Job for a Cowboy – Demonocracy (2012)

The constantly morphing Job for a Cowboy (JFAC) have taken 4 years between full-length releases and with “Demonocracy” they keep getting closer and closer to the Technical Death Metal genre with this release. Many people give shit to this band from leaving the Deathcore category, but their slow transition has been quite interesting and something to admire since they are bringing with them plenty of fans that otherwise would never dabble with Tech DM bands.

Opening with the commanding “Children of Deceit”, the band makes a huge statement with its brutal and technical approach. The drumming is furious, the riffing is very well crafted, and the bass guitar track is almost up to par to something that Jeroen Paul Thesseling (Pestilence, ex-Obscura) would come up with. The ups and downs in this song are very well crafted and don’t feel too Deathcore-ish to us.

After the initial blow, the band demolishes listeners with the sheer brutality of “Nourishment Through Bloodshed”, “Imperium Wolves”, and “Tongueless and Bound”. Things become a bit more ‘traditional’ DM with the catchy “Black Discharge”. Jonny Davy’s vocals are extremely brutal, and when put to use properly (i.e. not in Deathcore) they are brutal as you can get. Our favorite track of this release is “The Manipulation Stream” and its very catchy guitar work. The guitar solos on “The Deity Misconception” also make this song a stand-out in this release.

“Fearmonger” delivers a slower paced dosage of brutality with some excellent vocal layering, just before “Tarnished Gluttony” closes this release. The last track has also a slower pace, but delivers great melodic sections that are again graced by the excellent vocal layers that give the song that extra level of melodic brutality.

Haters will hate, but one thing is for sure: Job for a Cowboy have crafted an excellent release with “Demonocracy” and the brutality of the Technical Death Metal presented in this album speaks for itself. So, just like us, suck it up and learn to enjoy when a stray band goes into the right path and delivers such a superb release. This release is highly recommended for fans of Spawn of Possession, Obscura and Hour of Penance.

Release: April 10th, 2012

Country: USA