Job For A Cowboy - Ruination review
| Band: | Job For A Cowboy |
| Album: | Ruination |
| Style: | Death metal |
| Release date: | July 2009 |
01. Unfurling A Darkened Gospel
02. Summon The Hounds
03. Constitutional Masturbation
04. Regurgitated Disinformation
05. March To Global Enslavement
06. Butchering The Enlightened
07. Lords Of Chaos
08. Psychological Immorality
09. To Detonate And Exterminate
10. Ruination
Okay. So this is Job For A Cowboy. That's right ladies and gentlemen, the Job For A Cowboy. The band that has somehow made its way onto 80 percent of the t-shirts you see in your local high schools. The Job For A Cowboy that is mocked by your metalhead buddies and seemingly worshiped by those numerous metal fans who bust out Ke$ha in their SUVs. About a month ago I made a dangerous leap of logic and thought, "Well, wait. Maybe these guys are popular for good reason. I should at least give them a shot." The Slayer fan in me screamed, "No. No, George. Of course they're fucking not. Don't you listen to them, man. Don't you listen to them." But since I have been impressed by The Black Dahlia Murder in the past, I told my inner-elitist to ease up and borrowed my little brother's copy of Ruination. And, luck will have it, I was impressed. Not necessarily by the album's originality or the band's skill, but by JFAC's tolerable mediocrity.
The first thing one will notice is that JFAC is in the process of feeling their way through genres, trying to find a suitable nest-building site in the cold, vicious world of metal. This is, undoubtedly, a promising sign. Rather than playing it safe and sticking with the mundane Deathcore formula of their first album, Ruination vaunts quite a range of styles. There's solid, Morbid Angel-influenced Death metal, a hint of At The Gates, and just a touch of the old JFAC brand of Deathcore. One should be pleased to hear that breakdowns are used only sparingly; JFAC has clearly begun to emphasize technicality over those dreaded, one-note "dun-dundundundun's." The lead vocalist does a meh job overall, occasionally roaring out respectable death-growls. The drumming is the most mediocre part of the album; sporadically blasting skillfully, but, more frequently than not, acting as an unelaborate metronome.
There are a few real stinker songs here. That has to be stressed. Why they bothered recording the n00btastic "Lords of Chaos" when clearly a move toward technicality has been made, goes beyond the scope of my imagination. But the few douche-bag riffs that the album boasts are out-shined by the mediocre death metal ones. That's got to be worth something.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 6 |
| Songwriting: | 6 |
| Originality: | 6 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by wormdrink414 | 18.02.2011
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
Comments: 14
Visited by: 94 users
| wormdrink414 Posts: 1295 From: USA  |
Shit. Those 7's are supposed to be 6's. Fuck. Shit. Fuck.
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| shadow616 Posts: 29 From: Poland  |
Hey, for who you wrote this review? This CD was edited 1,5 year ago... and everyone know it...
---- www.soundbastards.pl www.musicmetal.org www.rycerze.wp.pl
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Posts: 21306 From: Canada  |
Written by shadow616 on 18.02.2011 at 19:00 "About a month ago I made a dangerous leap of logic and thought, 'Well, wait. Maybe these guys are popular for good reason. I should at least give them a shot."' I'd say the reviewer wrote this for himself.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| wormdrink414 Posts: 1295 From: USA |
Written by shadow616 on 18.02.2011 at 19:00 That doesn't mean that everyone has listened to it. That, and no one had written a review for it here. I wrote it because I was impressed by its mediocrity. A mediocre album deserves a mediocre review. That's my motto.
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| shadow616 Posts: 29 From: Poland |
Written by wormdrink414 on 19.02.2011 at 06:46 It isn't underground band, which can you now discover and say everyone "wow! what a fantastic unknow band!". If someone interesting JFAC or another bands death/deathcore know that CD and don't have to read about it. But your choice i can't forfend you to write.  In my opinion Doom... nothing... nothimg.... nothing.... Genesis.... nothing x50... Ruination
---- www.soundbastards.pl www.musicmetal.org www.rycerze.wp.pl
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Posts: 21306 From: Canada |
Written by shadow616 on 19.02.2011 at 12:00 So in your opinion, reviewers should altogether avoid popular releases? The point of reviewing isn't only to expose underground artists.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| shadow616 Posts: 29 From: Poland |
No, I think reviewing old CD's bands who everyone know is not interesting, but reviewing old CDs which nobody knows and they aren't reviewing yet is a good idea for all. JFAC know everyone, and reading about it after 2 years after release?
---- www.soundbastards.pl www.musicmetal.org www.rycerze.wp.pl
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| sk8phantom Posts: 10 From: Malaysia  |
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Posts: 18274 From: Sweden  |
Written by shadow616 on 20.02.2011 at 10:16 You can't be sure about that.... I've never listened to this band in my life. Yeah, they are well known nd all but you aren't sure that everybody knowns them. Both my reviews I've done here about non-mainstream and not very well known bands but they sure as hell are known within the circles of Black and sludge. I don't find them useless at all. My only motto for reviews is that "if there's already a review of the album... don't make one". The only exception is if the rating is really different.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| shadow616 Posts: 29 From: Poland |
I don't agree wtih you but you have some rights and I have some rights. This discussion is finished in my opinion so take care.
---- www.soundbastards.pl www.musicmetal.org www.rycerze.wp.pl
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| dead Posts: 18 From: USA  |
JFAC is lost in a sea of little rich boy bought a band and studio time bands, that for the past few years have been poping up like herpes, but they do try to stay on the heavy death side of things rather than the souless, talentless mess that is mainstream "metal". ON this Album they are in a kinda akward transition period like that of the newst Cannibal Corpse album, "evisceration plauge" where while attempting to clean up and thicken their sound to apeall a wider fan base. you can deffinatly note flacors of Lamb Of God, with pinches of cattle decapitation/at the gates/idecay I personaly am deeply devoted to their origional album "Doom" released on November 11, 2005, where they are sloppy and well generous with the brute Death metal grunts and squeals and overbarring blast beats and double bass, personally i live for this and hold with high honnor and respect for the bands that stay devoted and commited and true to who they have established themselfs to be. For who these guys are and what this album is, i thinks its decent enough to keep in my car player. Unfurling a Darkened Gospel Summon the Hounds Constitutional Masturbation Butchering the Enlightened deff worth listening too, but it still cant hold shit to some "entombent of the machine" or "knee deep":bow:
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| dead Posts: 18 From: USA |
People can review an old cd, a review is an opinion and opinions are valled even if they are about a 4 year old cd that other people have heard. i like to see differant opinions from differant people, everyone has their own take on everything and it actually provides a much better overal feel and description thnt if only one random nameless person tells you about listenign to the cd for the first time.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Posts: 21306 From: Canada |
Written by dead on 07.03.2011 at 13:38 Exactly.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| dead Posts: 18 From: USA |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 07.03.2011 at 16:54 Exactly, thank you.
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