There seems to be a widely recognized assent about the German traditions of perfectionism and distinction, every now and then attested by outstanding releases of which you can smell a near-compulsive dedication at the very glance of the album package - case of STEORRAH's sophomore release "II Thin White Paint", highly reminiscent of OPETH at their peak. A roughly one-hour-stroll is doubtlessly one of the best I've had in 2015; just grab the stuff to see what I mean!

Dealing with the quest to enlightenment, substance, love, hope and all that really matters, the baritone-ranged Andreas März's vocals convert at times to a low falsetto, providing monstrous growls as an obvious consequence - opposites yet one emerging from another, the beauty and the beast concept illustrated throughout the record not only vocally but also instrumentally bouncing back and forth from sheer electrical rage to refined nylon/steel-stringed softies in a muscular contrast of shades.

Another noteworthy asset of "II Thin White Paint" is the outright drum chef-d'oeuvre. Let's take for instance the majestic intro of "The Milk Of The Human Kindness", a track where every beat is well studied leaving nothing to a pure fluke, thus molding a sturdy sound yet indulging the other instruments, and setting the bass guitar free to fiercely ramp on whirling up and down till the captivating progressive breakdowns prior to the acoustic guitar and the clean vocals soothing the roaring temper, switching from raw to sophisticated and vice versa. Scorching is the distorted electric guitar when standing for a keyboard as background, coupled with a higher range backing vocals providing sensual harmonics for such well-written melodies and intriguing chords progressions as well as a dramatic string ensemble. Still, the guitar solo literally aced this track, all with a sound quality of excellence.

A solid elaborated rhythm section is key for the low-key jazzy interludes, as for "Tea Leaves For Eosphoros"'s ablaze fretless bass, the small details creating all the glory of any work with such complementarily acoustically-backed sensitive wails and raging merciless growls with an arsenal of electric chords and vivacious drums, the very ingredients that forged OPETH's critical success and hopefully paving the path for the fellows of STEORRAH someday. As the track grooves like boogie at times, the headbanging archetypal progressive sections can go back over and over till hypnosis (summoning up UMM KULTHUM's legendary vocal riffs), all mystically ending in triple dots...

Albeit sounding less technical than OPETH, both chords and vocal performance are more emotionally charged in this present material in a perfect blend based on interesting scales, unorthodox time signatures as well as echoed decentralized lead jazzy guitar leaving you to wonder whether it's actually leading or rhythming. By listening to a track like "Runt Of The Litter" or the more jovial "Meta's Attic", you can figure out to what extent the fellows are utterly absorbed in a clearly established vision, having only to bring it to light with the available means and even extending their toolbox to the piano surprisingly replacing an expected bullet of palm-muted chords on the holy fingering and drum and bass folly of "Winchester Geese" or else the world touch in The "Twelve Nights Of 1984" classily tying the acoustic steel strings hand in hand with the electrical jazz effect with a breathtaking intro solo, rocking double kicks, adroitly crafted riffs and challenging scales sending you rolling with non-stop arpeggios in a gnawa-like spell.

A notable study case: "Misericordia - The Great Gig In Disguise", on how the simplest line can be developed and ornamented alongside with all of the possibilities in hand, as root notes are converted into arpeggios/fingering and coated with a text, or in case a general shift is needed pops up a jazzy pause on a steady on/off mode and - although the fellows made the process look easier than it is - that's how a delightful track is born!

If there were ever a software to convert an acoustic track to its electric counterpart, "I Think I Saw The Black Dog" would be the exemplary outcome. Uncommon chord progressions so stripped-down yet conveying loads while some bands seem just content to glue sets of brutal chords together and put out a record of pure garage rehearsals. But this track reflects the extent of effort and creativity a consistent track requires, from the distinguished bass to the guitars each of is immersed in its own world playing its own line yet the upshot fits perfectly. Otherwise, the guitar turns ultra let-ringed jazzily fingered on a low tempo, emphasized merely by toms yet followed up by a mighty passage where an enchanting exotic scale lends its catchy notes to the vocalists to juggle with. Passages unlinked to each other keep rolling up on such a pleasurable trek, each inviting you to dig deeper and decode what state of mind the musicians are in at any given moment of these two otherworldly tracks.

Every Metalhead is bound to reach a phase -sooner or later- of shifting from self-absorbance to broader horizons, from willowing in the same inflexible mindset to unmasking other prospects. Genre tolerance may represent a dreadful experience for the newly metal-hooked audience, but a sure sign of maturity is detected in acknowledging the roots of metal as well as other highly regarded genres, for STEORRAH gave a real-life demonstration how the Jazz can actually be the cherry on the Metal pie.