Steorrah
Thin White Paint

November 2016
Released: Oct , Bret Hard
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Metal-Rules.com UK Team

Steorrah are a German death / prog band who recently played a successful UK tour. Hopefully they picked up lots of new fans along the way and will return. This album has the strange title II Thin White Paint.



Track one is a short spoken intro with piano backing leading into track two, The Milk of Human Kindness which starts of with a South of Heaven style riff before Death metal vocals kick in. There is a massive section in the middle that makes me think Immolation, early Paradise Lost, even Wishbone Ash acoustic proggery, moving into Pink Floyd territory before moving back to modern day mid tempo Slayer. Around the 7 minute mark there is an extended guitar solo before the verse and chorus returns with heavy Death metal vocals and drums becoming heavier with the use of double bass pedals. A mighty fine example of modern day prog tinged heaviness.



Track two has speedier moments mixed in with doom elements, there is even a sort of perverse type of humour in some parts of these songs. German humour of course.  As track three moves onto track four onwards there are yet more Paradise Lost influences. Mostly from their Shade of God album and the sound they returned to last year. Opeth comes tomind as well. The production, as it is with most releases, is perfect with each instrument being easily heard.



I am quoting various bands but this band has an identity of it's own, very impressive, wide ranging, surprisingly melodic. It may be a bit dark for some but I can imagine leaves falling off tress as winter approaches. Mist coming out of the lakes, a ghostly figure in the distance. I suppose the brilliance of this album is a band not afraid to take their music where they want it to go.