Tourniquet (band)
Encyclopedia
Tourniquet is a Christian
thrash
/ heavy metal
band that was formed in 1989 by Ted Kirkpatrick, Guy Ritter and Gary Lenaire in Los Angeles, California, USA. They are known for incorporating elements of thrash, neo-classical
and progressive metal
into their music. They have earned six GMA Dove Award nominations and won multiple recognitions from the readers of HM Magazine
, including "Favorite Band of the 1990s" and "Favorite Album of the 1990s" for Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
. They have released seven studio albums, one compilation album, one EP, one acoustic album, five VHS releases and three DVDs. They have sold more than 300,000 albums. One of the band's trademarks is the incorporation of classical music into their guitar solos. They also frequently use medical terminology in their album and song titles as well as their lyrics.
The current Tourniquet lineup is Ted Kirkpatrick
(drums), Luke Easter
(vocals), and Aaron Guerra
(guitar, vocals). Kirkpatrick has continuously achieved top rankings in polls for the best metal drummers in the world. The band's latest release, Where Moth and Rust Destroy
, features special guests Marty Friedman
, formerly of Megadeth
, and Bruce Franklin
, formerly of Trouble
, on lead guitar. They are outspoken on issues of animal abuse, and have appeared in publications such as The Vegetarian Times and United Animal Nations and Animal Agenda.
The band is named for the tourniquet
, "a surgical device for arresting hemorrhage by compression of a blood vessel." According to the band, a tourniquet is a metaphor for "a lifelong spiritual process by which a personal God, through the atoning blood, death, and resurrection of His only Son—Jesus Christ—can begin to stop the flow of going through life without knowing and serving our Creator. He is our Tourniquet."
, vocalist Guy Ritter, and guitarist/vocalist Gary Lenaire
. Kirkpatrick had previously played in the Chicago doom metal group Trouble on their Run to the Light
tour. The group was one of many bands who were, at the time, affiliated with a church group called Sanctuary - the rock and roll refuge in Los Angeles.
Tourniquet released its first studio album Stop the Bleeding
in 1990. It was produced by Bill Metoyer of Metal Blade Records, and released by Intense Records
. While it was mostly distributed to Christian bookstores, Stop the Bleeding gained some notoriety in the mainstream metal scene, and is considered a notable thrash metal album. Tourniquet's style broke new ground and quickly gained them fans all over the world. Musically, the album showcased elements of 1980's speed metal with its Mercyful Fate/King Diamond
influences, notably the falsetto vocals. In this line up, Guy Ritter sang the melodic vocal parts while Gary Lenaire did the aggressive, thrash metal shouts. Session guitarist Mark Lewis played lead guitars on the album. The band was later rounded out with the addition of bassist Victor Macias
and lead guitarist Erik Mendez. This version of the group is commonly known as the "classic" line up of Tourniquet. The band, including Macias and Mendez, filmed a music video for the song "Ark of Suffering
". The video had some limited airplay on MTV, but it was quickly pulled by the network due to violent content portraying animal abuse. Because of the song and its subsequent video, the band became known for its stance on animal rights.
In 1991, Tourniquet abandoned most of its 1980's metal influences and recorded a more modern sounding album titled Psycho Surgery
. On the song "Spineless", the band experimented with rap rock
in the vein of Anthrax
and Faith No More
long before the style became popular in the late 1990s. Psycho Surgery showcased Kirkpatrick's classical music influences more prominently than Stop the Bleeding, and his background in the pharmaceutical industry became apparent with many of the song's lyrics utilizing medical terminology as metaphors for social/spiritual issues. Some critics described it as if "Slayer plays Beethoven in a slightly rewritten way". On Psycho Surgery Tourniquet continued to work with producer Bill Metoyer, and signed a distribution agreement with Metal Blade Records. Metal Blade released Psycho Surgery to a wider general market audience than the band had been able to reach with Stop the Bleeding. Intense Records released Psycho Surgery to Christian retail.
In 1992, Tourniquet released a home video (VHS) titled Video Biopsy.
In 1993, Tourniquet recorded what is considered their most technical and dark album, Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
. Vocalist Guy Ritter had grown increasingly dissatisfied with the band's musical direction, and didn't care for the more aggressive material the rest of the band was writing. He subsequently left the band during the recording of Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
due to these musical differences. Upon its release, Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance quickly became one of the most popular of the band's albums among Tourniquet fans. It went on to be voted Favourite Album of the 1990s by the readers of HM Magazine
. As with the previous album, Metal Blade Records released Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance to the general market, with Intense Records marketing it to Christian retail. Luke Easter replaced Ritter, joining Tourniquet for the Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance tour. Prior to this Tourniquet was scheduled to play the Milwaukee Metalfest in 1993, but professed satanist Glen Benton
of Deicide
, the festival headliner, refused to play with a Christian band. The festival was forced to cancel Tourniquet's performance. This brought more publicity and notoriety to Tourniquet. That same year, Intense Records released a live EP titled Intense Live Series, Vol. 2, which includes Tourniquet's cover of the Trouble song "The Tempter". This EP was recorded between Ritter's departure and Luke Easter joining the band with the melodic vocals being handled by Bloodgood
vocalist, Les Carlsen.
. Erik Mendez had left the band after the tour for Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance, and so Vanishing Lessons was recorded by Tourniquet as a four-piece band. Soon after the album's completion, Aaron Guerra joined Tourniquet as Mendez's replacement. Metal Blade Records opted to not distribute Vanishing Lessons, and Tourniquet continued to work exclusively with Intense Records until 1997. The album spawned the single "Twilight", which became the band's first CCM radio hit. A video was shot for the song "Bearing Gruesome Cargo", and was later released on the home video release Pushin' Broom (1995).
Shortly after the release of Vanishing Lessons, the band released an EP titled Carry the Wounded
in 1995. Some Tourniquet fans had mixed feelings toward the EP's softer sound and the inclusion of a ballad. Later the band released a compilation album titled The Collected Works of Tourniquet
which included the new songs "The Hand Trembler" and "Perfect Night for a Hanging". Many fans regard these as the heaviest songs Tourniquet has ever written.
In 1996, Gary Lenaire was asked to leave Tourniquet.
In 1997, the band signed with Benson Records and released Crawl to China
. Crawl to China generated divided opinions with both critics and fans because of its diverse, experimental material.
Ted Kirkpatrick is known for his drum solos, and he performs them in nearly every Tourniquet concert. Many of these performances had been filmed, and in 1997 these clips were compiled on a home video release (VHS) titled The Unreleased Drum Solos of Ted Kirkpatrick.
In 1998 the band recorded a number of songs in acoustic form, and released them on an album titled Acoustic Archives. This release also included a new song titled "Trivializing the Momentous, Complicating the Obvious". That same year, Tourniquet released two home videos (VHS) titled Guitar Instructional Video and Tourniquet Live in California.
. The aforementioned albums generated comparisons to each other, and Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm contained a sequel to the Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance song "The Skeezix Dilemma" titled "The Skeezix Dilemma Part II - The Improbable Testimony of the Pipsisewah". The album received rave reviews from both fans and critics.
In 2001, Tourniquet reissued its first three albums, remastered and containing bonus tracks, on Pathogenic Records. In 2002, bassist Steve Andino - after filling in live for the band on many occasions - became an official member of Tourniquet. The band played various live venues until Aaron Guerra left the band for personal reasons.
In 2003, Ted Kirkpatrick, Luke Easter and Steve Andino recorded Tourniquet's eleventh studio album, Where Moth and Rust Destroy
, with the help of guitarists Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth
) and Bruce Franklin (Trouble
). This release continues the technical and progressive direction of their previous album. The songs "Restoring the Locust Years" and "A Ghost at the Wheel" received some radio play. That same year, Tourniquet released two DVDs. The first, Ocular Digital, includes a live show from their 2001 performance at a Dutch festival called Flevo, and a concert from 1991 in Escondido, California - the first Tourniquet concert ever. The second DVD release, titled Circadian Rhythms – The Drumming World of Ted Kirkpatrick, included many newly-recorded drum solos as well as a DVD version of The Unreleased Drum Solos of Ted Kirkpatrick. This release also featured segments in which Ted, at his home and around town, answers questions from fans, and takes the viewer on a partial tour of his vast collection of butterflies and insects.
Aaron Guerra returned to Tourniquet in 2005, and they began to make sporadic appearances at concert events both in the U.S. and abroad. Notable shows include the Elements of Rock festival in Switzerland and Bobfest in Sweden. The Bobfest appearance was released on DVD in 2006 as Till Sverige Med Kärlek (Swedish for "To Sweden With Love").
On February 22, 2010, Blabbermouth.net
reported that Tourniquet will record a new album in spring with reputive producer Neil Kernon
. The band stated, "We plan to release it as soon as it's finished in fall of this year." Kirkpatrick also announced plans to release solo albums of stoner metal and drumming over classical music. On November 10, Tourniquet announced a parthership with Kickstarter.com to fund the album's recording with fan packages and experiences for anyone who contributes toward the new album budget.
, Bach
, and other classical composers as some of his primary musical influences. While there are some progressive elements on Pathogenic, such as on "The Skeezix Dilemma", their later releases Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm and Where Moth and Rust Destroy have more marked progressive metal influences.
Tourniquet's lyrical influences span a wide range; everything from Old Testament narrative, to medical allegories, to Edgar Allan Poe
type descriptive horror. Many Kirkpatrick-penned lyrics incorporate medical terminology. Tourniquet has also dealt with unique social issues as well. "Ark of Suffering" from their very first release, Stop the Bleeding, generated a lot of attention by addressing animal abuse. "Ruminating Virulence" (from Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance) offers hope to the severely disabled. "Twilight" (from Vanishing Lessons) addresses the neglect of the elderly. All of these topics are addressed from a Biblical perspective.
.
Christian metal
Christian metal, also known as white metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message in a song's lyrics as well as the band's dedication to Christianity...
thrash
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
/ heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band that was formed in 1989 by Ted Kirkpatrick, Guy Ritter and Gary Lenaire in Los Angeles, California, USA. They are known for incorporating elements of thrash, neo-classical
Neo-classical metal
Neo-classical metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that is heavily influenced by classical music. It refers to a very technical performanceExact quote from the french text: "L'arrivée du néoclassique remet au goût du jour la virtuosité et le travail de l'instrument", « Les secrets du metal-...
and progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
into their music. They have earned six GMA Dove Award nominations and won multiple recognitions from the readers of HM Magazine
HM Magazine
HM: The Hard Music Magazine is an American bimonthly publication focusing on both Christianity and hard rock. Articles include news, album and festival reviews, posters, artists to watch, indie artist reviews, devotionals and interviews with Christian artists...
, including "Favorite Band of the 1990s" and "Favorite Album of the 1990s" for Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance was the third album by the Christian metal band Tourniquet, released in 1992. It is the last album to feature vocalist Guy Ritter who left the band after the recording of the album...
. They have released seven studio albums, one compilation album, one EP, one acoustic album, five VHS releases and three DVDs. They have sold more than 300,000 albums. One of the band's trademarks is the incorporation of classical music into their guitar solos. They also frequently use medical terminology in their album and song titles as well as their lyrics.
The current Tourniquet lineup is Ted Kirkpatrick
Ted Kirkpatrick
Ted Kirkpatrick is an American heavy metal drummer best known for his work with the American Christian metal band Tourniquet.-Biography:...
(drums), Luke Easter
Luke Easter (musician)
Luke Easter is a singer and songwriter with the Christian metal band Tourniquet.Easter grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, where he currently resides. He was a fan of Tourniquet as a youth, became a singer at age 19, and joined the band after an audition, shortly before they went on tour in...
(vocals), and Aaron Guerra
Aaron Guerra
Aaron Guerra is a guitarist for the Christian metal band Tourniquet. He first learned how to play guitar from his father. He is credited for writing the music on two Tourniquet albums. He wrote three songs on the 1997 album Crawl to China and three more on the 2000 album Microscopic View of a...
(guitar, vocals). Kirkpatrick has continuously achieved top rankings in polls for the best metal drummers in the world. The band's latest release, Where Moth and Rust Destroy
Where Moth and Rust Destroy
Where Moth and Rust Destroy is an album by Tourniquet. The title is a reference to Matthew 6:19. All guitar solos on this album were performed by former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman except tracks 4 and 7 which were done by Bruce Franklin....
, features special guests Marty Friedman
Marty Friedman (guitarist)
Marty Friedman is a guitarist, well known for his tenure as the lead/rhythm guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth, which lasted almost a decade...
, formerly of Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, and Bruce Franklin
Bruce Franklin (guitarist)
Bruce Franklin is a metal guitarist. He is the guitarist for the band Trouble. He is also in the band Supershine featuring King's X frontman Doug Pinnick and longtime Trouble drummer, Jeff Olson. Franklin appeared as a guest lead guitarist on Tourniquet's 2003 album Where Moth and Rust Destroy...
, formerly of Trouble
Trouble (band)
Trouble is an American doom metal band noted as one of the pioneers of their genre, alongside bands such as Candlemass and Saint Vitus. The band created a distinct style taking influences of the British heavy metal bands Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and psychedelic rock of the 1970s...
, on lead guitar. They are outspoken on issues of animal abuse, and have appeared in publications such as The Vegetarian Times and United Animal Nations and Animal Agenda.
The band is named for the tourniquet
Tourniquet
An emergency tourniquet is a tightly tied band applied around a body part sometimes used in an attempt to stop severe traumatic bleeding. Tourniquets are also used during venipuncture and other medical procedures. Severe bleeding means the loss of more than 1,000 ml of blood. This flow of blood...
, "a surgical device for arresting hemorrhage by compression of a blood vessel." According to the band, a tourniquet is a metaphor for "a lifelong spiritual process by which a personal God, through the atoning blood, death, and resurrection of His only Son—Jesus Christ—can begin to stop the flow of going through life without knowing and serving our Creator. He is our Tourniquet."
Classic line up (1990–1993)
Tourniquet was formed in 1989 by drummer Ted KirkpatrickTed Kirkpatrick
Ted Kirkpatrick is an American heavy metal drummer best known for his work with the American Christian metal band Tourniquet.-Biography:...
, vocalist Guy Ritter, and guitarist/vocalist Gary Lenaire
Gary Lenaire
Gary Lenaire is a guitarist and composer. He is most known for his work with Tourniquet and the band Echo Hollow. He has released 12 records and was nominated for six GMA Dove Awards. He received HM Magazine's "Guitarist of the Year" award from 1994-1996. He has published over 90 songs world wide...
. Kirkpatrick had previously played in the Chicago doom metal group Trouble on their Run to the Light
Run to the Light
Run to the Light was the third album by the American doom metal band Trouble, released on July 15, 1987. It was the band's last release on Metal Blade before signing to Def American for their follow-up, the 1990 self-titled release.-Track listing:...
tour. The group was one of many bands who were, at the time, affiliated with a church group called Sanctuary - the rock and roll refuge in Los Angeles.
Tourniquet released its first studio album Stop the Bleeding
Stop the Bleeding
Stop the Bleeding was the debut album by the Christian metal band Tourniquet, originally released in 1990 on Intense Records. It was remastered and independently rereleased in 2001 on Pathogenic Records...
in 1990. It was produced by Bill Metoyer of Metal Blade Records, and released by Intense Records
Intense Records
Intense Records was an independent record label whose releases were mostly in the metal genre. Intense was bought out in 1989 by Frontline Records and became an imprint of that company...
. While it was mostly distributed to Christian bookstores, Stop the Bleeding gained some notoriety in the mainstream metal scene, and is considered a notable thrash metal album. Tourniquet's style broke new ground and quickly gained them fans all over the world. Musically, the album showcased elements of 1980's speed metal with its Mercyful Fate/King Diamond
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen , better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award nominated Danish heavy metal musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond...
influences, notably the falsetto vocals. In this line up, Guy Ritter sang the melodic vocal parts while Gary Lenaire did the aggressive, thrash metal shouts. Session guitarist Mark Lewis played lead guitars on the album. The band was later rounded out with the addition of bassist Victor Macias
Víctor Macías
Víctor Iván Macías García is an Ecuadorian footballer currently playing for Manta Fútbol Club in the Ecuadorian Serie A.-External links:*...
and lead guitarist Erik Mendez. This version of the group is commonly known as the "classic" line up of Tourniquet. The band, including Macias and Mendez, filmed a music video for the song "Ark of Suffering
Ark of Suffering
"Ark of Suffering" is a song by the American thrash metal band Tourniquet. One of the band's best known songs from their early years, "Ark of Suffering" is the third track from Tourniquet's 1990 debut album Stop the Bleeding. It is widely known for its stance on animal abuse and the music video...
". The video had some limited airplay on MTV, but it was quickly pulled by the network due to violent content portraying animal abuse. Because of the song and its subsequent video, the band became known for its stance on animal rights.
In 1991, Tourniquet abandoned most of its 1980's metal influences and recorded a more modern sounding album titled Psycho Surgery
Psycho Surgery
As a result for Metal Blade Records' distribution, Psycho Surgery made the band more well-known and popular. Following the album's release, the songs "Psycho Surgery," "Spineless," and "Viento Borrascoso" all achieved number 1 positions on several charts. The album was voted as "Favorite Album of...
. On the song "Spineless", the band experimented with rap rock
Rap rock
Rap rock is a cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock is often confused with rap metal and rapcore, subgenres that include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented bands, respectively....
in the vein of Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
and Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
long before the style became popular in the late 1990s. Psycho Surgery showcased Kirkpatrick's classical music influences more prominently than Stop the Bleeding, and his background in the pharmaceutical industry became apparent with many of the song's lyrics utilizing medical terminology as metaphors for social/spiritual issues. Some critics described it as if "Slayer plays Beethoven in a slightly rewritten way". On Psycho Surgery Tourniquet continued to work with producer Bill Metoyer, and signed a distribution agreement with Metal Blade Records. Metal Blade released Psycho Surgery to a wider general market audience than the band had been able to reach with Stop the Bleeding. Intense Records released Psycho Surgery to Christian retail.
In 1992, Tourniquet released a home video (VHS) titled Video Biopsy.
In 1993, Tourniquet recorded what is considered their most technical and dark album, Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance was the third album by the Christian metal band Tourniquet, released in 1992. It is the last album to feature vocalist Guy Ritter who left the band after the recording of the album...
. Vocalist Guy Ritter had grown increasingly dissatisfied with the band's musical direction, and didn't care for the more aggressive material the rest of the band was writing. He subsequently left the band during the recording of Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance was the third album by the Christian metal band Tourniquet, released in 1992. It is the last album to feature vocalist Guy Ritter who left the band after the recording of the album...
due to these musical differences. Upon its release, Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance quickly became one of the most popular of the band's albums among Tourniquet fans. It went on to be voted Favourite Album of the 1990s by the readers of HM Magazine
HM Magazine
HM: The Hard Music Magazine is an American bimonthly publication focusing on both Christianity and hard rock. Articles include news, album and festival reviews, posters, artists to watch, indie artist reviews, devotionals and interviews with Christian artists...
. As with the previous album, Metal Blade Records released Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance to the general market, with Intense Records marketing it to Christian retail. Luke Easter replaced Ritter, joining Tourniquet for the Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance tour. Prior to this Tourniquet was scheduled to play the Milwaukee Metalfest in 1993, but professed satanist Glen Benton
Glen Benton
Glen Benton is an American heavy metal musician best known as the vocalist and bassist for the death metal band Deicide, although he prefers not to use the 'death metal' terminology. He is also the studio vocalist for Vital Remains, and has performed live with them on a few occasions...
of Deicide
Deicide (band)
Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their first two albums, Deicide and Legion, are ranked second and third place in best-selling death metal albums of the SoundScan era.-As Amon/Carnage :...
, the festival headliner, refused to play with a Christian band. The festival was forced to cancel Tourniquet's performance. This brought more publicity and notoriety to Tourniquet. That same year, Intense Records released a live EP titled Intense Live Series, Vol. 2, which includes Tourniquet's cover of the Trouble song "The Tempter". This EP was recorded between Ritter's departure and Luke Easter joining the band with the melodic vocals being handled by Bloodgood
Bloodgood
Bloodgood is a Christian metal band from Seattle, Washington. Originally formed in 1984 and by 1988 represented one of the four largest Christian metal bands alongside Barren Cross, Whitecross, and Leviticus....
vocalist, Les Carlsen.
Heavy metal / hard rock era (1994–1999)
In 1994, Tourniquet abandoned most of the medical terminology in their lyrics, altered their style to a more accessible heavy metal / hard rock sound and released Vanishing LessonsVanishing Lessons
Vanishing Lessons is a 1994 album by Christian metal band Tourniquet. It is the first album to feature vocalist Luke Easter. The album was independently rereleased in 2004 with digital remastering, new artwork and bonus tracks.-Track listing:...
. Erik Mendez had left the band after the tour for Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance, and so Vanishing Lessons was recorded by Tourniquet as a four-piece band. Soon after the album's completion, Aaron Guerra joined Tourniquet as Mendez's replacement. Metal Blade Records opted to not distribute Vanishing Lessons, and Tourniquet continued to work exclusively with Intense Records until 1997. The album spawned the single "Twilight", which became the band's first CCM radio hit. A video was shot for the song "Bearing Gruesome Cargo", and was later released on the home video release Pushin' Broom (1995).
Shortly after the release of Vanishing Lessons, the band released an EP titled Carry the Wounded
Carry the Wounded
Carry The Wounded is a 1995 EP by Christian metal band Tourniquet. The EP is musically much mellower than Tourniquet's typical releases. "Oh Well" is a Fleetwood Mac cover.- Track listing :# "Carry The Wounded" 5:01# "When The Love Is Right" 4:41...
in 1995. Some Tourniquet fans had mixed feelings toward the EP's softer sound and the inclusion of a ballad. Later the band released a compilation album titled The Collected Works of Tourniquet
The Collected Works of Tourniquet
The Collected Works of Tourniquet is an album by the American Christian metal band Tourniquet. It is a compilation album that features the two new songs "Perfect Night For A Hanging" and "The Hand Trembler." In addition, "The Skeezix Dilemma" is an edited version, using the bulk of the studio...
which included the new songs "The Hand Trembler" and "Perfect Night for a Hanging". Many fans regard these as the heaviest songs Tourniquet has ever written.
In 1996, Gary Lenaire was asked to leave Tourniquet.
In 1997, the band signed with Benson Records and released Crawl to China
Crawl to China
Crawl to China is the 1997 album by the Christian metal band Tourniquet, released on Benson Records. This album took the band's style to a more simplistic rock sound and, as a result, Crawl to China was critically panned and disappointed many of the band's metal fans. The lyrics of the song "The...
. Crawl to China generated divided opinions with both critics and fans because of its diverse, experimental material.
Ted Kirkpatrick is known for his drum solos, and he performs them in nearly every Tourniquet concert. Many of these performances had been filmed, and in 1997 these clips were compiled on a home video release (VHS) titled The Unreleased Drum Solos of Ted Kirkpatrick.
In 1998 the band recorded a number of songs in acoustic form, and released them on an album titled Acoustic Archives. This release also included a new song titled "Trivializing the Momentous, Complicating the Obvious". That same year, Tourniquet released two home videos (VHS) titled Guitar Instructional Video and Tourniquet Live in California.
Return to thrash metal (2000–)
In 2000, Tourniquet began writing more thrash oriented songs again. They signed directly to Metal Blade Records, and began work on their most technical album since Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance, Microscopic View of a Telescopic RealmMicroscopic View of a Telescopic Realm
Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm is an album by Tourniquet. It was released on Metal Blade Records in the year 2000.-Track listing:# "Besprinkled in Scarlet Horror" 7:40# "Drinking from the Poisoned Well" 7:34...
. The aforementioned albums generated comparisons to each other, and Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm contained a sequel to the Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance song "The Skeezix Dilemma" titled "The Skeezix Dilemma Part II - The Improbable Testimony of the Pipsisewah". The album received rave reviews from both fans and critics.
In 2001, Tourniquet reissued its first three albums, remastered and containing bonus tracks, on Pathogenic Records. In 2002, bassist Steve Andino - after filling in live for the band on many occasions - became an official member of Tourniquet. The band played various live venues until Aaron Guerra left the band for personal reasons.
In 2003, Ted Kirkpatrick, Luke Easter and Steve Andino recorded Tourniquet's eleventh studio album, Where Moth and Rust Destroy
Where Moth and Rust Destroy
Where Moth and Rust Destroy is an album by Tourniquet. The title is a reference to Matthew 6:19. All guitar solos on this album were performed by former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman except tracks 4 and 7 which were done by Bruce Franklin....
, with the help of guitarists Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
) and Bruce Franklin (Trouble
Trouble (band)
Trouble is an American doom metal band noted as one of the pioneers of their genre, alongside bands such as Candlemass and Saint Vitus. The band created a distinct style taking influences of the British heavy metal bands Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and psychedelic rock of the 1970s...
). This release continues the technical and progressive direction of their previous album. The songs "Restoring the Locust Years" and "A Ghost at the Wheel" received some radio play. That same year, Tourniquet released two DVDs. The first, Ocular Digital, includes a live show from their 2001 performance at a Dutch festival called Flevo, and a concert from 1991 in Escondido, California - the first Tourniquet concert ever. The second DVD release, titled Circadian Rhythms – The Drumming World of Ted Kirkpatrick, included many newly-recorded drum solos as well as a DVD version of The Unreleased Drum Solos of Ted Kirkpatrick. This release also featured segments in which Ted, at his home and around town, answers questions from fans, and takes the viewer on a partial tour of his vast collection of butterflies and insects.
Aaron Guerra returned to Tourniquet in 2005, and they began to make sporadic appearances at concert events both in the U.S. and abroad. Notable shows include the Elements of Rock festival in Switzerland and Bobfest in Sweden. The Bobfest appearance was released on DVD in 2006 as Till Sverige Med Kärlek (Swedish for "To Sweden With Love").
On February 22, 2010, Blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was officially launched in March 2001...
reported that Tourniquet will record a new album in spring with reputive producer Neil Kernon
Neil Kernon
Neil Kernon is a musician/record producer/mixer/recording engineer - from London, England.He has worked with a number of artists over the last 30 years, but may be best known for his work with Hall & Oates on three of their most important albums - 1980's Voices, 1981's Private Eyes, and 1982's H2O...
. The band stated, "We plan to release it as soon as it's finished in fall of this year." Kirkpatrick also announced plans to release solo albums of stoner metal and drumming over classical music. On November 10, Tourniquet announced a parthership with Kickstarter.com to fund the album's recording with fan packages and experiences for anyone who contributes toward the new album budget.
Music
Tourniquet's early albums are technical thrash metal and are characterized by dark atmosphere. The song writing is technically precise, and drummer Ted Kirkpatrick is known to play the guitar parts himself when he thinks that the other members' playing isn't precise enough. Kirkpatrick's drumming incorporates poly-rhythms and peculiar, technical patterns. Many Tourniquet songs are said to include more guitar riffs than most bands write in their entire career. Their first album is influenced by 1980s speed metal, but on later releases the band began incorporating more classical music in their songwriting, most notably on the albums Psycho Surgery and Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance. This is mostly due to Ted Kirkpatrick's role as the main songwriter. Kirkpatrick cites BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, and other classical composers as some of his primary musical influences. While there are some progressive elements on Pathogenic, such as on "The Skeezix Dilemma", their later releases Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm and Where Moth and Rust Destroy have more marked progressive metal influences.
Tourniquet's lyrical influences span a wide range; everything from Old Testament narrative, to medical allegories, to Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
type descriptive horror. Many Kirkpatrick-penned lyrics incorporate medical terminology. Tourniquet has also dealt with unique social issues as well. "Ark of Suffering" from their very first release, Stop the Bleeding, generated a lot of attention by addressing animal abuse. "Ruminating Virulence" (from Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance) offers hope to the severely disabled. "Twilight" (from Vanishing Lessons) addresses the neglect of the elderly. All of these topics are addressed from a Biblical perspective.
Accomplishments
Due to the band's worldwide popularity, Tourniquet has performed in the US, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Holland, Denmark, Germany, Brazil and Puerto Rico. Their music has received notice in the mainstream media, as well as the CCM market. The music video for "Ark of Suffering" received airplay on MTV, and garnered attention for its stance on animal abuse. Tourniquet has continued to take a very public stance on this issue, and so have been interviewed about it in magazines such as Vegetarian Times, Journal of the United Animal Nations, Animal’s Agenda and by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Tourniquet is known to be musically talented; some critics have described them as being more proficient than many of their counterparts, and the band members have appeared in many music magazines. For example, Kirkpatrick has been featured on Modern Drummer, Drums, and Aaron Guerra has been interviewed in Guitar World and Guitar for the Practicing MusicianGuitar for the Practicing Musician
Guitar for the Practicing Musician was a guitar magazine published in the United States by Cherry Lane Music in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1992, it was the most popular music publication at newsstands, selling 740,000 issues over a six-month period. It was popular for publishing songs with guitar and...
.
Awards and nominations
Tourniquet has been the recipient of a number of awards.- 2003, 1999, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 91, 90 - HM Magazine'sHM MagazineHM: The Hard Music Magazine is an American bimonthly publication focusing on both Christianity and hard rock. Articles include news, album and festival reviews, posters, artists to watch, indie artist reviews, devotionals and interviews with Christian artists...
Favorite Drummer of the Year (Ted Kirkpatrick) - 2003 - HM Magazine's Favorite Lyricist of the Year (Ted Kirkpatrick)
- HM Magazine's Favorite Band of the 90's
- HM Magazine's Favorite Album of the 90's (Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance)
- 1999 - HM Magazine's Favorite Band of the Year
- 1999 - HM Magazine's Favorite Song of the Year ("Trivializing the Momentous...")
- 1999 - HM Magazine's Favorite Lyricist of the Year (Ted Kirkpatrick)
- 1995 - GMA Dove Award nomination for Metal Album of the Year for Vanishing Lessons
- 1995 - GMA Dove Award nomination for Metal Recorded Song of the Year for "Bearing Gruesome Cargo"
- 1997- 95,92, 91, 90 - HM Magazine’s Favorite Band/Thrash Band/New Band of the Year
- 1994 - HM Magazine’s Favorite Lyricist of the Year (Ted Kirkpatrick)
- 1994 - HM Magazine’s Favorite Album of the Year for Vanishing Lessons
- 1992 - GMA Dove Award nomination for Metal Album of the Year for Psycho Surgery
- 1992 - GMA Dove Award nomination for Metal Recorded Song of the Year for "Psycho Surgery"
- 1992 - HM Magazine’s Favorite Video of the Year for "Ark of Suffering"
- 1991 - GMA Dove Award nomination for Metal Recorded Song of the Year for "You Get What You Pray For"
- 1991 - GMA Dove Award nomination for Metal Album of the Year for Stop the Bleeding
- 1991 - Christian News Forum Contemporary Christian Music Award for Rock Video of the Year "Ark of Suffering"
- 1991 - HM Magazine’s Favorite Album of the Year for Psycho Surgery
- 1991 - HM Magazine’s Favorite Album of the Year for Stop the Bleeding
Number one songs
The following songs have reached #1 in various sales and airplay charts:- "Microscopic View" - Microscopic View
- "Crawl to China" - Crawl To China
- "Carry the Wounded" - Carry the Wounded
- "Heads I Win, Tails You Lose" - Carry the Wounded (CCM Rock Chart)
- "Vanishing Lessons" - Vanishing Lessons
- "Twilight" - Vanishing Lessons (CCM Rock Chart)
- "Acidhead" - Vanishing Lessons
- "Bearing Gruesome Cargo" - Vanishing Lessons
- "Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance" - Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
- "Phantom Limb" - Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
- "The Skeezix Dilemma" - Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
- "Psycho Surgery" - Psycho Surgery
- "Spineless" - Psycho Surgery
- "Viento Borrascoso" - Psycho Surgery
- "Ark of Suffering" - Stop the Bleeding
- "You Get What You Pray For" - Stop the Bleeding
- "Somnambulism" - Stop the Bleeding
Albums
- Stop the BleedingStop the BleedingStop the Bleeding was the debut album by the Christian metal band Tourniquet, originally released in 1990 on Intense Records. It was remastered and independently rereleased in 2001 on Pathogenic Records...
(1990) - Psycho SurgeryPsycho SurgeryAs a result for Metal Blade Records' distribution, Psycho Surgery made the band more well-known and popular. Following the album's release, the songs "Psycho Surgery," "Spineless," and "Viento Borrascoso" all achieved number 1 positions on several charts. The album was voted as "Favorite Album of...
(1991) (2001 rerelease titled Psychosurgery) - Pathogenic Ocular DissonancePathogenic Ocular DissonancePathogenic Ocular Dissonance was the third album by the Christian metal band Tourniquet, released in 1992. It is the last album to feature vocalist Guy Ritter who left the band after the recording of the album...
(1992) - Vanishing LessonsVanishing LessonsVanishing Lessons is a 1994 album by Christian metal band Tourniquet. It is the first album to feature vocalist Luke Easter. The album was independently rereleased in 2004 with digital remastering, new artwork and bonus tracks.-Track listing:...
(1994) - Crawl to ChinaCrawl to ChinaCrawl to China is the 1997 album by the Christian metal band Tourniquet, released on Benson Records. This album took the band's style to a more simplistic rock sound and, as a result, Crawl to China was critically panned and disappointed many of the band's metal fans. The lyrics of the song "The...
(1997) - Acoustic ArchivesAcoustic ArchivesAcoustic Archives is a 1998 acoustic album by Christian metal band Tourniquet. All of the songs are performed acoustically except for the new song "Trivializing the Momentous, Complicating the Obvious".- Track listing :...
(1998) - Microscopic View of a Telescopic RealmMicroscopic View of a Telescopic RealmMicroscopic View of a Telescopic Realm is an album by Tourniquet. It was released on Metal Blade Records in the year 2000.-Track listing:# "Besprinkled in Scarlet Horror" 7:40# "Drinking from the Poisoned Well" 7:34...
(2000) - Where Moth and Rust DestroyWhere Moth and Rust DestroyWhere Moth and Rust Destroy is an album by Tourniquet. The title is a reference to Matthew 6:19. All guitar solos on this album were performed by former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman except tracks 4 and 7 which were done by Bruce Franklin....
(2003)
Live
- Intense Live Series, Vol. 2Intense Live Series, Vol. 2This short "live in the studio" disc was part of a series that Intense Records put out in the early 90s. Tourniquet was in a transition period during the recording of this disc as they had recently lost their original vocalist and had not yet hooked up with Luke Easter. Guitarist Gary Lenaire took...
(1993) (also known as Recorded Live, Vol. 2) - Live in California - 1998 (2010)
Videos
- Ark of SufferingArk of Suffering"Ark of Suffering" is a song by the American thrash metal band Tourniquet. One of the band's best known songs from their early years, "Ark of Suffering" is the third track from Tourniquet's 1990 debut album Stop the Bleeding. It is widely known for its stance on animal abuse and the music video...
(1991) - Music Video - Video Biopsy (1992) - VHS
- Pushin' Broom Video (1995) - VHS
- The Unreleased Drum Solos of Ted Kirkpatrick (1997) - VHS
- Guitar Instructional Video (1998) - VHS
- Tourniquet Live in California (1998) - VHS
- Video Biopsy (re-release) (2000) - VHS
- Circadian Rhythms - The Drumming World of Ted KirkpatrickCircadian Rhythms - The Drumming World of Ted KirkpatrickCircadian Rhythms - The Drumming World of Ted Kirkpatrick is a DVD by Tourniquet drummer Ted Kirkpatrick.-Main:# "Intro"# "Hidden Rhythms"# "Piercing the Silence"# "Wings in Motion"# "Nature Speaks"# "Displacement"# "Motivated by Silence"...
(2003) - DVD - Ocular DigitalOcular DigitalOcular Digital is a live concert DVD released by the American Christian metal band Tourniquet in 2003. The "Flevo 2001" tracks were recorded live at the Flevo Festival in Liempde, The Netherlands on August 17, 2001....
(2003) - DVD - Till Sverige Med KärlekTill Sverige Med KärlekTill Sverige Med Kärlek is a live DVD by Tourniquet, released on September 26, 2006 on the band's . It was recorded March 12th, 2005 at the last ever Bobfest, a Christian Rock festival in Linköping, Sweden.-Track listing:#"Intro"...
(To Sweden With Love) (2006) - DVD
External links
- Tourniquet at Metal Archives