Job for a Cowboy – Genesis

Job for a Cowboy
Genesis
Metal Blade



Before we dive in, let me say that I hate Doom as much as you do. I think Job for a Cowboy’s debut/breakthrough/whatever EP is a cheesy piece of garbage; which is why Genesis impresses me so much. This goes beyond pig-vocals. After getting signed to Metal Blade and going through a couple of line-up changes, it appears Job for a Cowboy entered a period of self-reflection. They took seriously this opportunity of theirs and turned in a devastating first LP. Genesis separates Job for a Cowboy from the deathcore mass. If you don't believe that this band has left its peers in the dust, then check out "The Divine Falsehood" and tell me exactly (exactly) how this band doesn't rule.

Genesis is a thoroughly contemporary album that is mindful of its death metal legacy. On their Lambgoat tour blog, The Faceless expressed their desire to be accepted as a death metal band, not just as a scene band. I get a similar vibe off of Genesis. In this respect, Job for a Cowboy reminds me of Death. They started out sounding like everyone else and then they figured it out. Job for a Cowboy has figured it out.

The vocalist dropped the inhaled pig-vocals for a Corpsegrinder-style delivery, which suits the music much better. The guitarists have mastered Dino Cazares-style right-handed picking and mix it with some cool palm-muting techniques while keeping the noodly crap off the record almost entirely. Like Suicide Silence, deathcore isn’t an appropriate label for Job for a Cowboy. Suicide Silence calls their music doomy, nu-metal grind. This sums up Job for a Cowboy as well.

As much as the deathcore trend sickens me, I’m down with the nu-metal influence and the direction these bands are taking it. They’re all influenced by the cream of the nu-metal crop, particularly Korn, Slipknot, and Fear Factory. I’m sorry but if you don’t like Korn, Slipknot, and Fear Factory, even just a little, what the hell is wrong with you? If you don’t dig the style, that’s fine. If you like metal though, how can you not like those three bands?

What’s more, the “deathcore” bands that I like (Suicide Silence, Job for a Cowboy, ABACABB) do not mimic their inspirations. These bands are doing something new by mixing seemingly clashing influences. Where have I heard that story before? Oh yeah, the grunge bands. You couldn’t mix Black Flag and Black Sabbath until Nirvana rode that pony over the rainbow. I suppose, now, that you can’t mix Slipknot and Napalm Death, except that several bands already have. Don’t be lame. Get Genesis.




Job for a Cowboy - Genesis




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