Tourniquet

Formed in Los Angeles in 1990, thrash metallists Tourniquet were a trio featuring members Luke Easter (vocals), Aaron Guerra (guitar, vocals), and Ted Kirkpatrick (drums), the latter of whom also doubled as the group's main songwriter. It doesn't take long after hearing the group's music to find out their chief musical influence was Iron Maiden -- which is especially evident in the galloping rhythms and challenging song structures (as well as thought-provoking lyrics). But Tourniquet were not your average metal band, as they were known to deconstruct their tunes and play "unplugged" shows, while receiving favorable press from such publications as Modern Drummer, Guitar for the Practicing Musician, and Guitar Player. The band's releases included 1990's Stop the Bleeding, 1992's Psycho Surgery, 1994's Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance, 1995's Vanishing Lessons, 1997's Crawl to China, and 2000's Microscopic View of Telescopic Realm. Drummer and songwriter Ted Kirkpatrick died on August 19, 2022, at the age of 62. ~ Greg Prato