a fantastic vocal performance from Melissa, from our "A Day in the Life of a Universal Wanderer" Album from 2013.<br><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2466445626/size=large/bgcol=333333/linkcol=0f91ff/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=3306020560/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;">&amp;amp;amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href="http://gandalfsfist.bandcamp.com/album/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-universal-wanderer" href="http://gandalfsfist.bandcamp.com/album/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-universal-wanderer"&amp;amp;amp;gt;A Day in the Life of a Universal Wanderer by Gandalf&amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Fist&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;</iframe><br><br>Excited yet? More news soon!<br><br>Cheers,<br><span style="color:#0000CD;"><em><span class="font_large"><strong>Dean</strong></span></em></span><br> Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/39044972015-10-30T10:33:40+00:002017-01-14T18:49:41+00:00Prequel Game!Don't you just <em>love</em> text adventures?<br><br>Well, we've built one (of sorts) for you to play in preparation for the new record. But why?<br><br>I can remember my Dad reading the Hobbit to me as a child, Bo Hansson's "Lord of the Rings" LP gently humming in the background, and my imagination literally burst.<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/94762e9ecfd14e9b4cd36faffbf1f7f8ff10ca5e/medium/bo-hansson-lord-of-the-rings.jpg?1446192513" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Gandalf's Fist? Frodo's Hand?</p></div>... Great record by the way. After abandoning how to figure out how to play the Ghostbusters game on my Commadore 64, Bill Murray's synthesised robo-voice a mocking taunt with every defeat by <em>Zuul</em>, I decided to delve into the world of mirth and magic that I experienced during story time, a world I could now fully immerse myself in and follow in the footsteps of wizards, dwarves and brave warriors. The world of "The Hobbit Text Adventure for Commadore 64".<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/2f03cfaebc8b3870676efe198d5d7bb6a041e0ba/original/hobbit4.jpg?1446193136" class="size_orig justify_center border_" />Oh Yeah! Did that game cover look badass! Smaug the dragon going to town on some sci-fi landscape! It looks like whoever scanned this image cropped it due to there being just too much awesome on screen. "Can't wait to slay some spider-beasts!" exclaimed the Six year old Master Marsh.<br><br>I rewinded and loaded the tape (remember those?) and waited for Seventeen M<span style="color: rgb(84, 84, 84); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2px;">illennia </span> for the scrawls of coloured lines to load the game (praying to Iluvatar that my Mam didn't start to vacuum downstairs and crash the damn thing).<br><br>Eventually, I was confronted with a series of epic landscapes, beautiful in their pallet, majestic, as if straight from the mind of ol' JRR himself...<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/9c14670d838dcab5b5df78755d8198e5382e16ba/medium/hobbit.jpg?1446193621" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">...perhaps not.</p></div><br>The game was a logistical nightmare. Especially for a child. Hours and hours trying to navigate a maze of confusing syntax:<br> <div style="text-align: center;">
<em>"Thorin offers you the map"</em><br><br>..."Take MAP"<br><br><em>"I do not understand the word 'map'"</em>
</div><br>Grrrrrrrr!!!! Let's play a game of "guess the words the computer understands". Type in the wrong word and a troll eats you. Lovely.<br><br>...."lets take another stab at Ghostbusters", child Marsh defeatedly exclaimed.<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/f076171ed2841e7a3d2a49ac13cc54637df4c7a3/medium/ghostbusters-004.png?1446198607" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">'Yay!! What child doesn't love fork-lift operation and bodyshop budgeting?'<br> </p></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">So, that brings us around to the "Gandalf's Fist Text Adventure Prequel Game"!<br><br>The basic premise: The "game" takes place before the events that transpire during the 'concept' of our upcoming record. The last thing that happens in the game is the first thing that happens on the album. During the game, various characters, settings and themes are hinted at but we're not giving anything away! Not only does this create a mysterious setting within the game, but also allows us to keep the (quite frankly EPIC) story of our next concept album under wraps for a little while longer!<br><br>There is still a maze of different locations, which you will have to navigate (as in the C64 days of yore) but gone is the annoying syntax lottery, now you simply need to select from multiple choices to progress in the game. It's impossible to die, but if you make the wrong choices you may find yourself lost for a little while in our maze of darkness!<br><br>As a little incentive, should you reach the end, there's a little prize waiting for you! Should you unearth any codes on your cyber-travels, they are currently only redeemable at our <a contents="bandcamp page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://gandalfsfist.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">bandcamp page</a>! Well worth the effort!<br> </div>
<div>Ready? Of course you bloody are. Click the button below to play!<br><a contents="" data-link-label="prequel.html" data-link-type="file" href="/files/207908/prequel.html" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/a9b415da706a053a02b960d6b4e5ccdd030286f9/original/c64-button.png?1446200691" class="size_orig justify_center border_medium" alt="" /></a>
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<div style="text-align: left;"> </div>
<div>Enjoy!<br><br><span style="color:#0000CD;"><span class="font_large"><em><strong>Dean.</strong></em></span></span>
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</div>Gandalf's Fisttag:gandalfsfist.com,2005:Post/39044952015-10-27T09:03:29+00:002020-04-20T10:41:44+01:00Work has begun!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/58770/1a8b850c6b3aacfa3c8d148b4a1ed7fbacf3d5f2/large/dean-studio.jpg?1445936267" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /><br><br>Well! Here we are again! The production of a brand new album is officially underway from us, the crazy cats down at Gandalf's Fist HQ.<br><br>Where do we start? Well, you'll be pleased to know that the wheels are well and truly in motion and things are moving forward with good pace!<br><br>Following up last year's "A Forest of Fey" is a daunting task and as such we spent a significant amount of time in pre-production, crafting the concept, the story and the songs. We're now in a place where the production of the actual record has begun and, as with last time, we'd thought we'd share the adventure with you with this production blog.<br><br>Keep checking back for more news, song samples and general high-jinks... Trust me when I tell you, this one is Epic... You ain't heard nothing yet.<br><br>So let's kick things off as we means to go on... here's a little teaser video featuring a small snippet of music and a little clue to the concept of the record! Enjoy!<br><br>I<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-waw-_zN7eY?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br><br>All the best,<br><strong><em>Dean</em></strong>Gandalf's Fist