San Diego band, Globe And Beast released their first full length Grandfather’s Axe on March 19th, 2013 through Melotov Records, following their 3 track demo Tides in 2011. Just the fact that it was recorded and mixed by Alex Estrada at The Earth Capital, an engineer/producer who’s worked with the likes of Touche Amore and Nails led me to think, damn, it’s got to be good.
When Tool sang “…I need to watch things die from a distance” in ‘Vicarious’ off their album 10,000 Days, it spoke to humanities general sensibilities to the media; what’s deemed worth watching by the masses. With Globe And Beast’s ‘The Weight,’ they project another musical take on the distractions of death and violence. The hardcore riffs trail sludgy throughout as feedback screeches from their amps to transition into ‘Stays The Same.’ A track that wastes no time in busting through the levy and flowing over to circle pit your full auditory spectrum. The first verse of “Knowing it’s all going to stay the same, with only myself to blame. It’s all going to stay the same.” just felt a bit off, as if the words could have been better grouped in their impact but overall ‘Stays the Same’ is a compact killer.
‘Body Sores’ sort of describes my composite sketch of a working musician these days; none of the glamour of stadium rock. It’s all hard wood floors to sleep on, hopefully enough money to have a few meals a day after financing practice spaces, transportation and replacing broken equipment. You’re lucky if you can afford to do anything else but your music and live. With everything in place to act against the working artist, it feels so easy to hate all too often.
‘Actuality Of Chaos’ ends in a post-hardcore composition, the likes of a Rosetta and Junius speed date. Yes, I know 4:20 doesn’t seem that quick compared to most tracks, but if you know Rosetta, you catch my drift. It’s magical in its momentary glisten and switched things up in a way I hadn’t anticipated with the directness of the album’s beginning.
Once again, with the way the wording is repetitively grouped, ‘Directions’ could have used some smoother pairing. Verses I loved such as “Nothing gained, nothing achieved. Standing in the same place again. Months burn by, seasons pass. Attempting to understand what?” I wanted to love even more but the production choices irked me.
‘Systems’ was so interesting in its progression from isolated, down tuned guitars to a drum roll that carried the vocals in like a raged metal patient on top of a carnival float. Circles of mathy riffage crash into gazing pedestrians as the parade veers off course. The crowd disperses and you’re left to be carried away by the support of the persistent bass lines. “It is daunting; the future, my placement. Inevitable demise.” Really spoke to me and ‘Systems’ was by far the lyrical crème de la crème of the album.
‘Creatures of Habit’ is worth mentioning for the simple fact that is embodies the bands description to a T. It’s “just five dudes shredding, hard;” the most chaotic and balls to the wall track on the album. If anyone was holding back in the studio on this take, I sure as hell can’t tell. If you’re into Converge, Botch or Curl Up and Die and enjoy making fun of people the odd time as these guys do, Globe And Beast’s Grandfather’s Axe is a must to check out. Inevitably, this is only the tip of the iceberg these San Diego shredders.
8/10
Christine Hager