Job for a Cowboy

If there's one thing Job for a Cowboy currently have going for them it's guitarist Al Glassman (ex-Despised Icon), who has brought greater intensity to the Glendale, AZ progressive death metal band since joining in 2008. At one point a deathcore act, JFAC embraced a much more technical and brutal death metal style on 2009's Ruination. Full-length follow-up Demonocracy sees the band taking a more old school thrash approach. Album highlight "Nourishment Through Bloodshed" is fast and heavy, with a mix of straightforward riffs and melodic leads. But that's as far as the band go, in terms of pushing their limits, as there's nothing else on Demonocracy that's innovative or unexpected. Vocalist Jonny Davy (the only original JFAC member remaining) has switched up his style a bit, with less squeals and more deep gutturals, while the backing vocals by guitarist Tony Sannicandro, one of the band's newest recruits, have added more range to their sound. But it's not enough to make Demonocracy a noteworthy album in the way Ruination was.