SYMPHONIC LANDSCAPES

Although I admire Gandalf for most of his albums, this one is not my piece of cake. Even the addition of a real orchestra doesn't seem to work here. It took me a lot os spins to get into this one, but it will never become my favourite album the master created i'm afraid. At some points the standard is high and hope shines through when a nice keyboardsolo or guitar is heard on top of the strings. Most tracks seem to lack melody or structure, like we are used from Gandalf. It must have been a huge job to write and record an album like this one, that's what makes it admirable. 2 stars for the effort only!

If you want to start with Gandalf, first try Journey To An Imaginary Land, Visions or Tale From A Long Forgotten Kingdom. Or even one of the compilations like Reflection or Fantasia