Extreme experimental death metallers Job For A Cowboy will release their first album in 10 years, “Moon Healer” on February 23 via Metal Blade. The follow-up to 2014’s “Sun Eater” was produced by Jason Suecof, and marks the band’s first release with new drummer Navene Koperweis, who previously played with Job For A Cowboy vocalist Jonny Davy in the side project Fleshwrought.
But why the extended wait? “I had to take a step back in the band for family. It was the catalyst that eventually created a fork in the road for all of us. We all drifted into our separate paths,” explains Davy. “Fatherhood, additional music projects, academic degrees, and careers outside the band took priority and life’s focus,” so the band agreed on a prolonged hiatus, but with the door open for a return. “Everything lined up for us to collaborate on a new project together, it was time to cross the threshold for something new,” states Davy.
Originally based in Arizona, Job For A Cowboy‘s long-awaited new album is a vivid illustration of what happens when creativity, aggression, and volatility tangle for the first time in years. Like “Sun Eater”, “Moon Healer” is musically multifaceted, unabashedly brutal, and compellingly conceptual. The first single, “The Agony Seeping Storm”, is a mathematically mind-blowing hybrid of bludgeoning death metal specializing in unconventional riffing that echoes the resemblance of legendary experimentalists like Cynic, Atheist and Gorguts. A newly refreshed and reinspired lineup — Davy, guitarists Tony Sannicandro and Al Glassman, bassist Nick Schendzielos and Koperweis — all seamlessly pick up the mantle where “Sun Eater” left off. “The Agony Seeping Storm” unequivocally signifies Job For A Cowboy‘s triumphant return.
“The Forever Rot” stands in stark contrast, delving into a lonesome and haunting guitar melody, then evolving into shimmering reflections of Obituary, Coroner, Voivod and even hints of Neurosis. In other words, forget about your preconceived perceptions of what this band was. This twists vocal tropes, chord forms, and melodies into loops of razor wire.
“The evolution of our sound has become a big part of the band,” Davy says. “As we mature as musicians, our tastes and interests naturally expand. With age comes more experience and ideas that we wouldn’t have considered in our earlier years.”
Compared to past offerings, “Moon Healer” is as bone-crushing as Job For A Cowboy has ever been. But it’s more consistent and conceptual — composed with the utmost enthusiasm and confidence.
“Moon Healer” track-listing:
1. Beyond The Chemical Doorway
2. Etched In Oblivion
3. Grinding Wheels Of Ophanim
4. The Sun Gave Me Ashes So I Sought Out The Moon
5. Into The Crystalline Crypts
6. A Sorrow-Filled Moon
7. The Agony Seeping Storm
8. The Forever Rot
You can pre-order “Moon Healer” HERE.
Job For A Cowboy is:
- Jonny Davy / Vocals
- Al Glassman / Guitar
- Tony Sannicandro / Lead Guitar
- Nick Schendzielos / Bass
- Navene Koperweis / Drums
