Tourniquet
Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm
Reviewed by David Muttillo
Early in Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm, Tourniquet quotes Bach's humble description of his great music: "They're simply notes put together in bars." Much like that great classical composer of old, the sum of this trio's output is much greater than just so many creatively arranged notes from a scale. It's easy to fall for such an assumption, though, since nobody can cram as many notes into a song as Tourniquet. Not to mention weighty thoughts: the album's name - Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm - refers to the irony of how mankind completely overlooks God's divine creation, even while looking right at it in the natural realm here on Planet Earth.
The elements forming this complicated music are comprised of Ted Kirkpatrick's gorilla-strong and lightning-fast drumming, Aaron Guerra's multifaceted string work and Luke Easter's boldly engaging singing. The music cannot be completely absorbed in just one sitting; songs often take on the look and feel of mini-operas, changing rhythms, keys and moods unexpectedly - oftentimes within split seconds. (But then, longtime Tourniquet fans already knew this.)
This latest offering from the smartest bunch of hard rockers on terra firma displays the many brain cells constantly in motion behind its noise. Miss this intelligent design, and it's like missing the proverbial forest for the trees.
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #82Reviewed by Doug Van PeltOh yeah! The intro to this album ("Besprinkled in Scarlet Horror") ends all the speculation - Tourniquet is not experimenting with a new sound anymore . . . they're blowing your head off with blazing heavy metal. Fans of Tourniquet's first three albums will feel like they're getting the follow-up to Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance with its biting and rising guitar scales. There's a harpsichord break…