Tourniquet (band)
| Tourniquet | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Thrash metal , progressive metal |
| founding | 1990 |
| Website | tourniquet.net |
| Founding members | |
| Ted Kirkpatrick | |
| Guy Ritter (until 1993) | |
| Gary Lenaire (until 1996) | |
| Current occupation | |
singing |
Luke Easter (since 1994) |
guitar |
Aaron Guerra (1994–2002, since 2004) |
| Steve Andino (since 1999) | |
Drums |
Ted Kirkpatrick |
| former members | |
guitar |
Erik Mendez (1991-1993) |
Electric bass |
Victor Macias (1991-1996) |
Tourniquet is an American metal band. They combine different stylistic devices of Heavy Metal and Christian texts (see Christian Metal ) to a melodic as well as riff-oriented, in their own words so-called Progtail ( Progressive Metal ). In the United States , Tourniquet have received many awards, had several singles at number 1 in the metal and rock charts and are known for energetic live shows.
Name and concept
" Tourniquet " (AmE: ˡtɜ: rnəkət) is borrowed from the French and a name for the used in medicine tourniquet that is used during setting of bleeding. The motto of the four musicians is in Psalm 147: 3 and relates directly to the band name: He heals the broken heart and binds up their wounds. (after Luther). Their main goal is to make music in praise of God and to stimulate thought in their listeners through critical texts.
Band history
Tourniquet was founded in Los Angeles in 1990 by Ted Kirkpatrick (drums), Guy Ritter (vocals) and Gary Lenaire (guitar). In the founding year, Tourniquet were signed by Intense Records and released their debut album Stop The Bleeding . The bass parts were played by Ted Kirkpatrick. As guest musicians, Mark Lewis (guitar) and Erik Jan James (bass), who only worked as an image person and did not play a single note on the album, could be engaged. "Stop the Bleeding" was voted the best album of the year by readers of HM magazine in 1991. The single release of "Ark Of Suffering", which deals with animal experiments, caused a stir. The video clip published for this was shown on MTV, but was soon removed from the program because of its brutal depiction of the mistreatment of animals.
In 1991 Tourniquet released their second album Psycho Surgery . Victor Macias (bass) and Erik Mendez (guitar) can be heard for the first time. The sound of this album is more Thrashy than that of its predecessor and does not require any higher vocals from frontman Guy Ritter.
During the recording of Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance in 1992, Guy Ritter left the band because his musical ideas no longer matched those of the rest of the band. Guitarist Gary Lenaire is therefore supported vocally by Erik Mendez and Victor Macias.
In 1993, the live EP was a live studio recording. Gary Lenaire is supported on the microphone by Les Carlsen ( Bloodgood ). This album, together with albums from Mortification , Deliverance and Die Happy, forms the "Intense Live Series" (in this edition the title is therefore also "Intense Live Series, Vol. II"). Erik Mendez left the band after the recordings in order to devote himself more intensively to painting.
The album Vanishing Lessons , released in 1994, sounds much softer and more groovy than the other albums. With Luke Easter Tourniquet had also found a new singer who was vocally much lower than Guy Ritter. Guest musicians include Lavant Coppic, who contributed some background vocals for "Drowning Machine", and M. Russo (guitar). The album was voted the best album of the year by readers of HM magazine and also received a GMA Dove Award for best metal album.
Aaron Guerra (guitar) played for the first time on the EP Carry the Wounded (1995). The EP surprised with piano accompaniment in the unusually sensitive ballad "When The Love Is Right".
In 1996, The Collected Works Of Tourniquet came out, a best-of album, on which two new songs can be heard in addition to songs from the last five releases (apart from the live EP ). On the two new songs you can no longer hear Victor Macias on bass, who left the band because of differences regarding biblical views, but Ted Kirkpatrick. After the recordings, Gary Lenaire also left the band and shortly after founded the band Echo Hollow together with ex-Tourniquet singer Guy Ritter .
Crawl To China was released in 1997 under the new record company "Diadem". However, the cooperation with "Diadem" was so unsatisfactory for Tourniquet that the decision was made to produce under their own direction in the future and the record label "Tourniquet Productions" was founded.
An acoustic album was released in 1998 with Acoustic Archives , on which Ted Kirkpatrick and Aaron Guerra play guitar and Luke Easter and Aaron Guerra sing. Most of the songs on the album are unplugged versions of previous tourniquet pieces.
In 2000 Microscopic View Of A Telescopic Realm was released under the label Metal Blade . This album is clearly Thrashier again and interspersed with elements of classical music (e.g. themes from Bach). Many songs are accompanied by a cello (Jennifer Hall) and a flute (Cameron Stone). Steve Rowe (Mortification) also adds a few words to the vocals.
In 2002, Tourniquets left the band's only guitarist, Aaron Guerra, in order to devote more time to his family. Because no replacement could be found, an unusual path was taken: The 2003 album Where Moth And Rust Destroy was recorded entirely with guest guitarists - Marty Friedman (Ex- Megadeth ) and Bruce Franklin ( Trouble ), who are responsible for virtuoso guitar parts - see above for example in the 9:34 minute "Healing Waters Of The Tigris", which shines with guitar solos that last for minutes. Musically, Where Moth And Rust Destroy continued the path that had been taken with the previous album. However, the CD is a bit more melodic and guitar-heavy. Steve Andino (bass), who previously often helped out live performances, has been a permanent member of the band ever since. You can hear Dave Bullock on the violin .
In November 2004, Tourniquet's website announced that Aaron Guerra had rejoined the band on guitar, and a new album was announced. Since then the band has been giving occasional concerts again.
In 2010 drummer and lead songwriter Ted Kirkpatrick released two solo albums. In Ode to a Roadkill , he mixes animal sounds with stoner rock to draw attention to the millions of animals that die each year in traffic. On In the Shadow of the Masters he uses his drum tracks to underlay pieces by well-known classical composers, similar to what he had done in the piece "K517" (Vanishing Lessons, 1994).
The live album "Tourniquet - Live in California", recorded in 1998, was released earlier in 2010.
Discography
Albums
- 1990 - Stop the Bleeding (Frontline)
- 1991 - Psycho Surgery (Frontline / Metal Blade)
- 1992 - Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance (Frontline / Metal Blade)
- 1993 - Live EP (Frontline) (also: Intense Live Series, Vol. II)
- 1994 - Vanishing Lessons (Frontline)
- 1995 - Carry the Wounded EP (Frontline)
- 1996 - Collected Works (Frontline)
- 1997 - Crawl to China (Diadem)
- 1998 - Acoustic Archives (Tourniquet Productions)
- 2000 - Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm (Metal Blade)
- 2003 - Where Moth and Rust Destroy (Metal Blade)
- 2004 - Vanishing Lessons (Pathogenic Records, Re-Release)
- 2009 - Crawl to China (Pathogenic Records, Re-Release)
- 2010 - Tourniquet - Live in California (Pathogenic Records (?), Live-Album)
- 2012 - Antiseptic Bloodbath
- 2014 - Onward To Freedom
- 2018 - Gazing at Medusa
Videos
- Ark of Suffering (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 Kirkpatrick (2003) - DVD
- Ocular Digital (2003) - DVD
- Till Sverige Med Kärlek (To Sweden With Love) (2006) - DVD
Web links
- official homepage
- Tourniquet at Bandcamp
- Tourniquet at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tourniquet Biography , laut.de, accessed on August 31, 2019.