Showing posts with label Job For A Cowboy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Job For A Cowboy. Show all posts

Thursday 16 August 2018

Job For A Cowboy "Doom" (2005)


As the years pass by my memories of the Deathcore scene's days grow fonder. My recent addiction to Job For A Cowboy's classic Entombment Of A Machine has reminded me of just how much fun we had when the scene blew up. We got to watch all the new bands fly in from the states and it was wondeful. Although my introduction to the music was through Bring Me The Horizon (IIRC), this EP from the American group was where it all started, spawning many imitation bands in the wake of its unusual popularity and new style. Make no mistake, Entombment is an ugly song! Harsh and abrasive, its shrill pig squeals would challenge fans of guttural vocals yet somehow this Extreme Metal song spread like wildfire through the Myspace music scene, it would give them the exposure to land their debut album Genesis in a billboard chart two years later.

Its probably been a decade since I last listened to Doom in its twenty seven minute entirety. I believe the copy I own now has an extra track I had not heard before, which was a pleasant surprise as I remember all the other tracks like a day had not passed. The bonus song Entities leans more so in the direction of a fundamental Death Metal song towards its end, sharper blast beats, tighter riffing, a flashy guitar solo and only one pig squeal? Its a subtle indication of their next direction as a band, to rid themselves of the Hardcore influence and go strictly Death Metal on their full length debut album.

 The other five songs, minus the cinematic intro, are a riot of violence, a vile thrashing of dense guitars as snarling screams and guttural roars are all channeled into abstracted moments of groove that underpin the musics harsh, unforgiving aesthetic. The songs often drifts through brief passageways of ugly, bitter chaotic sounds in the wake of pinch harmonics and loose, rattling blast beats. These moments are swiftly transformed as the record's tracks all revolve around a philosophy of continual evolution. The ugliest moments are quickly transformed and transcended as gear shifts chop up the pace and allow slamming grooves to erupt, as the classic Entombment does so well.

The vocals are a big point of contention that could easily turn a listener off, the pig squeals are blunt and piercing. They jump into the music with little more than rhythmic sequencing as "bree bree" and "squee squee" clearly offers no lyrical content. I personally find it hilarious, between the swings of gritty shredding and slamming grooves the eruption of unwieldy squeals is an amusing testament to the nature of the music itself, a joke. That's not an insult but a means to say the music is clearly aware of its own deliberate abrasion and boisterous persona.

Everything must be taken with a pinch of salt, the ugly, challenging aesthetic is manipulated to extract the groove and excitement in music from the most devious of places. That is what is genius about extreme music and here Job For A Cowboy brandish a new fusion of ideas that would go on to spawn a whole new wave of Extreme Metal that would upset the old guard and stir controversy within the community that at the end of the day is a waste to even care about. Enjoy music if you can but don't spend your energy on hating it. Doom is fun, a really exhilarating listen full of obnoxious extremity.

Favorite Track: Entombment Of A Machine
Rating: 7/10

Thursday 20 November 2014

Job For A Cowboy "Sun Eater" (2014)


Job For A Cowboy are an American Death Metal group who made a lot of noise in the Deathcore scene with their 2005 debut "Doom", an EP that personified some of the scenes best qualitys. It created a buzz around the group that quickly gained them momentous popularity. The release of their first full length "Genesis" in 2007 saw the group break into mainstream charts while simultaneously dropping the entirety of there Deathcore roots for a pure Death Metal sound. Speculation would lead me to believe this was probably the plan from day one, to use a trending scene to gain popularity and then write the music they wanted to. I don't think theres anything wrong with that, and their fan base has certainly not revolted because of the transition, but for me it was a disappointment to see one of the finer Deathcore bands turn into another unremarkable Death Metal act, similar to what happened with Annotations Of An Autopsy.

Sun Eater seemed intriguing and promising at first, Cowboy deliver a composed and more progressive sound tinged with a touch of Black Metal in the guitar chords. Favoring layered and detailed compositions over pounding brutality, the opening track "Eating The Visions Of God" set the tone for a lush sounding record where anything could happen. The production is outstanding, crisp, dense guitar tones. A balanced drum kit with a bass kick and snare mixed to perfection. The bass was the highlight of this album for me, sounding thick, bold and melodic it continuously came to the forefront, pounding out grooving progressions and high pitched notation that added an exciting dimension to their aural aesthetic.

As the album unfolded, and after several spins, it has become quite clear that this record isn't for me. As much as I enjoy and appreciate the technical aesthetics, the music itself is lacking. With the exception of maybe one track their was very little captivating or arousing. Track after track wandered through purposeless themes that pounded out all sorts of technical riffs, rhythms and solos that failed to spark my imagination, I am left with very little to say about "Sun Eater", my disappointment has left me wondering if this kind of music isn't doing it for me anymore.


Rating: 4/10