If you've been wondering what happened to deathcore-turned-death metal giants Job for a Cowboy after their incredible fourth album Sun Eater, you're not alone. The band only played one show in support of the album and disappeared, but now some of the members have moved forward with a new deathgrind project, Serpent of Gnosis.
Their debut album, As I Drink From the Infinite Well of Inebriation, feels familiar if you're a fan of JFAC or the other members projects (Black Dahlia Murder and Deeds of Flesh) but is distinctly different. Instead of the heavily structured brutality of their death metal bands, Serpent of Gnosis opt for more grindcore-oriented blasts of violence with the majority of the songs sitting under two minutes.
The riffs on the album are far from the prog metal tendencies Job for a Cowboy were heading towards on their last album. Tracks like "The Colorless Capsules" or "Fragile Vessel of Serenity" have some punk-leaning grind moments and never stray from aggression. While melodic sounds are not the focus of the album, the guitar solos soar on each track they come into.
While extreme metal has had countless incredible vocalists step up in the past five years, few of them are as instantly recognizable and diverse as Jonny Davy. His guttural shrieks were a key component of Job for a Cowboy's sound, and on this album, they're just as vast in range as they've ever been. Songs like "Cognitivity" or "Harvest" are prime examples of Davy's capabilities, and show exactly why his former band stood out from the pack of early deathcore bands.
We may never get new material from Job for a Cowboy again, but Serpent of Gnosis are a fantastic replacement. Their focus on short blasts of vicious deathgrind suits their members perfectly, while allowing just enough room for them to highlight their individual strengths. As I Drink From the Infinite Well of Inebriation is a solid slab of perfectly executed extreme metal with hardly a moment to sit and digest the chaos.
(1126 Records)Their debut album, As I Drink From the Infinite Well of Inebriation, feels familiar if you're a fan of JFAC or the other members projects (Black Dahlia Murder and Deeds of Flesh) but is distinctly different. Instead of the heavily structured brutality of their death metal bands, Serpent of Gnosis opt for more grindcore-oriented blasts of violence with the majority of the songs sitting under two minutes.
The riffs on the album are far from the prog metal tendencies Job for a Cowboy were heading towards on their last album. Tracks like "The Colorless Capsules" or "Fragile Vessel of Serenity" have some punk-leaning grind moments and never stray from aggression. While melodic sounds are not the focus of the album, the guitar solos soar on each track they come into.
While extreme metal has had countless incredible vocalists step up in the past five years, few of them are as instantly recognizable and diverse as Jonny Davy. His guttural shrieks were a key component of Job for a Cowboy's sound, and on this album, they're just as vast in range as they've ever been. Songs like "Cognitivity" or "Harvest" are prime examples of Davy's capabilities, and show exactly why his former band stood out from the pack of early deathcore bands.
We may never get new material from Job for a Cowboy again, but Serpent of Gnosis are a fantastic replacement. Their focus on short blasts of vicious deathgrind suits their members perfectly, while allowing just enough room for them to highlight their individual strengths. As I Drink From the Infinite Well of Inebriation is a solid slab of perfectly executed extreme metal with hardly a moment to sit and digest the chaos.