Luke Easter, Tourniquet‘s vocalist from 1993 to 2015, recently completed a successful Indiegogo campaign to finance the release of his new solo project. The campaign closed at 117% of its goal, and Easter recently announced via social media that the CD was complete, and that all backer perks had been shipped.
Easter‘s new release, “The Pop Disaster”, marks a departure from the progressive tinged metal he had come to be known for from his long tenure as Tourniquet‘s vocalist, instead taking more of a hard rock/power pop approach.
“I’ve always been a pop/rock guy,” says Luke. “I know I was in a metal band for almost 23 years, but that’s really just one side of me. I love heavy music, but I’m a sucker for a well crafted melody with a big chorus. I grew up listening to Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Stryper and Ratt as much as I did to Metallica and Megadeth. This project has given me the chance to show that side of myself as a writer and performer.”
Produced by Kris Kanoho (One Groove, Nomasterbacks), the record features a core group of musicians from the Christian hard rock and metal scene — David Bach (Guardian) on bass, Jesse Sprinkle (Poor Old Lu, Demon Hunter) on drums, and Josiah Prince (Disciple) on lead guitar. Additionally, the record features an appearance by former Stryper bass player Tim Gaines.
“The Pop Disaster” is scheduled for release June 15 in both digital and physical formats. Pre-order information is available at his website.
Track listing:
01. Life Goes On
02. How To Die Alone And Broken
03. Sideways
04. As Damaged As You Are
05. After I’m Gone
06. Misspent
07. Sleep
When he announced his exit from Tourniquet in December 2015, Easter said that his time with the band gave him “the opportunity to see the world; to meet and work with amazing people; to contribute to a body of work that I am proud of; and in the process I was able to share Christ with people all over the world.”
Tourniquet drummer, songwriter and lyricist Ted Kirkpatrick explained that the decision to split with Easter was made because “our musical paths are not quite going in the same direction.”