Band:	Job For A Cowboy
Album:	Gloom
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	June 07, 2011
Guest review by:	MisterChrisBrdk

01. Misery Reformatory
02. Plastic Idols
03. Execution Parade
04. Signature Of Starving Power

Some albums are milestones. Gloom falls into such a category. Shortly beforehand, a line-up change triggered massive evolution in composition and writing skills, thanks to the new, top-notch musicians (Tony Sannicandro on guitar and Nick Schendzielos on bass). All in all, the crew finally feels mature.

Gloom defines Job For A Cowboy no longer as a student deathcore band but as a serious technical death metal band. Complex guitar riffs and bass enhancement shine among what made the band respectable in its previous years, i.e an abrasive voice and resounding drums. The foremost concern is the solo section, which gives the little kick needed to get the listener tuned in. "Misery Reformatory" and "Signature Of Starving Power" are worth the time with outstanding jazzy-like solos. The four tracks display much more coherence and consistency than the band's previous release, Ruination.

When the fading final riff ends, the 15-minute EP has left big chunks to digest. The biggest chunk remains the question of what the future holds. That future is a complete U-turn, a respectable new credential, an average, aging mainstay of one scene transforming into a band that could break through new boundaries. Praiseworthy cause.

Paradoxically, the trompe l'oeil, Demonocracy, fell into the same mistake as Ruination. You get a full nine-song album of pure tech-death that lacks consistency, whereas the EP has both coherence and consistency.

The more you last, the less you get. That's today's unfortunate gospel of Job For A Cowboy. Maybe that is indeed the charm of the band. Maybe that is another of its charms, to know that Gloom has this place in their discography. The EP separating the ancient and the forthcoming. The EP trapped between two good albums. The EP that, in hindsight, stole the show.