Job For A Cowboy – Deathcore's Genesis
When US deathcore/death metal merchants Job For A Cowboy sold 13,000 copies of their first full length release- Genesis, during one week and landed the 54th spot on the American Billboard chart, no one was more surprised than the band itself. For such an extreme and complex extreme metal release to do this well was far from anything anyone expected, even those familiar with the band's considerable talent and musical prowess. We spoke with the band's guitarist and co-founder, Ravi Bhadriraju.
Hey Ravi, I'd like to start with the obvious, how the hell did Genesis sell so many copies?
To tell you the truth man… no idea. It still surprises me that we did so well with that record. I'm glad people like it. We never expected "Genesis" to do so well.
I've tried my hand at guessing what created the huge hype regarding the band, but the bottom line you are not a trendy emo-core band, your music is pure death metal, what do you think the success of the album is going to do for the genre?
It is crazy that death metal is starting to do so well. We're hoping that "Genesis" will help death metal grow to a whole new level. Death Metal is typically not the genre that does well with record sales. For us this past year has been a giant blur. Death Metal will soon take over the world.
How much do you think your Myspace was responsible?
Myspace was responsible for a lot of it but the other half was from "Genesis" not sounding like Doom. Without myspace we would not be here right now. There's no doubt about it. Myspace was an outlet for us to share our music. It just happened to be an easy outlet. People always ask me how it happened and what not but honestly…right place and right time.
I've just seen the video for "Embedded", what the idea behind it, and who's responsible for the great stop-motion animation?
Pop core films directed the video. They're two guys that are from Sweden, the best directors in the business right now. The concept behind the video is about the anti Christ and how he comes to be. The stop and go animation was a mix between both the directors and us the band.
It seems the graphic side is important to you guys, the album's cover is impressive as well, what does it mean?
Yes, imagery is everything for us. The fact of the matter is, is that "Genesis" is a concept album about a religious conspiracy. The cover shows the end of the world and the anti christ left standing Pretty self explanatory. The lyrics will tell all.
Back to the starting point, how did you guys start out?
Jonny and I started the band four years ago. He met me through a friend in high school. We started playing local shows in and out of the state. We got some buzz through myspace and then everything started to take off from there. Two years later here we are touring and touring.
What bands influenced your writing the most?
Bands that have influenced my writing has been Mastodon, Soilwork, and Deicide. Mastodon and Soilwork are not death metal bands but they're good inspirations for new music. Actually the new soilwork record is my favorite record of the year.
Job For A Cowboy is far from being a typical death metal name for a band, why was it chosen?
Jonny chose the name as a joke. There's no real joke behind it besides it being a funny name. We were fifteen and sixteen and really dumb. Hahaha…not much more to say.
Your music changed towards a far more brutal direction with "Genesis", why did you choose to go in that direction?
Personally, I saw this as being a record that could make or break us. Going out with the first record that could possibly be your last, I felt that if this were to be my last record, I'd want to be remembered by "Genesis" not by Doom. So many people expected us to write another "Doom". To me…DOOM SUCKS. The recording is sloppy the riffs are lame and we had no sense of musically ability and writing sense. "Genesis" is a mature more fast paced record that shows what the band can really do. With records after this I have some crazy ideas that will probably shock a good number of people.
Did you take a lot of criticism for dropping the Breakdowns and other core elements?
Actually no, people were happy that we ditched that because it gave them a fresh ear for music. So many bands are doing the same crazy over and over and over again. I'm glad we didn't do any breakdowns on this record.
Do you think the success of your heavier direction spells the end of metalcore?
Who knows. Metalcore has its titans who will stay and it has already been killed of the bands who want to do well with it. The same thing is happening with "deathcore" too.
Why is the album called "Genesis"?
The album is called "Genesis" because it means a beginning and this is the new beginning for the new world!
I understand you just did some shows in Europe festivals, what show did you do, and how did they go for you?
We played download festival, never say die fest, and pressure fest. They went really well for us we all had a good time and the shows were great for us.
How well did the "Sounds Of The Underground" tour go for you?
Sounds of the Underground was a great tour. We had a great time with all of the bands and the tour itself was awesome.
What now? You've hit pay dirt with this album, how would you try and continue with the next one?
I've got songs man. Songs with force and songs with direction.
