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Tourniquet - Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance

Metal is a vast, prodigious genre.  As such, it's pretty easy to stumble upon a diamond in the rough, an accomplished banger that has plummeted into the inexorable depths of obscurity.  No doubt, you've heard oldheads extol the virtues of countless impenetrable albums that were recorded in the wilds of Poland in 1936, and man, these fans just can't believe that no one else has heard of Five-Horned Whipcrack Christ Coagulant*.  Sometimes, I wonder if those same people are panning for gold with a wide net.  Overlook the fact that I just butchered a metaphor and indulge me for a second.  Dude, do you have any idea how many badass Christian metal albums have been disgorged because they are Christian metal albums?

With the exception of clear hate speech, I've never dismissed a certain band on account of their lyrics.  Christian, Satanist, Buddhist, Necrophagist, whatever...if you're bringing serious riffs to the table, you're cool, in my book.  All denominations are capable of shredding.  Case in point, Tourniquet.  I'm choosing to spotlight 1992's Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance (their third - and presumably best - full-length), but they have released ten thrashterpieces to date.  As if the title didn't give it away, Dissonance has a Carcass vibe to it.  However, the songs contained therein cover A LOT of ground.  I'm hearing flecks of death metal, speed metal, thrash (obviously), hard rock (several cuts are garnished with Alice in Chains-lite vocal harmonies), and funk.

A recent find, sure, but this has to be one of the best Christian metal records of all time.  And frankly, you can't tell that it's a Christian record, so don't be a blockhead.  Favorite track?  I'll go with "Ruminating Virulence."

*Everything after the first demo sucks.

Thy Listless Heart - Pilgrims on the Path of No Return

I didn't plan it this way, but in an anagogic twist of irony, the man behind Thy Listless Heart has ties to epic Christian doomsters Seventh Angel (he played guitar on their swan song LP, The Dust of Years).  The man's name is Simon Bibby and he is credited for doing "everything" on Pilgrims on the Path of No Return.  I could be wrong, but I don't believe this was meant to be a Christian project.  Not that it matters.  This thing rules!  Recommended for fans of Solitude Aeturnus and My Dying Bride.  The vocals are mostly clean (and intensely impassioned), though Bibby has a formidable growl.  Over the past two weeks, I've listened to Pilgrims more than anything else, and it's not terribly close.

Favorite track?  I'll say "The Precipice," but you need to hear it all in one fell swoop.  To give you an idea of how much I dig this record, the bare Celtic elements didn't send me to the porcelain throne (yeah, I don't like Celtic music).  If you're into doom, pamper this papoose pronto!