Reviewed by Andy Long

A couple of years ago Tourniquet began playing acoustic shows alongside their regular moshpit frenzies. The fans screamed for more. begging for a recorded work and the band held them at bay until now. AA' brings together many classic cuts from Tourniquet's back catalogue recorded in the ever-popular 'unplugged' format. No crunch, no grind, just the songs in all their intricate splendour. Ted Kirkpatrick steps from behind his monstrous double-bass DW kit to pick up a Takamine acoustic alongside Aaron Guerra s Yamaha. To hear the songs in this fashion brings a new emphasis both to the lyrics and to the elaborate use of scales and structure. Kirkpatrick's love of classical music has been put to good use over the years. Included are versions of "Vanishing Lessons", "Claustrospelunker", "Phantom Limb' and "Heads I Win, Tails You Lose". There is also a brand new electric song, "Trivialising The Momentous, Complicating The Obvious", which packs the punch you would expect from one of Americas foremost heavy bands. On import only at the moment but also available from the website at http://members.aol.com/toumiqt.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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