With the sudden global acceptance of Stryper in the late '80s, Christian music experienced an explosion of new metal acts, like Sacred Warrior, Shout and Whitecross, playing every variety of metal from thrash, speed, skate, and melodic to you-name-the-qualifier. At the top of the metal heap was a band called Tourniquet. Known for their genuine artistic talent and politically-charged lyrics, Tourniquet developed a dedicated following. Tourniquet's latest, Crawl To China, finds the former grunge-metal trio exploring a variety of musical genres, from classic thrash to acoustic folk, with a little arena rock thrown in for good measure. Yes, there is the obligatory rough-as-gravel vocal screams, the thundering guitar leads and trademark double-kick wall of drums. And there are the literate, unvarnished lyrics, delivered with passion and art. And the production is slick. You don't even have to read the lyric sheet to understand the words! OK, so maybe that's a negative for die-hard metal fans. But I like it. Tourniquet seems to be a band that has come to grips with who they are, and they like themselves. Best cuts include the Alice Cooper-esque "Enveloped in Python," the surprising acoustic "If I Were There," and the enigmatically titled "Claustrospelunker."
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Josh SpencerThe best bands are those that consistently put out albums year after year, continually forging ahead into new territory while maintaining their own distinct personality. Most of the time, though, fans find only frustration when they try to follow a band: subsequent releases never capture the magic of the debut, or the band calls it quits after an album or two, or they change their sound so much…The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Mark J. AylorTourniquet has produced a mixed bag on their newest release Crawl to China. Most of the tunes are excellent, but a few really left me shaking my head - the title track (which is almost rapcore), "Enveloped in Python," and "Bats." Since this clocks in at 68:02 (skipping over those tracks brings it down to 56:30), it more than makes up for these losers. Musically, this is the same hard-hitting…Similar sounding releases
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