Job For A Cowboy - Moon Healer (Album Review)
Job For A Cowboy – Moon Healer
Released: February 23rd, 2024
Line Up:
Jonny Davy // Vocals
Tony Sannicandro // Guitars
Al Glassman // Guitars
Nick Schendzielos // Bass
Navene Koperweis // Drums
Job For A Cowboy online:
Though never officially separating, things fell silent in the Job For A Cowboy camp after the late-2014 release of their excellent fourth LP Sun Eater – no film clips, no touring; just radio silence. The five-piece – who’s debut EP Doom is one of deathcore’s most important milestones – had been on a non-stop march for nearly the entire preceding decade, growing from fresh-faced teenagers into a well-toured, metal machine. Though the rumour mill never fully died-down, the rapturous response to Job For A Cowboy’s re-emergence nearly 12 months ago solidified their reputation as one of the most important and influential extreme music acts of the past two decades.
Essentially picking up from exactly where they left off, their newest effort – Moon Healer – though nearly a decade removed, is undeniably the spiritual successor to the Sun Eater. Working with long-time producer Jason Suecof, though only eight tracks long, there are enough twists and turns on the record to fill up a lesser band’s entire back catalogue. It’s probably worth addressing the fact that anyone expecting ‘Doom Pt 2’ – or any classic Myspace-era deathcore – will not find it here. Though a formative pillar for the scene, with inevitable lineup changes, endless touring and blossoming musical maturity, Job For A Cowboy quickly ditched any of the ‘core’ aspects of Doom many years ago in favour of embracing tech-death, grindcore and progressive death metal.
Far more akin to the classic knotty progressive death metal of the early 90s – i.e. groups like Atheist, Cynic, Death and Pestilence – Moon Healer is not for the faint at heart. Admittedly, on the first couple of listens a lot of the album will fly by or sound a little same-y, but after giving it the time it deserves, Moon Healer begins to flex it’s muscles and show it’s deepest hooks. ‘Beyond The Chemical Doorway‘ is a perfect opener; a four-minute voyage of multiple time signatures and feels, while ‘Into the Crystalline Crypts‘ starts off with a full prog metal fest, some absolutely wild bass and guitar work, with drummer and new/session member Navene Koperweis never taking his foot off the gas, save the great feel change after the first minute.
Suecof’s production – unsurprisingly – is big, real and near-fault free, with huge and clear sounding drums backing articulate and crisp guitar and bass tones. Nick Schendzielos’ bass work sits proudly up the front of the mix, while the vastly underrated Tony Sannicandro fires off endless lead runs that are both technically staggering and immediately jaw-dropping. Special praise must be reserved for frontman and founding member Jonny Davy; the vocalist sounds possessed throughout, with the concepts and themes explored in his lyrics once again separating him from the usual death metal-fare.
‘Grinding Wheels of Ophanim’ boasts an excellent feel change outro that comes out of nowhere, while ‘Etched in Oblivion‘ and ‘The Sun Gave Me Ashes So I Sought Out the Moon‘ have the album’s most melodic moments. The former is built around mostly restrained ringing strings, and a big (non-restrained) solo, while the latter is Moon Healer’s most immediate, uptempo song with it’s grooving intro, grabbing chorus passage and arpeggiated guitar lines. It must be said it’s an interesting choice having the record’s last tracks as the first two singles, but the excellent ‘The Agony Seeping Storm‘ and ‘The Forever Rot‘ finish Moon Healer on an extremely high note, encapsulating everything progressive, complex – and great – about the full length they round out.
It’s wild to think that Job For A Cowboy have seemingly not lost a single step in their near decade-long absence. Moon Healer is the perfect pairing for 2014’s Sun Eater; progressive and technical enough to blow minds, but with more than enough depth for repeated spins to be rewarded. And it will need those repeated spins (and some unbroken focus) to absorb everything, and, again, this is not Doom Pt 2. What Moon Healer is, is a band awakening from an extended slumber to pick up exactly where they left off; by delivering some of the finest, engrossing progressive death metal going. Welcome back, Job For A Cowboy.
Job For A Cowboy – Moon Healer tracklisting
- Beyond the Chemical Doorway
- Etched in Oblivion
- Grinding Wheels of Ophanim
- The Sun Gave Me Ashes So I Sought Out the Moon
- Into the Crystalline Crypts
- A Sorrow-Filled Moon
- The Agony Seeping Storm
- The Forever Rot
Rating: 8/10
Moon Healer is out February 23rd on Metal Blade Records. Order here
Review By – Andrew Kapper. Twitter: @andrew_kapper
