By mutual and respectful agreement, Luke Easter has stepped down as vocalist of thrash/heavy metal band Tourniquet.
Drummer Ted Kirkpatrick says: “Luke has been a valuable member of Tourniquet since 1993 and we have shared much music, ministry, and laughter. I will always appreciate his valuable contribution to our music and his representation of the band – and I know many of you will too. We’ve decided that our musical paths are not quite going in the same direction. Luke has been, and is – a great friend. I truly wish the best for him and look forward to seeing whatever his future holds.”
From Luke: “In June, 1993, my life changed. I joined Tourniquet and began a musical journey that has lasted more than two decades. I got 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. I am grateful to have been a part of Tourniquet, and to have had the chance to work with someone as talented and prolific as Ted for as long as I have.”
Luke Easter replaced Guy Ritter in 1993, joining Tourniquet for the “Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance” tour. Prior to this Tourniquet was scheduled to play the Milwaukee Metalfest in 1993, but professed satanist Glen Benton of Deicide, the festival headliner, refused to play with a Christian band. The festival was forced to cancel Tourniquet‘s performance. This brought more publicity and notoriety to Tourniquet.That same year, Intense Records released a live EP titled “Intense Live Series, Vol. 2,” which includes Tourniquet‘s cover of the Trouble song ‘The Tempter’. This EP was recorded between Ritter‘s departure and Luke Easter joining the band with the melodic vocals being handled by Bloodgood vocalist, Les Carlsen.
The first album with Luke as vocalist was “Vanishing Lessons” which has been released in 1994 through Intense Records.
Tourniquet is a Christian metal band that was formed in 1989 by Ted Kirkpatrick, Guy Ritter and Gary Lenaire in Los Angeles, California, United States. The band primarily performs a mixture of thrash, neoclassical and progressive metal, and is influenced by additional, non-rock forms of music such as classical and world music. It has earned six GMA Dove Award nominations and won multiple recognitions from the readers of HM Magazine, including “Favorite Band of the 1990s” and “Favorite Album of the 1990s” for Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance. It has released eight studio albums, two compilation albums, one EP, one acoustic album, five video releases and 10 DVDs, and sold more than 300,000 albums. In addition to its use of classical music, the band is known for frequently using medical terminology in its album and song titles and lyrics.
Tourniquet‘s latest album “Onward to Freedom” (an anthem for the voiceless) was mixed and mastered by ace producer Josh Schroeder /Random Awesome Studios and is released on November 11th. 2014 through Tourniquet‘s own label Pathogenic Records. Ted is joined by an impressive array of guest artists.
Our review of “Onward To Freedom” can be found here.
The current line-up includes: Ted Kirkpatrick (co founder and original drummer) and Aaron Guerra (guitar).