Job for a Cowboy, the dynamic death metal ensemble, has unveiled the music video for their striking new single “The Forever Rot.” The band, making a much-anticipated return, released the single to critical acclaim last week.
The track is a taste of their upcoming album, Moon Healer, which is set to release on February 23rd, 2024, through Metal Blade Records. This album is significant as it represents the first full-length offering from the band in ten years.
Moon Healer emerges as a testament to what occurs when Job for a Cowboy blends creativity, aggression, and volatility in a musical fusion that fans have been awaiting since the group’s 2014 critically acclaimed album, Sun Eater. The band's new album promises to deliver a rich tapestry of sound, weaving together the band's trademark brutality with a conceptual narrative.
The refreshed lineup showcases the return of Jonny Davy on vocals, guitarists Tony Sannicandro and Al Glassman, bassist Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Navene Koperweis, who joined the band in 2020. Together, they pick up where Sun Eater left off, further evolving their sound and artistic expression.
Their previous single, “The Agony Seeping Storm,” hinted at the band's direction, featuring complex death metal with innovative riffing reminiscent of experimental metal pioneers. In contrast, “The Forever Rot” offers a blend of haunting melodies that echo influences from a diverse range of bands such as Obituary, Coroner, and Voivod, to the more atmospheric Neurosis. The new track is an indication that Job for a Cowboy is defying expectations, reshaping their musical identity with new vocal styles, chord progressions, and melodies.
Bassist Nick Schendzielos expressed his excitement about the visual elements of the music video, highlighting the conceptual journey from their previous album and how it inspired the imagery for "Moon Healer." The band worked closely with director Kyle Lamar from Digital Myle, utilizing his expertise in video production to bring their vision to life. The result is a visual narrative that captures the essence of the song, providing a window into the band’s reinvented creative process.
"Jonny and I delved extensively over the past few years into the conceptual aspects of Moon Healer, and there was naturally a wide array of visual imagery invoked by the subject matter. We really wanted to bring the experiences of the character in Sun Eater/Moon Healer to life. The thematic elements represented are uniquely interesting to me so I was quite enthused to be able to take on the videos for ‘The Agony Seeping Storm,’ and now, ‘The Forever Rot.’ I've been pretty extensively diving into video production over the last few years with director Kyle Lamar from Digital Myle on other projects, so there's a synergy that's there with us already. His camera work is incredible and he's got such a great grasp on every element of the process. Jonny, Kyle, and I really gelled together, and I think it shows in the final product. Extracting the raw, authentic elements of the song's narrative, melody, and emotion, and translating them into a visual composition has been vastly artistically fulfilling and I look forward to creating more...from brainstorming, to filming, all the way through editing, it's such a fun process to see our ideas come to fruition. It's quite the ride...we hope you enjoy the trip!"
Moon Healer will be released February 23rd, 2024 via Metal Blade Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.
