Tourniquet Stop the Bleeding Album Review

Tourniquet - Stop the Bleeding (1990)

Members:

Ted Kirkpatrick – drums, bass

Guy Ritter – vocals

Gary Lenaire – guitars, vocals, bass

Mark Lewis – lead guitars

Factoid:

Stop the Bleeding is Christian metal band Tourniquet's debut album, released originally in 1990 on Intense Records and remastered/re-released independently in 2001 on Pathogenic Records. The re-release includes new artwork, an expanded booklet, and several bonus tracks including demos and live versions featuring then-lead vocalist Luke Easter.

The Review:

After 2+ decades of delivering punishing metal to rabid fans, Tourniquet's first release, Stop the Bleeding, is often dismissed as merely being a spring board for their later efforts. It' uniqueness is commonly overlooked, and is implied by some as being a bit outdated. Though it is quite true that a lot has changed in metal since 1990 (not all for the better), this is still an album that offers more sonic intricacies than most - past and present. It is also bone crushingly heavy!

The band recorded Stop the Bleeding at Mixing Lab A & B studio in Garden Grove, California. The band's line-up consisted of Ted Kirkpatrick, Guy Ritter, and Gary Lenaire. Session musician Mark Lewis played nearly half of the album's lead guitar solos.

Prior to the album's recording, during an "Artists vs. Label" softball game, a label executive accidentally ran over drummer Ted Kirkpatrick's foot (his main kick foot) while rounding second base, requiring Kirkpatrick to record the album under a great deal of pain. The band faced other recording obstacles as well, such a power failure that forced the producer to mix the songs over again.

Musically, the album was said to be "unlike anything else on the market at the time" and incorporates classical music to 1980s-inspired speed and thrash metal riffs. Guy Ritter's vocals on the album, which he said were inspired by glam metal vocalists, shift between low-baritone and high-falsetto vocals, although they were performed higher on the demo versions.

A common grievance though is the shrilling falsettos of Guy Ritter. This style of singing was more commonplace during this era and comparisons were usually made between him and King Diamond. For some, this may depreciate the originality. But set against the blistering background, these vocals create a musical ambience akin to no one else. His unrelenting shrieks on "Ready or Not," for example, resemble the howls of a frail yet hideous creature crawling out of a tomb.

Though there was no official bassist (they were essentially a trio), the work that was laid down in this respect is crunchy and more than functional. The bass work on "Harlot Widow and the Virgin Bride" is particularly prevalent and works well in this fashion. The guitar work is pristine and hints at the technical progressions that will emerge on later albums. Needless to say the drumming is extraordinary as Ted Kirkpatrick introduced his signature beats. One can literally be transfixed into the drum work alone.

This album shines ten metallic gems that don't let up. Highlights are the melodic "Test for Leprosy" containing one the coolest bridges ever, the epic "Tears of Korah" that successfully conjures the setting of the subject matter, "Arc of Suffering" which delivers merciless riffs along side lyrics about the mistreatment of animals, and the infectious whirlwind that is "Swarming Spirits."

In conclusion, Stop the Bleeding is worth any metal fan's time - be it to reminisce or to ponder Tourniquet's timeless musical innovations.

Score: 5/5