Based in Genova, Italy we have symphonic power metal band WINTERAGE. The band were formed around 2015 and with the release of The Inheritance of Beauty in January 2021 it shows the mix operatic symphonies mixed with thunderous riffing going from strength to strength. The album opens with into track "Ouverture". From the start this is very operatic in sound and very cinematic. But it does set up the atmosphere for what is to come as it builds up. Then we get the title track "The Inheritance of Beauty". The band really comes charging in from the start of this one. The violin here really adds a nice melody and I love the guitar work. A cool section is a dueling guitar and violin solos that are worth checking out.

Next up we have "The Wisdom of Us" and the intro here really sucks you in as it's a great rocking tune. There is a lot of range to be heard here with the vocals. Big sounding choruses here as well. As an Irishman myself (born and raised in Dublin, Ireland) I really enjoyed the Irish folk middle section in this song. We then get to the song "Of Heroes and Wonders" which seems to be the main single from the album. It has a very epic feel to it and the band sounds like there are a force to be reckoned with. Complete with some really cool solos as well, this song sounds like it could be a big hit.

The song "Chain of Heaven" has this great guitar lick to its intro and the drums here are on fire. There is a cool part to the song where the violin play off the same melody with the guitar coming in on top of it towards the end. The violin work is really killing it here with its solos working well along side the guitar solos. A real stand out track is "La morte di Venere". It is a very operatic composition with guest female vocals here. A beautiful use of strings here and a subtle choir in the back ground. Towards the end the guitar comes in which really adds icing to the cake in regards to this piece of music.

And finally we get to the final song with "The Amazing Toymaker". The music here gently seeps in and then has a spoken word section tell the narrative of the songs story and this will reappear at different times through out this song. The choir here adds this sinister feel to the song and then we get the band stomping right in. the entire feel to this song feels and plays out like an opera. There are some really great guitar work here and the violin really carries the melody. This is a very progressive song filled with many sections and all of different styles. With all these sections each band member gets a time to shine as well and as the song plays through it will go plays you wouldn't think it would. With this last track clocking in at 16 and a half minutes the band are really going out with a bang.

From listening to The Inheritance of Beauty the impression I got was that there is some great orchestral work here. Through out there is a great Celtic feel to it, this is shown on the track "The Mutineers". The band sounds really tight and the solos aren't very flashy but they really add to the songs and really lift them up. There is a heavy classical influence on here and I like how at times the vocals switch between languages.