Job for a Cowboy
Moon Healer – Metal Blade Records
American death metal stalwarts Job for a Cowboy make a welcome return after a lengthy hiatus,
and just in time to celebrate their 21st anniversary too. This Arizona quartet come of age in style
and mark this milestone with a career-defining album in Moon Healer, a collection of eight
blistering tracks which render the band totally relevant. In fact, as the world teeters on the verge
of apocalypse, Job for a Cowboy have never been more pertinent, and if the planet is going to
perish in flames then Moon Healer will provide the perfect soundtrack. Developing the
progressive edge found on their previous album, this release features plenty of techy guitar
parts and neat time changes, such as on opening cut ‘Beyond the Chemical Doorway’, that ties
the listener up in all sorts of knots (much like Piece Of Time-era Atheist), yet there’s plenty of old
school, neck-snapping death metal action (and often at the same time) to be found on the likes
of ‘The Agony Seeping Storm’. Moon Healer works because the band are honouring the past
while simultaneously facing down the future; this is no mere exercise in nostalgia and throws
down the gauntlet to the new breed. Welcome back guys!
Review by Peter Dennis