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Tourniquet Where Moth and Rust Destroy Metal Blade I’ve never believed that the corporate record entity
in this country represents even a fraction of the true talent that exists in
the metal world. They do not lay rights to the best metal acts simply because
they continue to look in the wrong places. On the other hand, even if they knew
where to look I’d question their ability to actually do anything proper with
them, had they ever been given the opportunity. The metal underground is a
thriving mass of undiscovered talent and best kept secrets. One such band that
immediately comes to mind is the renowned neo-classical thrashers known as Tourniquet. I’ve been a huge fan of these guys for many years, in
fact, dating all the way back to their debut CD, 1990’s Stop the Bleeding. Now more than a decade later the band are still
going strong and show no signs of
falter. Releasing their seventh studio album, Where Moth and Rust Destroy, on Combining traditional thrash elements with seriously
imbedded classical melody and harmony, Where
Moth and Rust Destroy, produced once again by long-time producer Bill
Metoyer (Slayer, Fates Warning), is a CD of truly epic proportions and full of
surprises. Relying mostly on heavy rhythms and complex song structures, Tourniquet deliver some of the most
unlikely incursions within their music allowing
room for wonderfully orchestrated string arrangements and brazen
classically laced guitar solos, provided this time around by ex-Megadeth axeman,
Marty Freidman and Trouble guitarist,
Bruce Franklin. Fans of progressive metal acts such as Arch Enemy, Opeth and Symphony X will find favor with the
songs of Where Moth and Rust Destroy as
well as diehard thrashers whose taste is more to the liking of Slayer or early Metallica. Aside from the obvious diversity the band shows in
their music, many of their lyrics are written in an allegoric and symbolic
fashion. Ted Kirkpatrick and band manage to prove to the world that people who
play in heavy metal bands aren’t always the dumb degenerates society thinks
them to be. As it turns out Ted has actually trained in the medical field, is
an animal right’s activist, a vegetarian, a Christian and, believe it or not, a
butterfly collector; not your typical thrash mongrel. Where Moth and Rust Destroy is a highly recommended addition to any
metalhead’s collection and goes the distance without
losing any integrity along the way. The last track of the disc does drag a bit
and vocalist Luke Easter can be a bit grating in the lower registers but,
overall, this is a definitive piece of art for the guys of Tourniquet. -Priest |
