The always excellent and inventive Gandalf’s Fist come at us with a stunning album of progressive rock – with the emphasis on the rock part – titled Widdershins. As is generally the way with the band, it has a concept to it this time being around the superstitious side of human existence.
As to the title – Widdershins – it’s a word I’d not come across before. Looking up the definition it basically means to go anti-clockwise.
It’s been a bit of a wait for a new album from Gandalf’s First. Widdershins being the first of original stuff since the rather fantastic Clockwork Fable (review here). I’m a big fan of the band and they never do stuff by halves.
Whilst generally labelled as progressive rock there’s much more to them than that. So much variety in their approach to stick them with that label is, I suggest, a little misleading. Widdershins is arguably their heaviest album to date full of big riffs and quite excellent guitar work merging with plenty of keys and swirling organs.
The opener – Sacrament – being a prime example. A most heavy prog indeed leaning towards heavy metal. The riff cuts hard driving it along as does the solo with the keys coming in to give it a sort of mid-1970s Uriah Heep feel. Ripper Owens provides some of the vocals. Top stuff indeed. Have a listen:
The title track rocks it up a bit too after a rather gentle beginning with some nice changes of pace and mood throughout. Dreamcatcher stretches out into a proper symphonic/progressive rocker followed by the folksy Wisp evidencing how adept Gandalf’s Fist are at switching styles at ease.
Man of Signs a bit folksy too with the acoustic guitar before the electrics kick in to give us an epic bit of duelling between guitar and keys/organ. Witchmonger comes next which is I think a little spooky.
Cave is the close. An epic twenty minutes of the most wonderful heavy prog you’ll hear anywhere. A clean, cutting central driving riff. Quite remarkable lead breaks in with the keys again and whilst generally towards the heavy side of things check out how seamlessly come in the slower passages along the way before the orchestral-based fade out at the end. It’s beyond superb.
Most of the vocals are handled by Keri Farish. And what a voice she has. Well suited to the songs and full of emotion in her delivery.
Widdershins I’d say is Gandalf’s Fist’s most instantly accessible and “straight ahead” album if I can put it that way. Do check it out – and their other stuff too. Everything they’ve done is so well done, varied and imaginative.
Buy Widdershins directly from the band’s web site:
https://gandalfsfist.com/
I think you’ll be glad you did……