Guest review of Demonocracy by Job for a Cowboy written by The Left Hand Creation bassist Rob Holden

I would just like to take the time to introduce a guest reviewer that is helping me out by bringing you a more in depth look at some of the albums I will be reviewing. Rob Holden is the bassist of Oshawa, Ontario based metal band Left Hand Creation. They combine all types of metal and make it their own with brutal riffs and gut wrenching vocals. You can like their page here and you should show some support for local bands!

1. Children of Deceit

2. Nourishment Through Bloodshed

3. Imperium Wolves

4. Tongueless and Bound

5. Black Discharge

6. The Manipulation Stream

7. The Deity Misconception

8. Fearmonger

9. Tarnished Gluttony

Demonocracy is JFAC’s third full length album and includes 9 tracks of non-stop pummeling brutality. Being my first time listening to Job For A Cowboy, I expected to be put to sleep with the modern-day deathcore that I had heard JFAC was the master of. Either I was badly misled, or they have completely changed their sound. This album is about as generic technical death metal as it can get; which is right up my alley. Hooray!

Children of Deceit is the first track of the album. Thirty seconds in, you will realize just how technically proficient and laserbeam tight each member of this band is. Holy Shit. Keeping a fast tempo throughout the track, the melodic solos are welcomed and perfectly timed. The vocals are reminiscent of Vader’s lows, and Goatwhore’s highs. Epicness is peaked at roughly 3:00 into this song. 

Nourishment Through Bloodshed begins with a double cymbal crash and explodes into a teeth-grinding mid-tempo melody before turning back into the familiar. The ending riffs are higher string let-ring chords, and is not spectacular, but sticks with the listener. Job well done. Imperium Wolves is more of the same, at possibly the slowest pace in the album so far, but still keeps its pounding velocity. The first three tracks will surely be the most popular to the mainstream. Tongueless and Bound begins with the coolest riff of the album, but my excitement turned to disappointment when the next riff sounded just like the last 3 tracks. Black Discharge is a pure headbanger, and cranks the albums heaviness to 11. The next 3 tracks are amazing, but nothing to different from the rest of the album. 

Let’s get this straight about Demonocracy: Each member is ridiculously talented, and the production is unmatched. All the ingredients for an ultimate technical death metal album are here. The only missing component is the songwriting. Job For A Cowboy haven’t written a single memorable riff throughout this 40 minute drone of gravity blasts and speed riffs throughout dissonant chord (nearly black metal sounding) outros. Tarnished Gluttony is the last track and is my personal favorite. By far the slowest track on the album, the riffs are eerie and tastefully heavy. The click-dragging drums is the most variation the percussion has shown on the album, and the guitar solo is enough to get anyone’s blood flowing. 

Demonocracy is a masterful attempt to break into the world of technical death metal, but it seems the lack of songwriting skills JFAC inherited from their deathcore days have bled into their newer genre as well, and it shows. Though this album is technically very good, I think that most metal fans will have a difficult time getting into it. I see this as a transition period for Job For A Cowboy, and I look forward to see what they do for their next release. Personally, as I finish writing this review, I don’t expect that I will ever listen to it again. However, I encourage any fans of Technical Death Metal to give this album a listen, and formulate your own opinion on it.

Review of Demonocracy by Job for a Cowboy

1. Children of Deceit

2. Nourishment Through Bloodshed

3. Imperium Wolves

4. Tongueless and Bound

5. Black Discharge

6. The Manipulation Stream

7. The Deity Misconception

8. Fearmonger

9. Tarnished Gluttony

"Returning with their strongest line up to date and armed with Demonocracy, nine tracks of seething aggression and potent disgust, Job For A Cowboy have never sounded hungrier. Over the nine years of their existence the quintet have built a loyal fan base through their devotion to touring and a diehard commitment to creating relentlessly hostile, visceral, and involving music, and in 2012 they stand as one of the most exciting and inspiring bands in death metal."

For not being interested in Job for a Cowboy, the opening song Children of Deceit, was just like a force fed listen. Then all of a sudden, this awesome dark riff blew through my speakers and I then had faith in the band. Nourishment Through Bloodshed did nothing for me, the technicality and solos are to hard to tell apart and the breakdown was satisfactory. Imperium Wolves had a nice solo and riff after it as well. In my opinion, 3:20 and onward is the best bit. Tongueless and Bound was all over the place, in my opinion. Black Discharge is one of my favourite songs on album, riffs are nice and heavy, the bits between the technical stuff are dark and nice, especially over the solo. I think the best part in The Manipulation Stream was the solo and I also liked the vocals at the end of this song, I never really thought Job for a Cowboy had it in them. Another favourite of mine off this album is The Deity Misconception. it is not overly technical and the solos are also quite awesome. The next song, Fearmonger, is another one of those all over the place songs, if it wasn’t for the solo half way through this song I may not have enjoyed it at all, as well 3:00 to the end. The last song on the album, Tarnished Gluttony is very well paced, my top favourite off this album, proves Job for a Cowboy can actually be technical and not be extremely fast for all if not most of the song, solo is very well done. If you like Job for a Cowboy I’d recommend picking it up.

Guest review of Fire & Damnation by Exumer written by guitarist Matt Lamb

Like to take this time to thank Matt Lamb for doing this review for me on short notice. Easter weekend kicked the shit out of me and he helped by getting a review for this album done. Matt has been in a few bands, Southern Krown being the last. He has a new band in the works and you should click here for a rough song!

1. Fire & Damnation

2. Vermin of the Sky

3. The Weakest Limb

4. A New Morality

5. Waking the Fire

6. Fallen Saint

7. Crushing Point

8. Devil Chaser

9. I Dare You

10. Tribal Furies

Exumer is an original thrash band from Germany responsible for some of Thrash metals biggest and most exotic fan bases. Fire & Damnation is their first album in 25 years following Rising Of The Sea and Possessed By Fire. Exumer has been unseen with exception to waken since 1990 until they reformed in 2008 to tour for the first time since 88 in 2009. The opening and title track Fire & Damnation, Opening with a thunderous tom driven groove with a grooving almost to date metal riff to match. The song then picks up to a more traditional thrash pace while still maintaining a more up to date sound such as "Lamb of God" or "Testament’s" more recent workings. Fallen Saint starts with a very traditional 80s thrash drum intro with a very old-school riff to match almost reminds me of Show No Mercy slayer days, this song also bares a very different vocal sound than the rest more of a deep aggressive attack , not sure if someone else is singing. I Dare You is easily my least favourite the droning bent note during the verse almost throws off how good SOME of the song is such as the opening riff. The lyrics are also very cheesy and lame. This song sets back from all the other tracks seemingly well thought out and put together, where this song makes them seem a lot more juvenile with the poor riffs and lyrics. The rest of the album sounds like a serious metal band where this more sounds more suited to your typical cheesy garage punk band. This definitely sounds like filler to me. The exiting track Tribal Furies, is one the heavier songs on the album with its pure power intro with the booming drum crashes and rolls complimenting the pure junkyard dog riff that appears many times in the song to kick serious amounts of ass.

The vocals overall have a very punky sound to them while holding hints of 80s thrash as well as some sounds of today. The major sell point of this album is the raw 80s thrash feel while being well produced and holding hints of more popular and more up to date metal sounds. If you are a fan of Exumer and/or are starving for the good old days of heavy thrash metal you definitely need to pick up this album ASAP because for a band that has been non existent for close to 25 years once hearing this it will feel as if they never left! They definitely were not playing around for this album has one gear and one gear only and that is pure kick your teeth in!