By Jonny Bakes
With the recent shock news to come out of camp Nightwish announcing the departure of vocalist Marko Heitala, I ended up heading off on a bit of a symphonic metal binge to remind myself that there is more to symphonic metal than Nightwish (although I’m pretty sure I know a few people who would argue otherwise). As a result, I ended up stumbling across Winterage, whose name stirs a very vague memory but are a band that I can’t say I’ve ever dedicated time to listening to until now…
Fortunately, I don’t have too much catching up to do as ‘The Inheritance of Beauty’ is the follow up to their debut ‘The Harmonic Passage’, which promises to be a pretty ambitious effort that builds upon the critical success of that debut album. We all know that the sophomore release is that make-or-break step for a band, so going all out with ambition is definitely the right call to make especially considering the competition in the European symphonic metal scene, so let’s see how it stacks up!
Things get off to a promising start with a very dramatic ‘Ouverture’ that shows that Winterage are really laying it on thick with the symphonic aspects. It’s a real bombastic opener (and that’s not a word I use often) that comes across like the opening credits of a movie, or the start of a stage musical. This carefully crafted symphony builds momentum with a combination of operatic vocals, strings, wind instruments and traditional celtic instruments and rolls its way to a mighty crescendo that flows seamlessly into the title track.
Where some albums may create a huge atmosphere that falls flat into a massive anti-climax, Winterage have achieved the complete opposite. ‘The Inheritance of Beauty’ takes the atmosphere formed by that introductory ‘Overture’ and makes every effort to out-epic it, which is a term I think I’ve made up for this very purpose. Daniele Barborossa’s vocals are outstanding; the combination of Italian language and clear classical training lends to a strong operatic feel to the songs which works perfectly within this genre. The guitar work shifts from fast riffs to complex solos whilst interweaving with classical arrangements courtesy of violinist Gabriele Boschi and it’s these arrangements that make Winterage really stand out amongst the crowd.
Some of you may have come across Gabriele in his alternate guise as one of the orchestrators for the Vivaldi Metal Project (if you haven’t checked this out yet, I strongly suggest you do) and he uses this high calibre musical craftsmanship to make Winterage a symphonic force to be reckoned with! Every track on this album is special in its own unique way as the emphasis changes from track to track allowing the contribution of every member to shine through. Like all good symphonies, this is like a musical tapestry that bears a message of the fight of beauty against decadence, how true beauty is hidden within humans and that artists are the ones who can capture this beauty and display it for all to see.
‘The Inheritance of Beauty’ has been a real surprise for me. I went in expecting it to struggle against the strong competition, but instead I was completely blown away by the incredibly strong compositions and truly epic nature of this album. This is an absolute must-own for anyone who likes their music to have a huge sound and take them on a bit of a journey and will appeal to those who have an appreciation for classical music as well as those already fans of the genre. If Rhapsody of Fire, Blind Guardian, Kamelot, or Sonata Arctica are in regular rotation in your music collection, then Winterage will easily muscle their way into the mix for sure! ‘The Inheritance of Beauty’ is quite possibly the shining light that we need in these dark times, you can get completely lost in the music and take the time to really appreciate the beauty that is oft overlooked. Or in simpler terms, it’s completely blown me away and I reckon it’ll do the same to you too!
- ‘The Inheritance of Beauty’ is out now. You can get your copy, and loads of other Winterage goodies, HERE.
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