Album Review: Job for a Cowboy - 'Ruination'

10 July 2009 | 5:31 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Straight up death metal without the core.

More Job For A Cowboy More Job For A Cowboy

It was easy to see how Genesis garnered such hype around it considering the push it received from Metal Blade records (13,000 copies in the first week of sale is not a shabby effort !) and the market was yet to become completely oversaturated with benders attempting to mimic early Black Dahlia releases.  There was much to appreciate in regards to the music and technicality of such a young band but it seemed like it was just a way to show off that their drummer could incorporate more rolls and fills than other bands. 


Its seems for the most part that this has been rectified in Job For a Cowboys second full length and third release in total titled “Ruination”.  Not to say that the intensity of the drums has fallen behind, more so the rest of the music has caught up allowing for a much fuller sound making the overall listening experience much more enjoyable. The songs themselves seem more energetic and groovy rather than being monotonous which seems to be where a lot of bands of this ilk get bogged down.  This improvement can be partially linked to the phenomenal production effort courtesy of Jason Suecof (also responsible for Black Dahlia murder and Daath) 


Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter

Vocalist Jonny Davy has shown significant growth which is reflected in the maturity of his lyrics and vocal range.   This particular point is highlighted with his syncopation in the song Regurgitated Disinformation demonstrating the ability to discharge brutal lows combined with equally guttural highs. It actually sounds like the birth of the anti-Christ towards the end of this track the sound it is so intense.   The song names also reveal an underlying political theme while Ruination is not directly a concept album like its predecessor Genesis. 


None of the tracks take a stab at being epic with any unnecessary wank such as synth or samples being stricken from the books, just ten early Death Metal influenced tracks.  With its release this should see Job for a Cowboy grow and increase a stable fan base while no longer being dubbed a hype band of 2007.   

Ruination is a release that clearly shows a matured group that is capable of keeping up with even the most established bands in this genre.  

  1. Unfurling a Darkened Gospel
  2. Summon the Hounds
  3. Constitutional Masturbation
  4. Regurgitated Disinformation
  5. March to Global Enslavement
  6. Butchering the Enlightened
  7. Lords of Chaos
  8. Psychological Immorality
  9. To Detonate and Exterminate
  10. Ruination