Review: Job for a Cowboy – Demonocracy

Posted by Christopher Tremoglie on May 9, 2012 in Music | 0 comments

Death metal has long been an acquired taste for most. The dazzling guitar riffs, intense drum presence and deep growling vocals are all standard in the death metal genre. If you are a fan of this dark, brutal music, then you wouldn’t have it any other way. Unfortunately, death metal is becoming more and more drowned in a sea of breakdowns.

For those that don’t know what breakdowns are, they are generally chords that follow the kick drum of the drummer in order to create a beat that makes people move.  There is nothing wrong with breakdowns, in a sense they are necessary. However, there are so many new metal bands coming out with the same formula that it is getting hard to get excited about any new release. That is, until old-school death metal artists Job For a Cowboy debuted Demonocracy on March 20.

I am happy to say that despite the million sub-genres metal has, including breakcore, metalcore, and grindcore, Demonocracy is in fact a true death metal album. The fret work set out between the two guitarists Tony Sannicandro and Al Glassman is stunning. It is brutal, lightning fast and melodic when necessary. The new guitar solos are a perfect contrast to the brutal metal backing.

Fans of old JFAC may be disappointed with the lack of grittiness this album has, but that is the only complaint I can foresee about this album. If you are looking for breakdowns, open chords or standard breakdowns, then go somewhere else because Demonocracy is a beautifully brutal death metal album.

Musically, JFAC is on another level. The first track, “Children of Deceit,” is a perfect example of how amazing the album is. It is a brutal, fast song with beautiful riffs and even more amazing chords that arrive later in the song. Where most metal bands would just ride a kick drum, JFAC has set forth true talent and time with this album. Jon Rice’s drums are stellar. Catchy and jaw-dropping as always, Rice continues to amaze throughout the entire album.

Jonny Davy’s vocals provide the brutality and darkness that is what this band is built on. Sure, he is hard to understand at times, but fans of JFAC and death metal in general will definitely approve. The production quality is also amazingly clear with some small effects on Jonny Davy’s voice and a perfect mix between the guitars, drums and bass.

Creatively speaking, you do get a sense of their previous release, Ruination, in Demonocracy. Still, this album seems to live and breathe and goes down as one of their best releases. It is very rare to hear such a well put together album consisting of creative song structures, lightning fast guitars and one of the best drummers I have ever heard.