| transition has been a relative
term that aptly describes the musical chameleon known as willow wisp.
given decrepit birth to in anno 1987 by founders toe knee (tribal reversal,
larynx shredding, poe-etry, refuse destroyer) and air ick (vocals, chest
shredder, jesus stabber, guitars, bass, demented art atrocities). willow
wisp has forged a fire that burns as bright and serene as a sonic incinerator.
impenetrable survivors who never allowed the deteriorating rue of time
to dismantle their vision, willow wisp has endured more alienation and
ridicule than a band half their age yet at the same time has come to
be revered in many underground metal/goth contingents as a cult held
in high esteem. weathering the storms of the 80's thrash, glam and death
rock explosions and the 90's death metal and industrial revolutions
willow wisp borrowed the most logical elements of them all whilst employing
cinematic sounds, a poetic license to rival poe and a theatrical stage
show bestdescribed as classic kiss and w.a.s.p. in a rumble with gg
allin and cradle of filth overlooked by anton lavey.... or something
to that extent. such foreign sights as a cross with a brain attached
to it (representing the death of all religion), backwards drumming,
a trash can murder ritual, and magical and superstitious props decorating
the stage set the group apart from any of their contemporaries. along
with their infamy has come a vast plethora of rewards including many
independent label and self released titles- the building up and breaking
down of matter (pandamonium records/germany - 1998), delusions of grandeur
(a gathering of heretics) (fullmoon productions/florida - 1999), continuation
of deterioration (self released - 2002), covered in filth - a tribute
to cradle of filth (cleopatra records - 2003), decade of violence and
deterioration - dvd (self released - 2005), a tribute to the hordes
of bathory (blackgoat productions/germany - 2006), enmity (quadrivium
records/los angele s- 200?) as yet unreleased.they have also graced
the pages of some of the world's most prestigious major magazines/fanzines,
books and television shows (hit parader, pit, bw&bk, metal maniacs,
gothic beauty, oui, metal hammer, nordic vision, somber, keeper, ill
literature, throat culture, rock detector's a to z of worldwide black
metal, jenny jones, rolanda) and appeared on various indie film soundtracks
such as infamous canadian filmmaker alexandre michaud's gorefest's 'urban
flesh' and 'goregoyles' both done in the style of italian horror master
lucio fulci. recently added to their resume was the inclusion on spain's
maestro of the macabre paul naschy's 2004 american thriller debut 'countess
dracula's orgy of blood' that features willow wisp on the soundtrack.
2007 arrived like a bad nightmare as the unthinkable transpired and
after numerous attempts to simmer a continued mounting of differences
in opinion, attitude and agenda co founders air ick and toe knee sadly
parted ways. nearly 21 years of creating musical aristocracy was halted
and a bittersweet rampage of understandable infighting ensued. camps
were divided and soon enough an invisible verbal war was waged between
the (old) willow wisp faithful, (new) willow wisp? armada and those
who were/are accepting of the inevitability of change. the situation
was a sensitive one indeed. in essence no one knew the reasons for the
dismissal except the parties involved and believe me the reasons are
well validated. after all is said and done we wish air ick the best
and perhaps one day we will make music together again. fear not though
future corpses, (un)tainted blood has been transfused into what was
a slowly dying cadaver moist with formaldehyde. it's damaged cell tissue
now reinvigorated and rejuvenated. new vokillist M6D6M6A (lung emanations
brought forth by passion & rage) has infused a fresh sense of being,
an exasperating determination that verges on frightening and a truly
Satanic point of view. his image is also unique to the strict wisp code
of long hair in that his is sheared short which gives the visual presentation
a cryptically militaristic angle, intermingling the classic german expressionism
of the 'cabinet of dr caligari' with the subterranean onslaught of hammer's
'plague of the zombies'. a legend amongst men the keyboard/sound effects
wizard eyajo (keys, disdained noises of melancholy and gloom) formerly
of death rock stalwarts astrovamps is now on board to weave simple yet
effective tapestries of darkly woven electronic gestures. he is also
adding a subtle touch of surprise with lyrical contributions of a whole
different perspective. the ever faithful zombie hermit- ibex (sicks
string transmutations from the netherworld, samples of audio dread)
is prepared to die for the cause continuing an ever increasing song
crafting legacy that sees him presenting some of his most diabolically
memorable fret burnings to date, not to mention his ghastly conjuration
of some of the strangest sound trances known (or rather, unknown) to
man (un)kind. leader toe knee is now manning the eternal ghost galleon
through torrid waters, fueling the vessel with the fire it desires and
if any heinous fiend is capable of bringing this overtly demoniacal,
psychologically complex and theatrically inventive unit of mental degenerate
geniuses to world prominence it is he.2008 is shaping up to be the band's
busiest thus far. the long awaited release of 'enmity' on los angeles'
quadrivium records is imminent and a new offering of 'eclectic/avant
garde/black/death/doom/thrash/goth/punk/soundtrack metal' featuring
the unearthly decompositions- 'perishable amongst the perishing', 'prisoners
of technology', '7734999', 'supreme narcissist' , 'i watched you drown'
and 'drug' await patiently for fresh virgin ears to deflower. an appearance
on canada's bw&bk compilation brought offers for a potential canadian
tour and profile/features in santa cruz california's 'yourmusicmagazine',
germany's biggest horror publication 'virus' and numerous reviews in
such luminary cult 'zines as cost rica's 'call to the infernal hordes',
los angeles' 'bulldozer' and romania's 'blood swell' not to mention
a newly realized stage revamping guaranteed to entertain, disgust, shock
and titillate, summer shows in france and the ongoing siege of rumors,
perpetrating naysayers and jealous non-crusading bipeds ensures an exciting
existence for all and sundry. DEFY THE MUNDANE!! |