Job For A Cowboy // Moon Healer
After a 10 year hiatus, Job For A Cowboy has returned. For those that haven’t been around for the last two decades, JFAC has had a surprisingly diverse career.
Working backwards, ‘Moon Healer’ is a sister album that builds off of their 2014 release, ‘Sun Eater.’ Both albums feature progressive death metal elements that were borne out of the band’s more technical death metal approach on earlier releases.
But prior to adopting their death metal sound, JFAC dropped one of the most iconic deathcore releases of all time in 2005, ‘Doom.’ It didn’t get the credit it deserved at the time because deathcore as a genre was so new and people hardly knew what to make of it. Looking back now, “Entombment of a Machine” and “Knee Deep” are classics that are completely above criticism.
Despite helping pioneer deathcore, JFAC quickly dropped its deathcore sound and, almost as if to prove themselves, began pumping out incredibly competent death metal. They experimented with varying levels of technicality and progressive elements to arrive at ‘Moon Healer,’ which some will undoubtedly crown as their best release of all time.
All of that to say that this is the return of a band that has left its mark across multiple genres – warping, shifting, and evolving over decades to bring their vision to life.
Vocally, Jonny Davy is as impressive as ever. He’s easy to pick out of a crowd because his sound is so unique. These progressive songs also complement his style, allowing him to weave in and out of the tracks as they unfold. He embraces the role of storyteller, using his different screaming styles to reveal a compelling narrative. He sounds like an evil witch or bog monster telling tales of woe.
The instruments match that same tone – mixing occult mysticism with the grime of a hazy swamp. Obviously, each member needs to fire on all cylinders to pull off a sound like this, but what really stood out to me was the bass. I don’t think I’ve ever talked about bass lines before, but they are a critical part of JFAC’s sound. They’re super far forward in the mix and add really cool grooves that support the chaos of the guitars.
“The Forever Rot” and “Beyond The Chemical Doorway” are great examples of the bass tone adding a layer of musicianship not seen elsewhere. “The Agony Seeping Storm” is also a personal highlight.
Overall, this is an immense return from a band that everyone has probably heard of one way or another. I’ll be jamming this album for quite a while, but let’s hope it doesn’t take another 10 years for the next one.
