Winterage - Nekya Review

This year has been really hard for some of my strongest beliefs. I’ve been dealing with lots of changes of mindsetting due to the extreme quality of the bands I’ve been reviewing. Is it bad? No, not at all for three reasons. First of all, I’m not a hard headed person that in no way changes opinion even if confronted with strong evidence. Second of all, to receive extreme quality bands to listen and review them is the dream job of most metalheads. Third of all, and this is more specific to today’s review, it’s great to see that Power Metal isn’t as predictable as I say. Of course, as a crystalized subgenre of Metal music, Power Metal has its musical strongholds that sometimes are the thing that I criticize the most. Thanks to Rhapsody – now Rhapsody of Fire – and their extreme quality as band, their formula has spread as a disease – not in the good Metal sense – to all Power Metal bands on this sad and lonely and pathetic little planet. It gives me the heebie jeebies all the times I have to review a wanna-be Rhapsody band here. I’ll admit that I had to pass some of them. And believe me, I love Power Metal. Helloween, Angra, Viper, Rhapsody are bands that I simply love.

So, now what do Winterage’s “Nekya” have so dissimilar to arise all this discussion? The details. As some say the devil is the details. I guess that if someone else listen to this album, the opinion will be totally different. But I’ll stick to my opinion – I’m not hard headed!

As an album, there are lots of Rhapsody’s elements in “Nekya.” It’s undeniable. But the way Winterage put them all is what makes the difference. There are strong Folk Metal elements as in “La Fonte d’Essenza,” – a medieval inspired ballad with strong operatic vocals – but the thing is they sound somehow different. The instrumentals are intricate and complex not to say sometimes flamboyant tending to be a little show off. But they do sound convincing. The secret of the guitars is they don’t use always the same exotic scales as many use today just to prove they are the best guitarists of this sad and lonely and pathetic little planet. They fit in the music. That’s the right term. They do fit.

Due to album warmer “Apertio ad Profundum” and other tracks as “Dark Enchantment” with strong classical music drive, it would more accurate to label Winterage as a Symphonic Power Metal band. Here’s the one thing Winterage abuse of. They are the classical musical elements. But again, they do fit. “Nekya” isn’t clearly an album for metalheads that don’t stand classical music elements. They are everywhere in the album even in tracks with a heavier grip as “White Leviathan.” From where I’m standing, it’s a crystalized element of Power Metal.

Here we’ve got an album that explains better the word influence. Winterage show their influences here and make them of their own.

Winterage “Nekya” was released on July 07th via Scarlet Records.

Track Listing: