Tourniquet currently auditioning for a vocalist

deathisgain wrote:

crucifyd wrote:I love Les Carlsen, he's made for Bloodgood, but he was totally wrong for the Tourniquet version of the Intense Live Series. It's on the list of ruined-for-me-because-of-the-vocals records along with Inhabit and Non-existent by LS...

I actually loved the Intense Live Tourniquet album with Les. But I was jesting.

As I consider Les Carlsen one of my favorite singers ever, one may say that my opnion is biased (and it actually is), but I loved the Intense Live Series album. I guess people who disliked was expecting someone covering Guy Ritter and it didn't happen.

Actually, Les Carlsen was the only good vocalist to sing with Tourniquet (until Onward to Freedom). Guy Ritter just have found a way of singing without being a disaster, but I am pretty sure he wouldn't fill any best singer poll. Luke Easter is that love or hate kind of singer. But, even those who love his voice, must confess that he is not versatile. Gary lenaire could sing the thrash parts, but I doubt things would work out if he was the lead singer.

And I loved that cover of The Messiah played live in the end of the EP.

Temple of Blood wrote:

bjorn agin wrote:

sentient 6 wrote:Whoever they get, I hope its a more traditional metal styled vocalist rather than a " core " vocalist.

This.

It'd be great to find a vocalist that has some range.

Those certainly don't grow on trees!  Especially ones that play guitar well enough to play for Tourniquet.

I think it's pretty safe to say that whoever they get will not get to write much at all or get paid so it makes you wonder why someone would want to do it.

Well, I don't see it as a job applicancy, either. It is like some sort of hobby or personal realization. 

One thing is true, if he wants a good singer who can play guitar with the level that is expected on Tourniquet, he might be, at least considering that his new bandmate could write something and participate in an active way.

As I use to say, Tourniquet looks like a one man effort since Gary Lenaire left the band.

strangerhoncho wrote:Listening to these without vocals, I'm also made aware of my other two pet peeves with latter-day Tourniquet:  a lack of different guitar tones, and the same slow to mid-tempos for just about every song.  The thing that gave early Tourniquet so much energy was the incredible variety of tones and tempos.  They were full of surprises.  Now they're just kinda like smooth jazz thrash or elevator music thrash.  Musically adept, but boring and predictable most of the time. 

I guess it's good as background music when I want to write or concentrate and don't want the music distracting me at all.

I have the same feling.

Thiago-Brazil wrote:As I consider Les Carlsen one of my favorite singers ever, one may say that my opnion is biased (and it actually is), but I loved the Intense Live Series album. I guess people who disliked was expecting someone covering Guy Ritter and it didn't happen.

I don't necessarily need a GR clone, just never liked Les on that record...

Thiago-Brazil wrote:Luke Easter is that love or hate kind of singer. But, even those who love his voice, must confess that he is not versatile. Gary lenaire could sing the thrash parts, but I doubt things would work out if he was the lead singer.

To me Luke has a good singing voice. I like his mellow/ballady type singing and singing on heavier songs. never cared for his Gary Lenaire imitation though...

Thiago-Brazil wrote:And I loved that cover of The Messiah played live in the end of the EP.

Agreed, but then again, that IS a Bloodgood tune.. ; )

Guy Ritter would be great to have back, but I'm quite sure that will never happen

The only thing I'm really hoping for is that the new singer would not be one of those whose "harsh" vocals are in the metalcore style. I prefer Tom Araya / Gary Lenaire type of yelling where their own voice can be heard when they are shouting. The metalcore shouting all sounds too much the same.


Here is a new interview:



They are still looking for a new vocalist (didn't say anything about the second guitarist, so maybe they've already found one or are still looking for that too).
What's interesting is that Ted said the new album will sound like a mixture of The Hand Trembler, Perfect Night for a Hanging, Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance and Onward to Freedom, explaining that it has the sound of those older heavy tracks but with modern recording like OtF - or something like that.

First off, I love , love, LOVE the first four albums. But if they went in the same direction as "The Slave Ring" with Mattie Montgomery on vocals, I'd be down with that.




Heck, he could get Mattie and Gabbie, in his band, and I'd buy that album.

deathisgain wrote:First off, I love , love, LOVE the first four albums. But if they went in the same direction as "The Slave Ring" with Mattie Montgomery on vocals, I'd be down with that.

Heck, he could get Mattie and Gabbie, in his band, and I'd buy that album.

I would totally be down as well!

But Ted wouldnt do that

It would completely alienate the metal fans who are not into core, and enjoy their thrash style

Im sure he would be much more successful with Mattie and, him joining the core scene would instantly get them more popularity but honestly it wouldnt even be the same band

I turned off The Slave Ring a couple minutes in. It's nice and heavy and stuff, but what i hear is the exact same guitar sound that filled the last three records. They really need to switch things up in the guitar department. A second guitarist would definitely be welcome.

deathisgain wrote:First off, I love , love, LOVE the first four albums. But if they went in the same direction as "The Slave Ring" with Mattie Montgomery on vocals, I'd be down with that.




Heck, he could get Mattie and Gabbie, in his band, and I'd buy that album.

I must confess to having skipped right over he last Tourniquet album with the way threads constantly went here, and not being all too thrilled with the (what seemed to me) almost militant PETA stance Ted displayed (again, maybe just me, I haven't always been in a real great place over the last couple years...)

That appears to have been a mistake, especially if the rest of the album has some similarity to the this track........

Has there been any news on how the auditions are going? If they are still going?

bjorn agin wrote:I turned off The Slave Ring a couple minutes in. It's nice and heavy and stuff, but what i hear is the exact same guitar sound that filled the last three records. They really need to switch things up in the guitar department. A second guitarist would definitely be welcome.

I just ff'd to Chris Poland's soulful fretwork - always great.

exo wrote:

deathisgain wrote:First off, I love , love, LOVE the first four albums. But if they went in the same direction as "The Slave Ring" with Mattie Montgomery on vocals, I'd be down with that.




Heck, he could get Mattie and Gabbie, in his band, and I'd buy that album.

I must confess to having skipped right over he last Tourniquet album with the way threads constantly went here, and not being all too thrilled with the (what seemed to me) almost militant PETA stance Ted displayed (again, maybe just me, I haven't always been in a real great place over the last couple years...)

That appears to have been a mistake, especially if the rest of the album has some similarity to the this track........

Not to start one of those flame wars, but the message is very heavy handed on the last album. It doesn't bother me as much, but at times it seemed to keep going on a bit too much.

deathisgain wrote:First off, I love , love, LOVE the first four albums. But if they went in the same direction as "The Slave Ring" with Mattie Montgomery on vocals, I'd be down with that.

Heck, he could get Mattie and Gabbie, in his band, and I'd buy that album.

Yeah, I like that guy's vocals.  I'd be down with him.  He's more core, but not generic -- there's some personality in there, and his clean vocals are unique.  I dig him.  Is that him doing the higher vocals at the very end too?  If so, he's got a lot of range, with three distinct styles in one song, so that's exactly what Tourniquet needs.

strangerhoncho wrote:

deathisgain wrote:First off, I love , love, LOVE the first four albums. But if they went in the same direction as "The Slave Ring" with Mattie Montgomery on vocals, I'd be down with that.

Heck, he could get Mattie and Gabbie, in his band, and I'd buy that album.

Yeah, I like that guy's vocals.  I'd be down with him.  He's more core, but not generic -- there's some personality in there, and his clean vocals are unique.  I dig him.  Is that him doing the higher vocals at the very end too?  If so, he's got a lot of range, with three distinct styles in one song, so that's exactly what Tourniquet needs.

I think Nick Villars is doing the clean vocals and the higher vocals in the end. I'm not sure though.
Whoever is doing the clean and the higher vocals is very good. I could "accept" those kind of vocals in future Tourniquet albums.

Hmm.  I looked up Nick Villars and his vocals for his bands are different.  Way too emo/screamo for me.  I wouldn't think that was him on the Tourniquet track, but I guess he could be versatile enough to take all the whine out and get into a lower register.  I'd be into that if he could stick with that style.

It wouldn't surprise me if this search is fruitless and he takes the guest vocalist approach again.

Tourniquet is one of those sad stories of christian market. What started a great band producing awesome albums became a dull and non energetic shadow in the end. I pretty much lost my interest to TQ after Pathogenic.

Vanishing was decent but everything after that doesn´t catch me.

And it is not about lyrical content. I think lyrics that deal with treating the nature right is very valid approach from a christian band. I always wonder why some people see it so upsetting, it has a strong theological and biblical backing.

But yes, I´m not interested of starting any kind of debate about it.

For me the music is the most important issue. TQT hasn´t done much concerts in last years and don´t see it rewarding position as a singer to be in a band that makes records once in a several years without touring.

Stand against the wind wrote:Tourniquet is one of those sad stories of christian market. What started a great band producing awesome albums became a dull and non energetic shadow in the end. I pretty much lost my interest to TQ after Pathogenic.

Vanishing was decent but everything after that doesn´t catch me.

And it is not about lyrical content. I think lyrics that deal with treating the nature right is very valid approach from a christian band. I always wonder why some people see it so upsetting, it has a strong theological and biblical backing.

But yes, I´m not interested of starting any kind of debate about it.

For me the music is the most important issue. TQT hasn´t done much concerts in last years and don´t see it rewarding position as a singer to be in a band that makes records once in a several years without touring.

Besides Stryper, which christian metal band have been releasing new albums and touring?

Stand against the wind wrote:TQT hasn´t done much concerts in last years and don´t see it rewarding position as a singer to be in a band that makes records once in a several years without touring.

Bingo. Plus you don't get paid and probably have next to no creative input.

strangerhoncho wrote:Hmm.  I looked up Nick Villars and his vocals for his bands are different.  Way too emo/screamo for me.  I wouldn't think that was him on the Tourniquet track, but I guess he could be versatile enough to take all the whine out and get into a lower register.  I'd be into that if he could stick with that style.

Well, according to album booklet, Nick Villars appears in songs The Slave Ring, Let the Wild Just Be Wild and Drowning in Air.

The Slave Ring has Mattie Montgomery and Nick Villars as vocalists.

Let the Wild Just Be Wild has Gabbie Rae and Nick Villars as vocalists.

Drowning in Air has Blake Suddath and Nick Villars as vocalists.



Drowning in Air and The Slave Ring have the exact same type of clean vocals so it must be Nick Villars doing that.
Let the Wild Just Be Wild has only  small parts in the beginning and near the end with someone else than Gabbie Rae singing. The beginning has some regular type of shouting and the end has some "blackmetalish" screaming.

I really like his vocals. Way more enjoyable than Mattie Montgomery and Blake Suddath.

I am still just into the old school screaming and shouting
- Tom Araya, Gary Lenaire, Guy Ritter, King Diamond, Rob Halford - style.

It sounds more agressive, superior, angry or mystical to my ears than the "modern"
"blackmetalish" or "metalcorish" screams which sound more hysterical or to much emo to me.

But none the less what Tourniquet needs is a talented unique singer that fits in their style
and and to the band and these singers are very hard to find.

Thiago-Brazil wrote:Besides Stryper, which christian metal band have been releasing new albums and touring?

You are absolutely right. No one.

There isn´t market enough to make it pro-level. That is sad. People are doing it as a hobby, when they have time and money after other commitments. Did I say, that it is sad.

But to keep things alive and satisfying, you need to release new music and do gigs.

Hey, when it comes to the new stuff:

To be honest my favorite Tourniquet album was one of Luke's. I think Microscopic View was an exceptional album and possibly the highlight of the Luke years.

Jesus Christ, finally a new vocalist. Anything could be better than that smurf luke Easter did, seriously, how the hell do you listen to that in the studio and end up happy with the result. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to hat up their hats either. After vanishing lessons, I would be too embarrassed to attempt another album. I didn't think it could get worse than Metallica...then that atrocity dropped.