WHITE WILLOW – Terminal Twilight (2025 Remaster)

RELEASE YEAR: 2025
BAND URL: https://whitewillow.bandcamp.com/album/terminal-twilight-remaster

Originally released fourteen years ago, Terminal Twilight marked a return of sorts as White Willow had more or less ceased activities for a while following the release of Signal to Noise (2006), and although it is hardly the most accessible entry in the group’s varied discography, Terminal Twilight is the most rewarding listen and a bit of a favorite to this scribe.   

There is an emphasis on “prog” throughout, and White Willow are truly flexing their muscles on sprawling epics such as “Hawks Circle the Mountain” and “Searise,” but it also contains a subtle darkness and an eerie quality that underpins pretty much everything on the disc. That folk-esque, bucolic, and occasionally pastoral feel that one might associate with their first couple of albums is very much present here, but the melodies, synthesizers, and Mellotron evoke a sense of unease and horror at times, which makes for a cracking good listen (a case in point being “Floor 67”). The psych/folk-touches work splendidly here, and its “otherness” coupled with melancholy is truly appealing. Given that the LP is a richly layered and beautifully weighted piece of work, it is a treat to dig into this remastered version of it as there is a little more space between the instruments, boasting a fuller and meatier sound overall.

This 2025 version brings a warmer aura to the material, and the exploratory nature of its eight compositions makes it a joy to revisit. It might not be the most obvious place to start for neophytes, but as I said, Terminal Twilight rewards the patient listener and is a highly rewarding experience.