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White Willow — Terminal Twilight
(Karisma KAR236, 2011/2025, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-08-31

Terminal Twilight Cover art

After the release of Signal to Noise in 2006, White Willow’s leader Jacob Holm-Lupo put his attention into The Opium Cartel, and it would not be until 2011 that White Willow returned with Terminal Twilight. Originally released on Termo Records in Norway, Pancromatic on LP, and Laser’s Edge in the rest of the world, Terminal Twilight has been out of print for a while, but now it’s the sixth and last of the White Willow albums to be rereleased on Karisma, available in both CD and LP form as well as downloads. Holm-Lupo’s collaborators this time out were Sylvia Skjellestad (lead vocals), Ellen Andrea Wang (bass), Mattias Olsson (drums, percussion, keyboards), Lars Fredrik Frøislie (keyboards), and Ketil Vestrum Einarsen (woodwinds), with the leader handling a bit of everything; Tim Bowness (vocals), Michael S. Judge (guitar), and David Lundberg (keyboards) guest on one or two tracks each. Musically, this is a further step along the band’s path, and a superb example of symphonic progressive rock done right. The eight tracks range from under five minutes to more than thirteen, and all of them pack a punch, full of great melodies, excellent arrangements, and tight playing — hard to go wrong with musicians like these. One of the factors that makes the album work so well is that in spite of the melodicism, the music never wimps out into just being vapidly beautiful, and even when it gets to its peaks of volume and intensity, it never loses a sense of grandeur. There are lots of vintage keyboard sounds, but it doesn’t sound like a fetish, as there are also modern touches. This is a sure winner for any fan of progressive rock, and Holm-Lupo’s new remaster sounds incredible, so even existing fans might consider replacing the old media. (And check out the other recently remastered albums as well.)

Filed under: Reissues, 2025 releases, 2011 recordings

Related artist(s): White Willow, Tim Bowness, Ellen Andrea Wang, Jacob Holm-Lupo / Telepath, Lars Fredrik Frøislie

More info
http://whitewillow.bandcamp.com/album/terminal-twilight-remaster

 

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