Details of the second of six releases from the back catalogue of prog legends White Willow revealed

Following its plan to release a total of six albums from the back catalogue of WHITE WILLOW, Karisma Records have announced that the 12th April will see the second album from the Norwegian Prog Legends hit the streets.

First released in 1997 “Ex Tenebris” followed the release band’s first album “Ignis Fatuus” which had been recorded by the by-now disbanded original lineup of WHITE WILLOW. As such, Jacob Holm-Lupo intended it to be a solo album, but, realising that it was heading in a more progressive direction than originally anticipated, “Ex Tenebris” became a full-blown White Willow production.

With only a shoestring budget at the band’s disposal, the recording itself was, by necessity, quick and dirty, but nevertheless there was a certain charm to the natural drum ambience and the overall “first takes only” feel to the album.

Overall, “Ex Tenebris” ended up being a more stripped-down, somewhat darker album than its predecessor, with more electric guitars and synths and a marked absence of krumhorns or renaissance vocal groups. In fact, the album has become a bit of a cult favourite with the band’s fans, and signposted WHITE WILLOWS’S first step towards something more original than the retro-styled psych-folk of “Ignis Fatuus”.

The songs themselves range from almost neo-progish mini-epics like “Leaving the House of Thanatos”, to the acoustic balladry of “The Book of Love” and “Thirteen Days”, and the more overtly gothic sound of “A Strange Procession” and “A Dance of Shadows”.

For its re-release “Ex Tenebris” has undergone meticulous remastering by WHITE WILLOW’s own Jacob Holm-Lupo and is available for first time on vinyl. Complete with the original classic cover art “Ex Tenebris” will be available in CD, Digital and Limited Edition Double LP in transparent blue vinyl.

Tracklisting, for “Ex Tenebris”, which has a slight variation in the track order of the CD and LP versions,  is as follows:

1. CD TRACKLIST:
2. Leaving the House of Thanatos
3. The Book of Love
4. Soteriology
5. Helen and Simon Magus
6. Thirteen Days
7. A Strange Procession
8. A Dance of Shadows

1. LP TRACKLIST:
2. Leaving the House of Thanatos
3. The Book of Love
4. Helen and Simon Magus
5. Thirteen Days
6. Soteriology
7. A Strange Procession
8. A Dance of Shadows

“Ex Tenebris” is now available to pre-order from:

karismarecords.no/shop/
whitewillow.bandcamp.com
karismarecords.indiemerch.com

WHITE WILLOW was formed in 1992 by guitarist Jacob Holm-Lupo, who at that time was a member of the POLICE/BRUCE HORNSBY-inspired pop band THE ORCHID GARDEN, and keyboard player Jan Tariq Rahman from local jazz-rock/prog rock band DUGGVÅTE DVE.

It was a case of two musicians coming together see if they had any kind of songwriting chemistry, and, whilst sitting on the floor playing acoustic guitar and clavinet, produced the track “Snowfall” which convinced them that they could, indeed, come up with something worthwhile.

WHITE WILLOW’s history, however, was never simple, with members having come and gone over the years and only Holm-Lupo having remained with the band since its inception, whilst WOBBLERS Lars Fredrik Frøislie has been a mainstay since 2001.

The band’s sound too has undergone changes, but it’s safe to say that it is frequently centered around female vocals and an expanded instrumentation that usually includes a host of analogue synthesizers, mellotron, woodwinds and strings, in addition, of course to traditional rock instrumentation.

Now, exclusively a studio project, WHITE WILLOW is noted for featuring guest appearances from prominent musicians such as Norway’s guitar hero Hedvig Mollestad, or internationally renowned klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer. 

By the time the re-release project is finished, Karisma Records will have released all six of the following albums:

Ignis Fatuus – 1995 (released Nov 2023)

Ex Tenebris – 1997 (due for release April 2024)

Sacrament – 2000

Storm Season – 2004

Signal to Noise – 2006

Terminal Twilight – 2011

More information about WHITE WILLOW can be found at www.facebook.com/whitewillowband/