Ted Kirkpatrick is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work with the AmericanChristian thrash metal band Tourniquet. Primarily a drummer, Kirkpatrick is the principle songwriter for the band, and has played other instruments as necessary.
Career (1987-present)
Kirkpatrick started as a touring drummer for the doom metal band Trouble in 1987, and played a few shows with the group. However, he soon left Trouble as he was unable to meet its touring commitments. In 1989, he formed the group Tourniquet with Guy Ritter and Gary Lenaire. The group performed a highly progressive style of thrash and speed metal, informed by Kirkpatrick's love of classical music. The band released three albums in rapid succession, Stop the Bleeding in 1990, Psycho Surgery in 1991, and Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance in 1992. The band underwent some lineup changes and adopted a more hard rock approach for the 1994's Vanishing Lessons and 1997's Crawl to China. In the 2000s, the band returned to its thrash metal origins, and released Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm in 2000 and Where Moth and Rust Destroy in 2003. Apart from select touring and concert appearances, Tourniquet then went mostly inactive. However, in 2010 the band announced that it was recording new material and looking for a suitable label. In 2012, the band released Antiseptic Bloodbath. Kirkpatrick also released the albumOnward to Freedom, which features his drumming supported by numerous guest musicians, through Tourniquet in 2014. In addition to his work in Trouble and Tourniquet, Kirkpatrick has independently recorded and released several solo recordings, including a stoner metal album and In the Shadow of the Masters, an album where Kirkpatrick drums to various classical recordings.
Influences
As principle lyricist for the band, Kirkpatrick’s talent for allegory, symbolism, and using unusual and sometimes bizarre examples to convey Christian concepts can be found throughout the Tourniquet catalog. A fan of ethnic and world music, Ted has played or included other, less traditional instruments on Tourniquet albums, including the Greek bouzouki, flute, banjo, and dulcimer. For the acoustic sets that Tourniquet occasionally performs, he plays 6 or 12 string guitar.
Animal welfare
Ted heavily supports animal welfare and has shown his support in the Tourniquet songs such as "Ark of Suffering", "Stereotaxic Atrocities", "Going, Going, Gone", and in the cover art to their album Antiseptic Bloodbath. In 2010, he released a solo album, "Ode to a Roadkill", featuring animal sounds as lead "vocals". His love for butterflies and other insects have influenced his and Tourniquet's album covers, and he says that the sounds of the jungle have influenced his drumming as well.
Awards and achievements
Ted was voted "Favorite Drummer" for 10 years in a row, and again in 2003 by the readers of HM Magazine.
