WHITE WILLOW – Ignis Fatuus (Remastered)

This remastered re-issue of White Willow’s legendary debut offering titled Ignis Fatuus is a most welcome addition to the prog rock collection. What a joy and thrill it is to relive this eclectic mixture of symphonic rock, prog, and inspired folk music again given that it sounds better than ever thanks to creative genius Jacob Holm-Lupo’s recent tweaking of the knobs.

Originally released back in 1995 to much critical acclaim, this sparkling new 2023 issue on CD sports the classic original artwork and boasts more clarity and definition with respect to each single instrument, and somehow it all feels a little more balanced and muscular here – a case in point being the sublime ‘The Withering of the Boughs’ and the pastoral, meditative ‘Lines on an Autumnal Evening’. Even if you own the original version of this forward-thinking gem, the sonic quality of this excellent re-issue makes it worth examining and investing one’s time in. To state that this is akin to discovering hidden layers and nuances of a relatively old classic pretty much sums up the experience of this scribe when subjecting it to careful study and analysis. Very cool, very essential, and those stunning vocal melodies in ‘Lord of Night’ are even crisper-sounding and more chilling now.