The current members of Tourniquet are Ted Kirkpatrick (drums), Luke Easter (vocals), and Aaron Guerra (guitar, vocals).
Former members include Gary Lenaire, Guy Ritter, Victor Macias, Erik Mendez, Steve Andino (bass) and Vince Dennis.
The band is named after a tourniquet which is a surgical device for arresting hemorrhage by compression of a blood vessel. According to the band, 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."
Tourniquet was formed as a christianthrash metal band. 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. They started out with Ted Kirkpatrick(drums), Guy Ritter (vocals) and Gary Lennaire (guitaris/vocalist).
Their first record Stop the Bleeding was produced in 1990, by Bill Metoyer of Metal Blade Records, and released by Intense Records. While it was mostly distributed to Christian bookstores, Stop the Bleeding was a notable Christian thrash metal album in its time. Tourniquet's characteristic style broke new ground and quickly gained them fans all over the world. In their early line up, Guy Ritter sang the more melodic vocal parts while Gary Lenaire did the aggressive, thrash metal shouts. The band brought forth their first single Ark of Suffering, which received some minor airplay on MTV, but was pulled down due to video shots of animal abuse. Because of the song and it's 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 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 later in the 1990's. Psycho Surgery showcased the classical music influences more clearly than on 'Stop The Bleeding', and the drummer’s background in the pharmaceutical industry became more apparent: many of the songs utilized medical terminology as metaphors for social/spiritual issues. On Psycho Surgery. Tourniquet continued to work with producer Bill Metoyer, and eventually signed a distribution agreement with Metal Blade Records, which released Psycho Surgery to a far wider general market audience than the band was able to reach with Stop the Bleeding. However, Intense Records still released Psycho Surgery and distributed it to Christian retail
In 1993, Tourniquet recorded what is considered their most technical and dark album, Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance. Guy Ritter left the band during the recording of Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance. Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance quickly became one of the most popular of the band's albums among Tourniquet fans, and it was voted Favourite Album of the 1990's by the readers of HM Magazine. As with the previous album, Metal Blade Records released Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance to the general market and Intense Records released it to the Christian market. Luke Easter, who had formerly sung in a more pop rock oriented group, replaced Ritter, joining Tourniquet for the Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance tour. On this tour, 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.
The band's sound took a sharp turn from their early thrash metal days, following the departure of original vocalist Guy Ritter. In the interim, the band recorded a "live in studio" album with Les Carlsen of Bloodgood. The following album, Vanishing Lessons was much more hard rock, but no less technical. After another EP, Gary Lennaire left the band.
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 (tourniquet had previously covered Trouble's The Tempter on their live EP).
Tire Kicking
Tourniquet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
come and check it out some night - can't I see it in the light?
Kick the tires if you wish - 32 psi?
that's not bondo - it's all stock - do you think that I would lie?
Has it been in any wrecks - my mechanic wants to check
oh no to the contrary - to check it is not necessary
I know many verses and have studied many years
Armour all on all 4 tires - you sure are looking good
but you will be bent out of joint if I lift up that hood
I thought I knew you pretty well - but under stress you fell apart
you do just fine if you are driving up and down the block
but find a road with lots of curves - I see a sponge and not a rock
find a road with lots of curves - I see a sponge and not a rock
for all these years I've known the Lord
and each year means a higher score
If people tell me you're a horse you better saddle up
Have you noticed sin I lack? - odometer has been turned back
I exposite under toil - but that engine sure burns oil
I never miss a week of church - the transmission has a lurch
in our friendship you can trust - hey that frame is full of rust
I have some timely news for you
the car you sell is not so new
it isn't meant to run A1
so as a test or just for fun
for once let's see your real side
the humble side that doesn't lie
when pressures come that doesn't fly
for once let's see your real side
The lyrics of Tourniquet's song "Tire Kicking" talk about a dishonest person selling a used car to another person. The seller tries to convince the potential buyer that the car is in good condition, but the buyer starts to suspect that the car has some issues since the seller refuses to let them examine the car in the light. The buyer asks several questions and raises concerns about the car, but the seller continues to lie and deny any issues. As the conversation continues, the potential buyer discovers more and more defects and realizes that the seller is not trustworthy.
The lyrics of the song provide a metaphor for the hypocrisy of religious people who pretend to be sinless and faultless when they are, in fact, not. The constant references to the score and the lack of sin in the lyrics highlight the idea that the seller represents a religious person trying hard to be perfect and righteous. However, just like the car, the seller has inner flaws and imperfections that they try to hide.
Overall, the lyrics of the song criticize the tendency of some people to project a perfect image of themselves while hiding their flaws and pretending to be someone they are not.
Line by Line Meaning
Car for sale - what a deal - I assure you it's a steal
I am selling this car at an excellent price and guarantee that it is a great value
come and check it out some night - can't I see it in the light?
Please come take a look at the car and inspect it carefully
Kick the tires if you wish - 32 psi?
Feel free to examine the tires, but they are properly inflated at 32 psi
that's not bondo - it's all stock - do you think that I would lie?
The body of the car has not been repaired with bondo, it's all original - I wouldn't lie to you
Has it been in any wrecks - my mechanic wants to check
Has the car been in any accidents? My mechanic would like to verify
oh no to the contrary - to check it is not necessary
No, the vehicle has not been in any accidents and it's not necessary to check
I know many verses and have studied many years
I am a devout Christian, well-versed in scripture, and have studied for many years
can't you see how holy my exterior appears?
My exterior appearance reflects my strong Christian faith
Armour all on all 4 tires - you sure are looking good
The tires look great with Armor All applied to them
but you will be bent out of joint if I lift up that hood
You may be surprised or disappointed if you take a look under the hood
I thought I knew you pretty well - but under stress you fell apart
you do just fine if you are driving up and down the block
but find a road with lots of curves - I see a sponge and not a rock
for all these years I've known the Lord
and each year means a higher score
The car seems reliable on flat, straight roads, but struggles with more challenging terrain. Similarly, a person's faith may seem strong until they face difficult circumstances that cause them to falter. However, over time, one's faith can grow stronger with each new challenge.
If people tell me you're a horse you better saddle up
If people say you're the real deal, you better be ready to prove it.
Have you noticed sin I lack? - odometer has been turned back
I am a good, honest person who has not committed any sins that you can see. However, the odometer has been tampered with in order to make the car seem more valuable than it is.
I exposite under toil - but that engine sure burns oil
I have put a lot of work into maintaining the car, but the engine still has issues and burns oil
I never miss a week of church - the transmission has a lurch
I am a faithful churchgoer, but the car's transmission has a noticeable issue
in our friendship you can trust - hey that frame is full of rust
You can trust me as a friend, but you should be aware that the car's frame is rusted
I have some timely news for you
the car you sell is not so new
it isn't meant to run A1
so as a test or just for fun
for once let's see your real side
the humble side that doesn't lie
when pressures come that doesn't fly
for once let's see your real side
I need to be honest with you - the car is not in great condition and isn't meant for optimal performance. I challenge you to show your true, honest self when faced with pressure or challenges, rather than relying on falsehoods or deceit.
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC
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