Tourniquet -- Vanishing Lessons

8/10

Ah, Tourniquet. Yet another Christian rock band, this one in the progressive metal vein, that was introduced to me by my older cousin, Rhett. Rhett, a drummer, thought that Tourniquet's drummer, Ted Kirkpatrick, was phenomenal. Since Rhett got his driver's license far before I did, I spent a lot of the mid-90's jamming in Rhett's car. He had possibly the most complete CD binder of Christian rock of any living person in those years (R.I.P. binder), and sure enough, when he was driving too fast on the Interstate with just his knees, he'd pull a Tourniquet CD from his binder, play it full blast, and turn his steering wheel, parking tag, and air freshener into a full drum kit. While this was slightly terrifying, I enjoyed the music so much, it didn't really matter. I mean, hey, I lived.
Tourniquet indeed features strong drumming from band leader and creator, Ted Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick is a huge fan of classical music, and that influence shows up big on their 1994 album, Vanishing Lessons. The album made waves at the time, as it ditched the band's thrash sound for more of a groovy hard rock/metal/alt-metal sound. It also features the first appearance of lead vocalist, Luke Easter, whose tuneful singing is drenched in a throaty crunch. The songwriting here is strong, as the band, as they often did at their best, combine sheer technical skill with fun listenability--accessibility without technical compromise. These songs jam, but they're also the sort of thing a non-metal fan might find themself nodding their head to. Kirkpatrick's drumming is just too groovy. There's even a moment 2/3 in where Kirkpatrick plays his virtuoso drums to a virtuoso harpsichord line. As far as mid-90's metal goes, Vanishing Lessons is about as fun as it gets.


1994 Intense Records
1. Bearing Gruesome Cargo 4:35
2. Pecking Order 5:52
3. Drowning Machine 4:45
4. Pushin' Broom 5:36
5. Vanishing Lessons 4:21
6. My Promise 4:32
7. Acid Head 4:24
8. K517 2:11
9. Twilight 4:03
10. Your Take 3:21
11. Sola Christus 5:02