Band:	Stömb
Album:	Massive Disturbed Meta Art
Style:	Djent, Instrumental, Progressive metal
Release date:	March 2023

01. The Realm Of Delirium [feat. Laure Le Prunenec]
02. Sidereal Lucid Dreamer
03. Kaleidoscope
04. The Extantrasy [feat. Léo Natale]
05. Meta Art [feat. Jørgen Munkeby]
06. In The Eye Of Aghemahra
07. An Absence Of Sun [feat. Léo Natale]
08. Of Absolute White
09. The Altered
10. Transcendence [feat. Quentin Godet]

Stömb make what I feel is a rather bold artistic move on Massive Disturbed Meta Art; otherwise an instrumental-only band, they kick this album off with a song featuring vocals, leaving listeners at risk of mourning their absence across the remainder of the record.

The main reason that I listened to Massive Disturbed Meta Art was due to that one song with vocals being featured in the weekly release round-up of a certain other webzine I may or may not frequent, and certainly, if there’s one song here likely to rope newcomers in, “The Realm Of Delirium” is that track. The French quartet recruited several guests on their latest album, including Quentin Godet (the second guitarist from Kadinja to feature on a Stömb album after Pierre Danel’s cameo on From Nihil) and the latest in a string of recent guest features from Shining (NOR)’s Jørgen Munkeby on saxophone. However, the sole vocal guest is Laure Le Prunecec (aka Rïcïnn), whose vocal talents are already well known to fans of Igorrr and Öxxö Xööx, and whose appearance on “The Realm Of Delirium” causes some serious pondering over ‘what might have been’ for the rest of Massive Disturbed Meta Art.

As mentioned at the beginning of this review, Stömb are an instrumental band, and those instruments play music that could be defined as djent or progressive metal. Animals As Leaders have the same genre tags in our database, but there’s not all that much similarity between the groups; as far as the metal side of their sound is concerned, Stömb really dig heavily into the crushingly downtuned tones and complex rhythms of djent rather than more elaborately technical instrumental work. On top of that, there is extensive use of electronics, including synths, trappy beats and industrial elements, and the group are arguably closer to their compatriot The Algorithm than many of the other instrumental acts thrown into the djent scene (particularly on “The Extantrasy”), although there is also room to compare them to Meshuggah, albeit more so in vibe than in complexity.

It's a cool basic sound, but it’s one that’s taken in a fascinating direction on “The Realm Of Delirium”. Rïcïnn’s semi-operatic, jarring, extravagant style makes albums such as Nereïd enthralling listens, but taking that dramatic vocal approach, layering it extensively, and combining it with electronic-infused djent, and the results are quite fascinating. The other guest appearances on Massive Disturbed Meta Art all contribute positively to the album, with Munkeby’s saxophone deftly winding in and out of the dynamic “Meta Art”, but it is “The Realm Of Delirium” and Rïcïnn that stand out on this album.

However, when the song is over, there is still a full hour left, and after seeing how well Stömb work with a vocalist (or, at least, a specific vocalist), it’s a curious proposition to then have so much vocal-less material to engage with. This is a long album with long songs, and there is certainly the potential for a rhythm-based instrumental djent record to become tiring. This is where those electronic elements come into play to maintain some freshness. There is no single track here dedicated to metallic rhythms; plenty of them feature them prominently, especially “Sidereal Lucid Dreamer” and “The Altered”, but there’s usually a trip-hop or trap beat slid in, or some bouncy electronics/synths, to mix things up.

Massive Disturbed Meta Art does offer some visceral action; the lengthy “In The Eye Of Aghemahra” finds a good balance between gnarly riffs and bouncier electronics, and the weight it possesses when it comes in all guns blazing towards the end is very satisfying. “Of Absolute White” also manages to deliver some carnage in its ending. However, Stömb have dynamic range, which is exhibited no more obviously than on its two most unusual tracks (outside of “The Realm Of Delirium”). “An Absence Of Sun” follows up the intensity of “In The Eye Of Aghemahra” with a purely soft outing that features some nostalgic 80s synth sounds, while 8-minute closer “Transcendance” pretty much spills all the way over into post-rock territory, with clean guitar motifs and euphoric waves of sound.

I do feel, in spite of all of this, Massive Disturbed Meta Art still doesn’t quite deliver the same excitement across its instrumental songs as it does with the opening song that I’ve raved so much about. Nevertheless, it is a well made album that manages to sustain interest across an a hour of djent-heavy instrumental metal, which is commendable.