White Willow - Ex Tenebris (2024 Remastered Version) (1997) [Hi-Res]

Ex Tenebris is the classic second album from Norwegian prog legends White Willow, originally released in 1997. It was made after the Ignus Fatuus line-up had disbanded. Originally intended to be a solo album by Jacob Holm-Lupo, it turned into a White Willow record when he realized it was going more in a progressive direction than anticipated. The recording was quick and dirty, done on a shoestring budget, but there is some charm to the natural drum ambience and first-takes-only feel of the album.

Overall, Ex Tenebris ended up being a more stripped-down, somewhat darker album than Ignis Fatuus. No krumhorns or renaissance vocal groups, more electric guitar and synths. The songs range from almost neo-progish mini-epics like Leaving the House of Thanatos, via acoustic balladry (The Book of Love, Thirteen Days) to more overtly gothic stuff like A Strange Procession & A Dance of Shadows. The album has become a bit of a cult favourite with the band’s fans, and was White Willows’s first step towards something more original than the first album’s retro-styled psych-folk.

This re-release was meticulously remastered by the band’s own Jacob Holm-Lupo and is presented with the classic original cover art, for the first time on vinyl. This is the second in a series of six White Willow re-releases on Karisma Records.
Tracklist:
1.01 - White Willow - Leaving the House of Thanatos (2024 Remastered Version) (8:05)
1.02 - White Willow - The Book of Love (2024 Remastered Version) (4:55)
1.03 - White Willow - Soteriology (2024 Remastered Version) (5:05)
1.04 - White Willow - Helen and Simon Magus (2024 Remastered Version) (9:16)
1.05 - White Willow - Thirteen Days (2024 Remastered Version) (2:48)
1.06 - White Willow - A Strange Procession (2024 Remastered Version) (4:03)
1.07 - White Willow - A Dance of Shadows (2024 Remastered Version) (13:59)