Job for a Cowboy have announced their fist new album in nearly 10 years, Moon Healer, arriving February 23rd via Metal Blade Records. The LP’s closing track, “The Forever Rot,” can be streamed now.
Following a long hiatus, the technical death metal act recently returned with the single “The Agony Seeping Storm,” marking the group’s first new material since 2014’s Sun Eater (and nabbing our Heavy Song of the Week honor in the process).
Like that song, “The Forever Rot” is a winding piece with serious compositional might. The prog factor is upped quite a bit compared to the first single, with riffs connecting to one another in a semi-linear fashion. The band displays a keen sense of dynamics as it traverses these dense passages of guitar, and Jonny Davy’s vocals cut through all the while.
“On Moon Healer, we explore a concept centered around a close friend who embarked on a relentless quest for profound enlightenment through the incessant abuse of hallucinogenic drugs, leading to a severe disconnection from reality due to the toll it took on their mental health,” explained Davy of the LP’s central concept via a press release. “The song ‘The Forever Rot’ touches on their beliefs that human evolution and development have somehow led to the restriction of perceiving otherworldly or inter-dimensional realities and religious entities. It delves into their disconnection from the physical world and the notion that true vitality may be found in the ability to self-destruct and recreate. That some of the drugs they consumed opened these realities that evolution has closed the door on.”
Moon Healer was recorded in Sanford, Florida, with producer Jason Suecof (Death Angel, The Black Dahlia Murder, Deicide) at his Audiohammer Studios, reuniting Job for a Cowboy with the man who helmed the board for their 2014 opus Sun Eater.
“We’ve gone through this same ritual with Jason for a multitude of reasons,” Davy said via a press release. “But the most obvious one is that he’s a masterful songwriter, guitar player, and even vocalist. He has an ear for ideas that very few seemingly have. He totally understands where we’re coming from as a band.”
As for the lengthy hiatus, Davy explained that he had to “take a step back in the band for family.” A prolonged break from activity was agreed upon.
“It was the catalyst that eventually created a fork in the road for all of us,” he said. “We all drifted into our separate paths. Fatherhood, additional music projects, academic degrees, and careers outside the band took priority and life’s focus.”
Added Davy: “Everything lined up for us to collaborate on a new project together; it was time to cross the threshold for something new.”
You can pre-order Moon Healer via Metal Blade. Stream “The Forever Rot” and see the album art and tracklist below.
Moon Healer Artwork:
Moon Healer Tracklist:
01. Beyond The Chemical Doorway
02. Etched In Oblivion
03. Grinding Wheels Of Ophanim
04. The Sun Gave Me Ashes So I Sought Out The Moon
05. Into The Crystalline Crypts
06. A Sorrow-Filled Moon
07. The Agony Seeping Storm
08. The Forever Rot
