The Clockwork Fable

Untitled

The Clockwork Fable is the sixth regular studio album by the English progressive rock band Gandalf's Fist. Released on 1 May 2016, it is a three disc spanning rock-opera interspersed with a professionally acted radio play between the actual songs. Each disc of the record serves as an individual element of a traditional three-act structure.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Babyblaue Seiten (de)
Classic Rock Magazine

Classic Rock Magazine's Geoff Barton wrote "a conceptional tour de force, it reduces Rick Wakeman's The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table to the level of a Chas & Dave Cockney knees-up." in his review in issue 224, awarding it 9/10 Points.

Prog Magazine's Steve Pilkington writes "[...] Imagine The War Of The Worlds if it had been tackled by Ayreon rather than Jeff Wayne and you’re halfway there. Indeed, Arjen Lucassen’s just one of the guests here, along with Blaze Bayley (Iron Maiden), and prog-savvy actors Mark Benton and Zach ‘Gremlins’ Galligan. [...] this is a career-defining, magical epic."

Fireworks Magazine writes "[...] lengthy progressive epics [...] nothing short of stunning. [...] If you love 70s prog with an eye for Jethro Tull, Genesis and the Pop leanings of Greg Lake, the 80s update the likes of IQ, Galahad or Twelfth Night provided, or even the more pointed stabs of Porcupine Tree, you'll find them all here. As you will a slice of Prog Metal technicality and hefty helping of intrinsically British NWOBHM fret fury – and obviously the storytelling of War Of The Worlds. [...] an album that genuinely deserves to be given the accolade of current and future classic. Conceptual, progressive rock, genuinely doesn't get better than this."

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Dean Marsh, except where noted. All Lead vocals by Dean Marsh, except where noted.

Disc One

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"The Traveller and the Lighter"			4:13
2.	"Shadowborn"		Hollick	6:51
3.	"The unminable zone"			2:32
4.	"The Lamplighter (Parts I-VIII)"		Marsh, Hollick	15:58
5.	"In the Cavern of the Great Cog"			3:52
6.	"The Great Cog"	Marsh, Hepe		5:15
7.	"The Shadow rises..."			5:52
8.	"The Capture (Including the Song for a Fallen Nightkeeper)"		Severn, Marsh	6:51
9.	"Waiting for Exile"			7:05
10.	"Eve's Song"		Hollick	8:27
Total length:				67:00

Disc Two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"A Sermon for Shadowmas"			7:18
2.	"Victims of the Light"		Oberlé, Marsh	7:31
3.	"Old Friends, new Enemies"			7:18
4.	"Ditchwater Daisies"		Marsh, Hollick	5:32
5.	"De-ranged"			3:54
6.	"The Lamplighter (Parts IX-XIII)"	Marsh, Hepe, Severn	Lucassen, Hollick, Severn	6:59
7.	"In the Name of the Spy"			8:16
8.	"The Bewildering Conscience of a Clockwork Child"			15:45
9.	"Escape!"			8:45
10.	"A Solemn Toast for the Steam Ranger Reborn"		Marsh, Oberlé	8:45
Total length:				71:14

Disc Three

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"The oldest Flame"		7:18
2.	"The Lamplighter (Parts XIV-XV)"		7:31
3.	"Flight for the Surface"		7:18
4.	"The Climb"	Marsh, Hollick	5:32
5.	"At the Summit"		3:54
6.	"Fight for the Light"	Marsh, Dying Seed	6:59
7.	"Quest for Power"		8:16
8.	"At the Sign of the Aperture"	Bayley	15:45
9.	"A Machine serves his purpose"		8:45
10.	"The Clockwork Fable"		8:45
11.	"Escape from Cogtopolis"		8:45
12.	"Through the Lens"	Hollick	8:45
13.	"Epilogue - Oh Bugger!"		8:45
Total length:			71:14

Personnel

• Dean Marsh – 6 and 12 string electric guitars, mandolin, octave mandola, keyboards, lead and backing vocals
• Luke Severn – lead and backing vocals
• Stefan Hepe – drums, percussion
• Christopher Ewen – bass guitar

Guest musicians

• Melissa Hollick - lead and backing vocals
• Dave Oberlé - lead and backing vocals, Bodhran and Tan-Tan
• Arjen Lucassen - lead vocals
• Blaze Bayley - lead vocals
• Matt Stevens – 6 and 12 string electric guitars

Voice actors

• Mark Benton
• Zach Galligan
• Paul Kavanagh
• Bill Fellows
• Tim Munro
• Paul Barnhill