Stömb are quite unique in the sense that they are a progressive djent band who have decided to go all instrumental. Their sound, especially the guitar sound, is very similar to Meshuggah's, which many of you out there will probably appreciate hugely. The four Frenchmen are less intense than Meshuggah, though, and where I'm often lost in Meshuggah's music (I can't bear listening to the Swedes for more than ten minutes at a time), this is not the case with Stömb. Although they do play complex and progressive music, it's easier to stay on track with them.

In a way that is both their blessing and their curse. Unlike any instrumental album I've ever heard, 'The Grey' calls for, nay, BEGS for vocals. These are SONGS, and to me, the album sounds like a collection of tunes where the vocals simply haven't been put in there yet.

The Grey' is an almost 70-minute album, and as much as the tracks are all rock solid, they can't carry the load of a long album without getting a tad boring. Oftentimes, instrumental albums have a voice, only in the shape of a guitar, but this is not, or only rarely, the case with Stömb. And I miss that voice to make this album sound complete and not like work in progress.