Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
Encyclopedia
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance was the third album by the Christian metal
band Tourniquet
, released in 1992. It is the last album to feature vocalist Guy Ritter who left the band after the recording of the album. The album was also independently rereleased in 2001 with digital remastering, bonus tracks and new cover art (with "Dissonance" misspelled as "Dissonence" on the tray liner edges). Readers of HM Magazine
voted Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance as "Favourite Album of the 1990s". Intense Records released the album to Christian market and Metal Blade Records released it to secular market.In 2010, HM Magazine ranked it #23 on the Top 100 Christian metal albums of all time list.
Musically, the album went for a more aggressive thrash metal direction. The songs are complicated and technical and feature experiments with styles such jazz and blues. The latter can be heard on the song "Phantom Limb". The band's characteristical style of incorpotaing classical music into its guitar riffs is especially reminiscent on the beginning of the title track. The album introduced more Slayer
-esque shouting vocal patterns by Gary Lenaire
as well as a darker atmosphere. Guy Ritter sang less on the album than on previous Tourniquet albums. It is often thought that the vocalist Guy Ritter left the band during the recording session. However, in a HM Magazine
interview he clarified:
Ritter stated his reasons for leaving the band:
According to Ritter, there was also some disagreements concerning the label:
and feature bizarre medical terminology. These terms and syndromes are used as metaphors for spiritual and social issues. The album title refers to color blindness
and the title song uses it as a metaphor for lack of wisdom of sight from God. "Gelatinous Tubercles of Purulent Ossification" is about nicotine addiction that causes larynx benediction. The sound samples of the song are produced with Western Electric 5000 voice synthesizer.
The 10 minute song "The Skeezix Dilemma" uses the board Uncle Wiggily
's (also a children's book series by Howard Roger Garis
) concept as an allegory for child abuse
. The song starts out with a minute of circus music
(organ played by Bob Beeman) which is followed by a nervous child reading a bit of the game's introduction. The heavy metal song "Exoskeletons" contains a short riff of Black Sabbath
's song "Supernaut" at the end. On the Metal Blade Records
version of this album, there is a bonus track "The Tempter" (a Trouble
cover lifted from Tourniquet's Intense Live Series, Vol. 2
)
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance was re-released and re-mastered in 2001 with new artwork and layout. The bonus tracks include live recordings of the title song and "Bearing Gruesome Cargo" played at the Dutch
Flevo Festival
in 2000.
14. "Bearing Gruesome Cargo / drum solo" (LIVE 2000) - 10:30
Christian metal
Christian metal, also known as white metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message in a song's lyrics as well as the band's dedication to Christianity...
band Tourniquet
Tourniquet (band)
Tourniquet is a Christian thrash / heavy metal band that was formed in 1989 by Ted Kirkpatrick, Guy Ritter and Gary Lenaire in Los Angeles, California, USA. They are known for incorporating elements of thrash, neo-classical and progressive metal into their music...
, released in 1992. It is the last album to feature vocalist Guy Ritter who left the band after the recording of the album. The album was also independently rereleased in 2001 with digital remastering, bonus tracks and new cover art (with "Dissonance" misspelled as "Dissonence" on the tray liner edges). Readers of HM Magazine
HM Magazine
HM: The Hard Music Magazine is an American bimonthly publication focusing on both Christianity and hard rock. Articles include news, album and festival reviews, posters, artists to watch, indie artist reviews, devotionals and interviews with Christian artists...
voted Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance as "Favourite Album of the 1990s". Intense Records released the album to Christian market and Metal Blade Records released it to secular market.In 2010, HM Magazine ranked it #23 on the Top 100 Christian metal albums of all time list.
Recording history
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance was recorded at different studios, one being Mixing Lab A & B:n. The album was produced by Bill Metoyer.Musically, the album went for a more aggressive thrash metal direction. The songs are complicated and technical and feature experiments with styles such jazz and blues. The latter can be heard on the song "Phantom Limb". The band's characteristical style of incorpotaing classical music into its guitar riffs is especially reminiscent on the beginning of the title track. The album introduced more Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
-esque shouting vocal patterns by Gary Lenaire
Gary Lenaire
Gary Lenaire is a guitarist and composer. He is most known for his work with Tourniquet and the band Echo Hollow. He has released 12 records and was nominated for six GMA Dove Awards. He received HM Magazine's "Guitarist of the Year" award from 1994-1996. He has published over 90 songs world wide...
as well as a darker atmosphere. Guy Ritter sang less on the album than on previous Tourniquet albums. It is often thought that the vocalist Guy Ritter left the band during the recording session. However, in a HM Magazine
HM Magazine
HM: The Hard Music Magazine is an American bimonthly publication focusing on both Christianity and hard rock. Articles include news, album and festival reviews, posters, artists to watch, indie artist reviews, devotionals and interviews with Christian artists...
interview he clarified:
Ritter stated his reasons for leaving the band:
According to Ritter, there was also some disagreements concerning the label:
Themes
The lyrics kept the pattern that began on Psycho SurgeryPsycho Surgery
As a result for Metal Blade Records' distribution, Psycho Surgery made the band more well-known and popular. Following the album's release, the songs "Psycho Surgery," "Spineless," and "Viento Borrascoso" all achieved number 1 positions on several charts. The album was voted as "Favorite Album of...
and feature bizarre medical terminology. These terms and syndromes are used as metaphors for spiritual and social issues. The album title refers to color blindness
Color blindness
Color blindness or color vision deficiency is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under lighting conditions when color vision is not normally impaired...
and the title song uses it as a metaphor for lack of wisdom of sight from God. "Gelatinous Tubercles of Purulent Ossification" is about nicotine addiction that causes larynx benediction. The sound samples of the song are produced with Western Electric 5000 voice synthesizer.
The 10 minute song "The Skeezix Dilemma" uses the board Uncle Wiggily
Uncle Wiggily
Uncle Wiggily Longears is the main character of a series of children's stories by American author Howard R. Garis. He began writing the stories for the Newark News in 1910. Garis penned an Uncle Wiggily story every day for more than 30 years, and published 79 books within the author's lifetime....
's (also a children's book series by Howard Roger Garis
Howard Roger Garis
Howard Roger Garis, was an American author, best known for a series of books, published under his own name, that featured the character of Uncle Wiggily Longears, an engaging elderly rabbit. Garis and his wife were possibly the most prolific children's authors of the early 20th century. Many of...
) concept as an allegory for child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
. The song starts out with a minute of circus music
Circus music
Circus music is any sort of music that is played to accompany a circus, and also music written that emulates its general style. The most common type of circus music is the circus march, or screamer, which are marches played at very fast tempos...
(organ played by Bob Beeman) which is followed by a nervous child reading a bit of the game's introduction. The heavy metal song "Exoskeletons" contains a short riff of Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
's song "Supernaut" at the end. On the Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
version of this album, there is a bonus track "The Tempter" (a Trouble
Trouble (band)
Trouble is an American doom metal band noted as one of the pioneers of their genre, alongside bands such as Candlemass and Saint Vitus. The band created a distinct style taking influences of the British heavy metal bands Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and psychedelic rock of the 1970s...
cover lifted from Tourniquet's Intense Live Series, Vol. 2
Intense Live Series, Vol. 2
This short "live in the studio" disc was part of a series that Intense Records put out in the early 90s. Tourniquet was in a transition period during the recording of this disc as they had recently lost their original vocalist and had not yet hooked up with Luke Easter. Guitarist Gary Lenaire took...
)
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance was re-released and re-mastered in 2001 with new artwork and layout. The bonus tracks include live recordings of the title song and "Bearing Gruesome Cargo" played at the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Flevo Festival
Flevo Festival
The Flevo Festival is an open air Christian music festival held each August in The Netherlands. The festival was first organized as the Kamperland Festival in 1978 by the Dutch arm of Youth for Christ and became a private foundation in 2002....
in 2000.
Track listing
- "Impending Embolism" – 2:05
- "Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance" – 4:26
- "Phantom Limb" – 5:41
- "Ruminating Virulence" – 5:31
- "Spectrophobic Dementia" – 5:16
- "Gelatinous Tubercles of Purulent Ossification" – 5:12
- "Incommensurate" – 5:48
- "Exoskeletons" – 3:55
- "Theodicy on Trial" – 4:29
- "Descent into the Maelstrom" – 1:32
- "En Hakkore" – 3:38
- "The Skeezix Dilemma" – 10:00
Bonus tracks on 2001 remaster
13. "Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance" (LIVE 2000) - 5:2714. "Bearing Gruesome Cargo / drum solo" (LIVE 2000) - 10:30
Credits
- Guy Ritter - vocals
- Gary LenaireGary LenaireGary Lenaire is a guitarist and composer. He is most known for his work with Tourniquet and the band Echo Hollow. He has released 12 records and was nominated for six GMA Dove Awards. He received HM Magazine's "Guitarist of the Year" award from 1994-1996. He has published over 90 songs world wide...
- guitar, vocals - Erik Mendez - guitars
- Victor Macias - bass
- Ted KirkpatrickTed KirkpatrickTed Kirkpatrick is an American heavy metal drummer best known for his work with the American Christian metal band Tourniquet.-Biography:...
- drums
2000 Live Tracks
- Ted KirkpatrickTed KirkpatrickTed Kirkpatrick is an American heavy metal drummer best known for his work with the American Christian metal band Tourniquet.-Biography:...
- Drums - Luke EasterLuke Easter (musician)Luke Easter is a singer and songwriter with the Christian metal band Tourniquet.Easter grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, where he currently resides. He was a fan of Tourniquet as a youth, became a singer at age 19, and joined the band after an audition, shortly before they went on tour in...
- Vocals - Aaron GuerraAaron GuerraAaron Guerra is a guitarist for the Christian metal band Tourniquet. He first learned how to play guitar from his father. He is credited for writing the music on two Tourniquet albums. He wrote three songs on the 1997 album Crawl to China and three more on the 2000 album Microscopic View of a...
- Guitars, Vocals - Steve Andino - Bass