Tourniquet
Tourniquet is an American Christian thrash metal band, based out of Califor… Read Full Bio ↴Tourniquet is an American Christian thrash metal band, based out of California. Formed in 1989.
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).
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Tourniquet Lyrics


01 impending Embolism With fervid vocility we have perused Through centuries of c…
02. Crawl To china Is God asking you to crawl to China, or just…
03-Phantom Limb The case of George Dedlow Double amputee, one of 500,000 C…
04-My promise Just a boy, you will not remember half The things you're…
04-Vitals Fading Young child drowning in a sea of pain Body infested with…
10. Descent Into The Maelstrom [Words & Music: Ted Kirkpatrick] [This song is dedicated to…
11-En Hakkore Nazarite, set apart, he will lead them Hypersthenic, beyond…
86 Bullets On a hot Hawaiian afternoon in 1994, 9,000 pounds of frustr…
A dog breakfast (Scientology, also called Dianetics) Listen to Ron Hubbar…
A Dog's Breakfast (Scientology, also called Dianetics) Listen to Ron Hubbard'…
A Ghost At The Wheel You finally noticed Did it dawn on you slowly Or was it…
America [Musical Arrangement: Ted Kirkpatrick All instruments played…
Antiseptic Bloodbath 2,000 years ago, a sacrifice was made for us When the…



Architeuthis There is a beast that does exist Not just a myth…
Ark of Suffering You think it's alright to destroy God's creation They don't …
Bats Bats, bats, bats You think they'll hit you, but they won't …
Bearing Gruesome Cargo This is why I am the way that I am This…
Besprinkled in Scarlet Horror Words verbose, gory to what end do they serve? Or images…
Broken Chromosomes I want to take my life today I don't belong here…
Caixa De Raiva No morning cup of coffee That stuff just puts me right…
Carried Away On Uncertain Wings A final declaration from my deathbed podium Last words of a…
Carry the Wounded We all have known someone Whose life has come undone But c…
Chamunda Temple Stampede Darshan goddess, kneel at her throne 3:45 AM, no way they…
Claustrospelunker If a stone holds you down, keep your head above…
Convoluted Absolutes I feel numb And think we're half asleep Our collective sense…
Crank the Knife Distance makes my heart to fester in self-inflicted pain If …
Crawl To China Is God asking you to crawl to China, or just…
Descent into the Maelstrom [Words & Music: Ted Kirkpatrick] [This song is dedicated to…
Dogman (Originally by King's X) Give me a dollar or give me…
Drawn And Quartered Deliver to me the thieves, the murderers And those with whom…
Drinking from the Poisoned Well Fist through a wall - foot through a door Just another…
Drowning Machine The water is fast, but it ain't deep I waded out…
Duplicitous Endeavor True colors always shine through Tell me, is this the real…
Dysfunctional Domicile After school my stomach sinks From the thought of just how…
En Hakkore Nazarite, set apart, he will lead them Hypersthenic, beyond …
Enveloped in Phyton My pet, my pet-how fun you are I trust you so…
Enveloped in Python My pet, my pet-how fun you are I trust you so…
Erratic Palpitations of the Human Spirit Surprised by such an evil thought Where did this thing come…
Exoskeletons Waiting in fear My stepfather's prey Mother's mistake Now I'…
Flowering Cadaver Hidden deep in the Sumatran jungle lives the mystical titan…
Gelatinous Tubercles of Purulent Ossification When the sunlight strikes raindrops in the air, They act…
Going Going...Gone [Words & Music: Ted Kirkpatrick] [This song is dedicated to…
Harlot widow & the virgin bri See the harlot riding sinner scarlet She's a city made of…
Heads I Win Tails You Lose There's a place in the human soul Where we want to…
Healing Waters Of The Tigris Through famine, flood and choking mud the ancient river flow…
If I Was There I close my eyes and think about Calvary, I see it…
If Pigs Could Fly Why does God refuse to move? If pigs could fly they'd…
Imaginary Friend He's got a secret environment locked In his head, reality…
Impending Embolism With fervid vocility we have perused Through centuries of co…
In Death We Rise Fear not, the grave has no power For you will be…
Incommensurate The fallacy impinging on mankind Prevalent throughout aeons …
Indulgence by Proxy It's not me, it's not mine Without this shadow my life…
K517 [Instrumental]…
Lost Language of the Andamans Lost forever in the sea of forgetfulness The Andaman dialec…
Martyr\'s Pose You've lived your whole life in this role Father checked out…
Melting The Golden Calf Bring us your trinkets, your baubles of gold Join the debauc…
Microscopic View Of A Telescopic Realm Darwinistic Dante's Inferno partially obstructed preconcepti…
My Promise Just a boy, you will not remember half The things you're…
Officium Defunctorum Nigh does the tempest Draw to devour him Through sullen seas…
Oh Well Can't help about the shape I'm in I can't sing, I…
Pathogenic Occular Dissonance The iguanidae sees East and West simultaneously The praying…
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance The iguanidae sees East and West simultaneously The praying …
Pecking Order Sleight of hand, slight of mind Slam the door, leave the…
Perfect Night for a Hanging Enter the mind of a man torn in two- One of…
Phantom Limb The case of George Dedlow Double amputee, one of 500,000 Civ…
Proprioception: The Line Knives Syndrome [Words & Music: Ted Kirkpatrick] When your life turns upsid…
Psycho Surgery Cranial vault the mind's map paved by heart and soul's…
Pushin' Broom Fall has come again Bringing the leaves to the ground Anothe…
Ready or Not A step in the wrong direction Is one more step closer…
Restoring The Locust Years The path to healing forks too many times The road to…
Ruminating Virulence Vision from the past As you see yourself floating to shore …
Servant of the Bones Collect the skeletal remains Of long dead memories To line t…
Sola Christus Not inclined to come to Him Inability within Inward call ach…
Somnambulism In a permanent dream state Stumbling in the dark You walk th…
Spectrophobic Dementia I feel a piece of my life escapes me With every…
Spineless Gimme the track get back and let me rip this…
Stereotaxic Atrocities Brilliant scientific enterprise The altruistic benefit of h…
Stumblefoot Deep in that cranial psycho vault the thought you are to…
Swarming Spirits Two spirits call my name One from glory one from shame Burni…
Tears of Korah A humble man Moses of Goshen Behold the plan You shall deliv…
The Hand Trembler Is the God that I worship like an eight ball…
The Maiden Who Slept in the Glass Coffin Shield yourself from all the pain Let nothing get inside yo…
The Messiah Take Him down, take Him down Move Him gently, hold His…
The Skeezix Dilemma Silly childhood game - Uncle Wiggly I cower in abject horror…
The Tell Tale Heart I cut him up this evening and when they came to…
The Tempter I am the tempter Ruler of hell Bringer of evil Beware …
The Test for Leprosy Under the law Set by Almighty God The priests had the power …
The Threshing Floor You see life as a game That you don't want to…
The Tomb of Gilgamesh I ask that you return me The years I did ignore…
Theodicy on Trial Satan called upon the Lord "I must perform a test To prove…
Tire Kicking Car for sale - what a deal - I assure…
Twilight When Father Time begins to run out on you There's a…
Vanishing Lessons Silently vanishing, then reappearing Slipping away for a whi…
Viento Borrascoso Line Up: Guy Ritter - vocals, keyboards Gary Lenaire - voca…
Vitals Fading Young child drowning in a sea of pain Body infested with…
Where Moth & Rust Destroy The world is quick to tell us The media compels us For…
White Knucklin' the Rosary Don't even try to tell me what prayer is for my…
you get what you pay for All of a sudden this big world will end Billions of…
You Get What Your Pray For All of a sudden this big world will end Billions of…
Your Take I've seen you at the shows So proud to tell us…