Demonocracy

Released just in time to coincide with the band’s 10-year anniversary, Demonocracy finds Glendale, Ariz.–based Job for a Cowboy raising the bar on its peerless concoction of hardcore, progressive, and death metal (with an emphasis on the last). On the opening song, Al Glassman and Tony Sannicandro’s intricate guitar work culminates in flashy leads that both intertwine and butt heads under Jonny Davy’s vocal approximations of a man demonically possessed. The rhythm section of Jon Rice (drums) and Nick Schendzielos (bass) shines brightest in the following single, “Nourishment Through Bloodshed.” In this frenzied metal maelstrom, it drives a sonic juggernaut through walls of bone-crushing riffs with unpredictable twists and turns through the tune’s clever arrangements. Rice ramps up his performance in “Imperium Wolves,” where his double-kickdrum attack fires like heavy automatic artillery under Davy growling to channel the song’s namesake beast. The closing number, “Tarnished Gluttony,” downshifts the tempos ever so slightly, letting the listener home in on melodies rising from the madness.