Okay, I'll be blunt. I had rather conflicting feelings when this album came out. Sure, I heard all the hype that the quasi-legendary Tourniquet had gone back to their blistering brand of progressive thrash metal on Microscopic View.... The fact that it was released on Metal Blade, a label that features mainly mainstream (for lack of a better word) metal bands and artists on their roster, was a big booster. Both their classic Psycho Surgery and Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance were re-released on Metal Blade, and if any Christian band has the chops and talent to hold their own in a secular market, it was Tourniquet. But, and this is the major factor that kept me from obtaining this CD when it first came out- it was a follow-up to Crawl to China. Yep. Pretty small minded of me, huh?
Well, now I have the CD, and here's my assessment of such. Tourniquet is back. Sort of. Let me explain why I say "sort of":
The music is great. The guitar parts are tight, technical, and as intense as that found on Psycho and Pathogenic, only a little more riff-oriented (which is a good thing). The time changes are handled very, very well. Ted Kirkpatrick's drumming is, well, just as jaw-dropping as ever, though I do want to mention that it sounds like he's using a different brand of drum set than that on previous releases (trust me, there's a certain tone to the snare and kick-drum). The production's top-notch as always. I can't hear the bass part as much on the CD, but that's a minor issue. The lyrics are, as always, intelligent. One of the things I really respected about Tourniquet was that they weren't afraid to make the listener think about what was written within the songs, making us dig and use our God-given power of reason. Take the cut "The Skeezix Dilemma pt.II"...I know the first one was about child abuse set to a fantasy-like allegory. With the sequel, I'm still trying to figure out what it's about. Someone, throw me a Cliff Notes or something...
I am going to do a bit of childish whining and say that the only thing keeping Microscopic... from being a truly epic Tourniquet album is the lack of Guy Ritter on vocals. Yes, Luke Easter is a very intense vocalist and lends much to the overall sound of the band. It's just...well, let me put it this way. To me, Guy Ritter will always be the voice of Tourniquet. There, I've said it. Hate me if you will, but that's my opinion.
So, to cap things off, Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm seems to be a cross between Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance (my favorite Tourniquet album) and Vanishing Lessons (my fourth-favorite Tourniquet album), two strong albums forging one equally strong album.
8.5/10
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Scotty TeemsWhen was the last time you were bludgeoned by music? That seems to be one of the very few phrases I can find to accurately describe the sheer volume and mass of Tourniquet's latest disc, Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm. This collection of eleven bruising and brooding numbers takes the speed metal Tourniquet fans are so familiar with and, well, leaves it alone. How refreshing it is to hear…7ball #31Reviewed by David MuttilloEarly 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…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…Art for the Ears 2000Reviewed by Marco PovervestWhen you start this disc you might think you're listening to a funeral service. You hear a slowly murmuring church organ. But then, after ten seconds, this is brutally interrupted by an aggressive outburst of Tourniquet. And on this new album Tourniquet stands for Metal with the capital M as they go back to the sounds and ideas as captured on the Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance album. Not only…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Tony LaFianzaWith Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm, Tourniquet is back on several levels. They're back to speed metal, back to electric guitars, back to horrific CD covers, back to everything that fans have loved about the band for ten years. They've also come back on a secular label, Metal Blade, which has been releasing Christian favorites King's X and Galactic Cowboys for many years. Ted Kirkpatrick…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Josh SpencerTourniquet has finally returned to the progressive speed/thrash metal form fans have wished for ever since the band left it in 1993 after Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance. The dozens of buzzing and clean guitar tones, time and tempo changes, sick leads, mad drumming, and added flute and cello are all back with whirlwind vengeance. It's not the brute force assault of most extreme metal, but rather, a…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by GrindboyAh, this is a difficult album for me to review. . . . A large portion of this cd is very much Pathogenic. . . flashback type stuff (although hints of both Vanishing. . . and Crawl. . . are also interwoven), but even back in '92, I listened to my Tourniquet with ever a finger poised by the skip button, just in case a horribly hard-rockin' song could be impending. . . and one always would be. So…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by SORGA project this big and complex takes almost as much time to review as it probably did to record! Well, not really but you know. It is albums like this that make me wish I knew how to read music and had gone to schooling for music theory and such. I REALLY did not think I would like this cd very much at all as I have not really liked anything Tourniquet has done since Vanishing Lessons, so all the…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by D_ListerWell, well, well. Looks like Metal Blade finally got a kick butt Christian album to feed their spirit hungry listeners! That's right, Tourniquet is back and have finally come back ready to play some METAL! With this return we get a CD that's over an hour in length, and filled with musical elements that plain and simple make me happy just listening to. I tried to describe this to a friend of mine…Similar sounding releases
2001Stretch Arm StrongA Revolution Transmission
2003Better Off DeadThe Days of Friendship
2001AmosGothic Soul
1993Jesus FreaksSocially Unacceptable
2003MortificationPower, Pain & Passion
1991The CrucifiedPillars of HumanityMore from Tourniquet
1993Intense Live Series, Vol. 2
1991Psycho Surgery
2003Where Moth And Rust Destroy
1995Carry The Wounded
1997Crawl to China
1995Pushin' Broom (Video)
