Tourniquet
Where Moth and Rust Destroy
7.5
Have you ever felt the urge to listen to some expansive, progressive thrash? If so, please direct your attention to the new Tourniquet album, Where Moth and Rust Destroy. Tourniquet brings in influences from all across the musical spectrum, from classic heavy metal to prog to hardcore to doom to thrash, which all combine to create a challenging and interesting listen. Drummer/guitarist Ted Kirkpatrick is the main songwriter for the band, and he's been around since their founding in 1990. Perhaps the most surprising aspect about this album is that all the vocals are done by one man. Vocalist Luke Easter delivers the goods in three or four different styles, from clean to snarling, and quite old-school. The production sounds organic, meaning that it's not overdone, producing a sound that's not too highly polished; one that you could mimic with your own guitar and amp. Most of the songs are long voyages of 6-10 minutes that are akin to a rollercoaster ride, going off in many different directions. Of note is the outstanding lead work played by a couple of hired guns, Marty Friedman (Megadeth) and Bruce Franklin (Trouble). My favorite track is Architeuthis, which begins with a faint alarm in the background, then a mid-paced, meandering riff that plays on for a minute or so before diving into a ripping thrash riff. Shouted vocals lead into a gang chorus that would fit right in on a Biohazard song (thus, the hardcore influence). A Ghost at the Wheel features dirty southern, sludgy riffing that would make the boys of Black Label Society proud. Another great song, Healing Waters of the Tigris, has a Middle Eastern-styled intro that transports the listener back to the days of Ur (what is that instrument, a sitar?). The first two minutes are like Diet Nile. At 9:32, the song has plenty of room to grow and thrive. The middle of the song is a long thrash break/shred fest which transitions into a marathon lead. In Death We Rise closes out the album in total doom fashion, with sloooow, deep, heavily-distorted, textbook doom riffs. Stretch that out for seven minutes and you have a closer. Where Moth and Rust Destroy is an ambitious album that will most likely appeal to older metalheads rather than the kids of today. At times they try out too many ideas and I lose interest, but on the whole, there is a lot of solid music to absorb here. Is this metal for the new millennium? Not really. Is it strong, well-played metal? Yes.
