This is one of the next
reissues of the expanded edition’s from one of White Willow’s catalog on the
Termo label that is their fourth album and follow up to Sacrament entitled, Storm
Season. Originally released on The Laser’s Edge label eleven years ago, it shows
White Willow moving from the gentle, folk, and pastoral sounds into a sinister
and darker approach that makes it a straightforward record. With the addition
of Lars Fredrik Frosilie who brought in his analog sound with the synths,
organs, and the Mellotron to come on board, the band went into a heavier sound.
It is almost like the
soundtrack of the futuristic atmosphere of a dystopian society gone wrong where
it was and the people who were once helpful, turned almost into insanity that
is the nightmare they are living in and the music fits the vibe on the lyrics
that are strong and raw. Opener, Chemical
Sunset begins with a haunting flute introduction featuring a swirling moog
and choral voices setting the tone as Sylvia’s voice sends shivers down the
spine as the music goes into a classical folky section mixed in with some of
the harder edges thanks to the guitars going into that area that flows in very
well.
Sally Left resembles
an electronic and emotional yet nightmarish touch with a darker version of
early Pink Floyd while Soulburn featuring
vocalist Finn Coren, whose voice reminded me of Van Der Graaf Generator’s Peter
Hammill. It features some of the heavier guitars, dooming bass lines and
unexpected keyboard moments as if someone is creeping up behind you, has a
Doom-Prog touch.
Almost as if it could have
been used during the sessions for either The
Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other or Pawn Hearts, but it is a powerful song that will make you take
notice. As I’ve mentioned, the band have a folkier side. Which they haven’t
forgotten on the short piece, Endless
Science that has an acoustic and moog/mellotron vibe that gives the band a
break for their ominous side and get back into a relaxation for a short moment.
Insomnia begins
with the line “The End of the Night seems
so long and hard to bear/And the blood upon my hands cannot be my own.” Sylvia
sings it so beautifully and you could tell White Willow show a little bit of
their VDGG side on this composition as Lars and drummer Aage Moltke Schou do
this amazing improvisation before Sylvia and the piano come in to give them a
little break for a few minutes and then the band comes in for a closing finale
as Marther Berger Walthinsen’s bass just nails it on each moment he goes in a
different part of the lines on the fret.
It goes into the styles of
King Crimson and a darker spacey finale to close it off with an ominous tone
that just gave me goosebumps at the end. The title track is a surreal
composition that Syliva’s voice goes into a double-tracking vocal and the
guitar is going through a backwards tape and the Mellotron coming in through
some passages as the closer, Nightside of
Eden sees the band back into the harder edge with a Doom Metal approach,
but keeping the touches of the Prog area fit in.
The three bonus tracks that
are on here feature the demos of the songs Nightside
of Eden and Sally Left done in a
different key while the outtake, Headlights
which was originally released on the Japanese pressing on the album, is a
driven midtempo hard rocking yet almost spaced out adventure into the stars that
reminded me of the Hemispheres-era of
Rush.
When Storm Season was released, it was the best selling album to date of 2004 on The Laser’s Edge label. And for me, I had a blast listening to the entire album twice and it showed how much they approved their sound. And for me, this is a crowning achievement that they have unleashed and if you enjoyed their first three albums, Storm Season is a highly recommended album to really sink into.
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