White Willows sixth studio album Terminal Twilight (2011) is re-issued by Karisma Records on 19 September 2025, in remastered form on CD and for the first time on vinyl.
Meticulously remastered by the band’s head honcho Jacob Holm-Lupo, this is the last in a series of six White Willow re-releases on Karisma Records.
To paraphrase Chloe Kelly from the title winning England Women’s team, the first one was so nice, I had to review it twice.
For my initial review back in 2011, I was a relative newcomer to the world of Jacob Holm-Lupo, as I was only aware of his Opium Cartel albums, but Terminal Twilight quickly became my favourite of the Norwegian’s musician’s myriad of releases.
I am particularly excited to get my hands on a vinyl copy of the album, with a limited translucent orange vinyl release available in September 2025.
Like all of Jacob’s remasters, a huge amount of care and consideration has informed the process. Jacob does not just whack up the volume, so brick walled this album is not!
The bass synth on album opener Hawks Circle The Mountain is warm and deep, and the placement of individual instruments and performances feels much more natural and open than the original mix (which was still excellent by the way). So whilst the album sounds better than ever before, it’s a subtle but worthwhile upgrade.
One of the finest modern day progressive rock albums continues with the beautiful Snowswept, highlighting the clarity of vocalist Sylvia Erichsen’s vocals. The playful bass and drum interplay is an absolute joy to behold.
Kansas Regrets saw Jacob collaborating once again with no-man’s Tim Bowness, on the least progressive sounding track on the album. The production really shines on this new remaster, and Kansas Regrets is one of Tim’s most rewarding guest appearances to date.
Red Leaves gives off Jeff Wayne’s War Of The World vibes, and the gradual switch from vocals, piano & guitar to the full band performance is breathtaking.
And before you know it, we arrive on Floor 67, a song that over the years has become one of my favourite tracks. This dystopian epic became even more powerful for me after I saw Ben Wheatley’s 2015 film adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s High Rise. Floor 67 feels like a perfect musical companion piece to this shocking film.
The lyrics are so on point whilst the organs and guitar parts flit between the powerful drums and jagged guitar lines, along with snatches of lost radio transmission-like vocals and a performance that seems to conjure up apocalyptic weather systems that batter the residents high up on Floor 67.
As you gather your senses after the onslaught delivered by the previous track, Natasha of the Burning Woods delivers a mostly instrumental palette cleanser.
The album’s longest track is the 13 minute Searise, again pointing at the potential climate-change led demise for the unlucky occupants of Floor 67.
Searise is White Willow at their most musically brutal, and the epic song slowly fades away as White Willow ushers in the closing track, A Rumour Of Twilight, a calm after the (literal) storm instrumental that signifies either an abrupt end or hopefully the faint hope of a new beginning.
Terminal Twilight is a powerful, lovingly produced and executed modern day progressive classic, that deserves to be re-appraised in its 2025 remastered form, either on vinyl or CD.
I’ll see you up on Floor 67, don’t be late.
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Buy White Willow’s Terminal Twilight CD from Amazon
Buy White Willow’s Terminal Twilight on vinyl from Amazon
CD TRACKLIST:
Hawks Circle the Mountain
Snowswept
Kansas Regrets
Red Leaves
Floor 67
Natasha of the Burning Woods
Searise
A Rumour of Twilight
LP TRACKLIST:
Hawks Circle the Mountain
SSeariset
Kansas Regrets
Red Leaves
A Rumour of Twilight
Floor 67
Natasha of the Burning Woods
Searise
Mr Kinski's Music Shack 
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