Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
| Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance | ||||
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| Studio album by Tourniquet | ||||
| Released | July 1, 1992 | |||
| Genre | Christian metal, thrash metal, speed metal, progressive metal | |||
| Length | 57:36 | |||
| Label | Intense Records/Metal Blade | |||
| Producer | Bill Metoyer | |||
| Tourniquet chronology | ||||
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| 2001 Cover | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Cross Rhythms |  |
| Rock Hard | 8.5/10 |
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance is 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.
Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance was recorded at different studios, one being Mixing Lab A & B. 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 incorporating 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:
The lyrics kept the pattern that began on Psycho Surgery 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.
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