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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
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│ + Winterage - The Harmonic Passage + │
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│ │
│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Apr-19-2015 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │
│║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2015 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........13 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.winterage.net ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Winterage Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : The Harmonic Passage Label : Independent ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Anyone familiar with Italian power metal should ║ │
│║ already have a pretty comprehensive grasp on ║ │
│║ what to expect from Winterage. Very much in the ║ │
│║ vein of Rhapsody of Fire, Fairyland and Dark ║ │
│║ Moor, expect well-crafted, Wagnerian ║ │
│║ orchestrations beveled by the occasional ║ │
│║ implementation of marginally alluring riffs that ║ │
│║ typically discharge salvos of clinical ║ │
│║ shredding, disregarding the efficacy of the ║ │
│║ rhythm section at the same time. Nearly all of ║ │
│║ the imbalances typically associated with the ║ │
│║ style are carried over here as well, so The ║ │
│║ Harmonic Passage certainly isn't going to break ║ │
│║ any new ground, but that doesn't mean it is ║ │
│║ particularly lacking in the appropriate ║ │
│║ credentials. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ As expected, this is a lengthy time investment ║ │
│║ on the longplay, and the ambitious scope of the ║ │
│║ narrative takes advantages of such. Having a ║ │
│║ full-time keyboardist with chops is of ║ │
│║ immeasurable benefit, but Winterage also ║ │
│║ implement violins into their expanding armament. ║ │
│║ From a symphonic point of view, this is a viable ║ │
│║ front line, and there is a fine amalgamation of ║ │
│║ all of the disparate elements throughout. The ║ │
│║ keyboards oftentimes emulate brass sections and ║ │
│║ other corporeal instruments similar to Bal- ║ │
│║ Sagoth, and the violin obviously draws some ║ │
│║ parallels to Elvenking when it trades off with ║ │
│║ the skittering leads and the ever-pulsating ║ │
│║ rhythm section. Europower of this caliber simply ║ │
│║ never manages to satiate my appetite for meaty ║ │
│║ riffs, and while Gisotti can craft some sublime ║ │
│║ leads, the entire rhythm section takes a back ║ │
│║ seat to the encompassing breadth of the vocals ║ │
│║ and over saturation of melody. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ At any rate, there is very little to complain ║ │
│║ about concerning Barbarossa's performance. He ║ │
│║ can really let the glass-shattering high notes ║ │
│║ fly when necessary, and has a decent control of ║ │
│║ the upper register so desperately required for ║ │
│║ the style. The bell curve concerning the ║ │
│║ material here accentuates the lengthy, with ║ │
│║ repeated trade-offs between the violin and ║ │
│║ keyboardist, with everybody else save for ║ │
│║ Barbarossa simply playing second-fiddle out of ║ │
│║ necessity. I wish there were some slower tunes ║ │
│║ with more emphasis on the riffs, since every ║ │
│║ time the symphonic slant lets up enough to ║ │
│║ warrant such, the drums are still fidgeting away ║ │
│║ in constant double-bass dribbles, precluding the ║ │
│║ ability to get a good rockin' groove going. ║ │
│║ Damn, I know I shouldn't expect much of that for ║ │
│║ this kind of music, but over an hour of the this ║ │
│║ material can get very tiring if approached in ║ │
│║ any way other than piecemeal. "Victory March" ║ │
│║ stands out as a great instrumental break with ║ │
│║ some stellar guitar shredding, but it comes a ║ │
│║ bit too late in the procession to do any real ║ │
│║ damage. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Regardless, the level of quality does escalate ║ │
│║ as the album goes on, almost as if the band is ║ │
│║ becoming more intrinsic to the formulas ║ │
│║ implemented throughout. "The Endless Well" is ║ │
│║ just totally on point and finally shows us ║ │
│║ something of further experimental prowess with ║ │
│║ the operatic guest vocalist contributions. More ║ │
│║ of that would have been more than welcome, but ║ │
│║ in the end there are just as many (if not more) ║ │
│║ faceless tunes here. Nothing even comes close to ║ │
│║ being offensive, but there is a lack of tonal ║ │
│║ variety that sort of stagnates the proceedings ║ │
│║ more often than it should. The melodies are ║ │
│║ strong overall, but few are true ear-stickers. ║ │
│║ Given the fact that this isn't my personal ║ │
│║ favorite style of power metal (I prefer the ║ │
│║ heavier Teutonic camp), Winterage should be ║ │
│║ proud that they managed to keep me relatively ║ │
│║ invested for the duration. As for the rest of ║ │
│║ you who really eat this stuff up, I think this ║ │
│║ is worth a gander. Not bad, guys. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - Ouverture In Do Minore [03:52] │
│ 02 - The Harmonic Passage [06:17] │
│ 03 - The Flame Shall Not Fade [04:40] │
│ 04 - Wirewings [05:28] │
│ 05 - Son Of Winter [04:37] │
│ 06 - La Caccia Di Turin [05:57] │
│ 07 - Golden Worm [07:02] │
│ 08 - Victory March [04:10] │
│ 09 - La Grotta Di Cristallo [06:09] │
│ 10 - Crown To The Crowds [01:11] │
│ 11 - Panserbjorne [05:51] │
│ 12 - The Endless Well [03:48] │
│ 13 - Awakening [06:32] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [65:34 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│■ ■│
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