Conor Fynes
'Noistalgia' - Bent Sea (6/10)
A tribute to the old greats of grindcore, Bent Sea's 'Noistalgia' paints an unrelenting and vicious impression. The artistic expression of 'Napalm' Dirk Verbeuren, who has also lent his efforts to the likes of Soilwork and Aborted, among others. With song titles like 'Blast Beat Barrage', Bent Sea aims for a tongue-in-cheek onslaught of heavy chaos, never letting down for a short rest. Even at seventeen minutes, this is a lot of grind to take in at once!
Napalm Death is the big name that comes to mind when listening to Bent Sea. Joining Dirk is growler Sven de Caluwe, and metal mad scientist Devin Townsend plays his hand on the bass. Dirk himself is the center of attention however, playing both the guitar and drums. Although Dirk is a capable guitarist with a keen ear for thrashy riffs, it's obviously that drums are his calling, and as a result, Bent Sea is built around furious rhythms, often to the point where the rest of the band sounds like icing on the cake. At only seventeen minutes long, I would almost always criticize an EP like this of being too short to properly grasp a band and their music, but Bent Sea is clever to keep the length on a leash. 'Noistalgia' is largely defined by its pure devotion to intense speed and heaviness, and had it been a full album's length, it would have been difficult to take in and appreciate all at once. As per grind mandate, these songs generally range from the under-one-minute to just-over mark, although 'Noistalgia' feels more like a single, flowing piece of chaos, as grind should.
It's a matter of taste and mood, but Noistalgia could have felt even more intense, had there been moments of respite to make the rest feel more crazy by comparison. Other than that, Bent Sea is a very technically proficient grind act. Dirk Verbeuren creates a haven for drum fiends here, although the rest of the sound suffers as a result.