Guy Ritter

Last updated
Guy Ritter
Birth nameGuy Ritter [1]
Also known asChuck Pepper [1]
Born1966 (age 5556)
Origin Oregon [2]
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsVocals, Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards
Years active1985-1987, 1989-1993, 1996-2004, 2017
Labels Benson, Intense, Geneva
Associated acts

Guy Ritter (born 1966 [n 1] ) is an American musician who primarily performed thrash metal and speed metal. Ritter is best known for his vocals in the Christian metal band, Tourniquet.

Contents

History

Ritter started his musical career with the band Holy Danger. [1] At the time of Holy Danger's beginning in 1985, Ritter was 19. [1] The band disbanded in 1987. [4] In 1989, Ritter had moved to Los Angeles to find musicians to play with. [1] He found Gary Lenaire and Ted Kirkpatrick, and the three founded Tourniquet. [1] The band recorded three albums before Ritter's departure in 1993, after the recording of Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance [1] [4] There was much speculation on why Ritter departed, such as "This was Guy Ritter's last album with the band. His reasons for leaving were he was getting tired of the thrash vocals and medical allegory" or "Apparently Guy Ritter was unhappy with this new heavier direction the band had taken and decided to part ways in the middle of the recording." [4]

In 1996, Ritter and former bandmate Gary Lenaire formed a new band called Echo Hollow. [5] They formed the band with Matt Rosenblum, a drummer Gary knew, and Matthew Fallentine, Ritter's now-brother-in-law. [5] The band later on added Rafik Oganyan in June 2001. [6] The band disbanded in 2004. [4] In 2017, Ritter performed guest vocals on the song "Stop the Bleeding" on Lenaire's solo album, No Time Now. [7] In 2020, it was announced that Ritter would be performing vocals, alongside Luke Easter, who replaced Ritter in Tourniquet, and Erik Mendez (ex-Tourniquet, 2050) playing guitar on the album, with David Husvik (Extol, Azusa) on drums, recording on Lenaire's sophomore solo album. [8] In 2021, the band was announced as FLOOD, consisting of Ritter, Lenaire, Mendez, Husvik, and Anna Sentina. [9]

Personal life

Ritter is married to Christin Ritter, Matthew Fallentine's sister. [4] [5] They have two children. [4] Ritter is an outspoken Christian. [10] Ritter worked on editing systems for Fox Sports. He enjoys exercise, including hiking and cycling. [11]

Bands

Current

Former [4]

Discography

Tourniquet

Echo Hollow

Holy Danger

Other appearances

Related Research Articles

Extol are a Christian metal band from Bekkestua, Norway that was formed in 1993. The band is known for playing a variety of different styles of metal which include progressive metal, death metal, black metal and thrash metal.

Tourniquet (band)

Tourniquet is an American Christian metal band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1990. The band was founded by Ted Kirkpatrick, Guy Ritter, and Gary Lenaire. The band primarily performs a mixture of thrash, progressive, and neoclassical metal, and is influenced by additional, non-rock forms of music such as classical and world music. It has earned six GMA Dove Award nominations and won multiple recognitions from the readers of HM Magazine, including "Favorite Band of the 1990s" and "Favorite Album of the 1990s" for Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance (1992). It has released ten studio albums, two live albums, four compilation albums, one EP, and several video releases. Tourniquet has sold more than 300,000 albums. In addition to its use of classical music, the band is known for frequently using medical terminology in its album and song titles and lyrics.

<i>Stop the Bleeding</i> (Tourniquet album) 1990 studio album by Tourniquet

Stop the Bleeding is the debut studio album by the American Christian metal band Tourniquet. It was originally released on Intense Records in 1990. A remastered version was released independently on Pathogenic Records in 2001, which was later re-released in 2011. Retroactive Records released a remaster on June 26, 2020. The remasters include updated artwork, expanded album booklets, and bonus tracks.

<i>Psycho Surgery</i> 1991 studio album by Tourniquet

Psycho Surgery is the second studio album by the American Christian metal band Tourniquet. It was originally released on Intense Records and Metal Blade Records in 1991. A remastered version was released on Pathogenic Records in 2001 and includes revised artwork, an expanded album booklet, and bonus tracks that include live versions of songs featuring then-lead vocalist Luke Easter as well as demos. Retroactive Records released a remaster on June 26, 2020, retaining the original album title and including an extended booklet as well as different bonus tracks. Considered by critics to be Tourniquet's most balanced of the band's first three albums, Heaven's Metal fanzine ranked Psycho Surgery Christian metal's second-best album of all time.

<i>Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance</i> 1992 studio album by Tourniquet

Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance is the third studio album by the American Christian metal band Tourniquet. It was originally released on Intense Records in 1992 to the Christian market and later released on Metal Blade Records in 1993 to the secular market. It is the last Tourniquet album to feature vocalist Guy Ritter, who left the band after the recording of the album. It was independently re-released on Pathogenic Records in 2001 with digital remastering, two bonus live tracks from the 2000 Dutch Flevo Festival featuring then-lead vocalist Luke Easter, and new cover art. Another remaster was released, by Retroactive Records, on June 26, 2020 with the original cover art, an expanded album booklet, and four different bonus tracks. Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance was voted as the "Favorite Album of the 1990s" by readers of HM Magazine. In 2010, HM Magazine ranked it #23 on the Top 100 Christian metal albums of all-time list.

Intense Live Series, Vol. 2 is the first live album by the American Christian metal band Tourniquet. It was released on Intense Records in February 1993. It contains live recordings of material from the band's previous three studio albums, Stop the Bleeding (1990), Psycho Surgery (1991), and Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance (1992), as well as covers of "The Tempter" from Trouble's Psalm 9 album and "The Messiah" from Bloodgood's Detonation album. Les Carlsen, Bloodgood's vocalist, was a special guest vocalist since Tourniquet vocalist Guy Ritter departed from the band prior to the recording of this album. Victor Macias, Gary Lenaire, and Erik Mendez also perform vocals. Session notes by Terry Taylor, the album's executive producer, and a biography of Tourniquet are included in the booklet. Intense Live Series, Vol. 2 was later included as part of the Intense Live Series compilation, which also contained Vol. 1 by Deliverance and Vol. 4 by Die Happy, and released on KMG Records in 1998.

<i>Vanishing Lessons</i> 1994 studio album by Tourniquet

Vanishing Lessons is the fourth studio album by the American Christian metal band Tourniquet. It was originally released on Intense Records in 1994. It was the first Tourniquet album to feature then-lead vocalist Luke Easter, who joined the band in 1993. The songs "Bearing Gruesome Cargo," "Acid Head" and "K517" were included on the Tourniquet/Mortification Collector's Edition CD Single in 1994; the disc also featured tracks with Ted Kirkpatrick talking about Tourniquet and included material from the Australian Christian metal band Mortification's Live Planetarium and Blood World releases. A different version of "My Promise" was included on Tourniquet's extended play Carry the Wounded, and a music video for "Bearing Gruesome Cargo" was included on the band's VHS tape Pushin' Broom in 1995. This album was later bundled with 1992's Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance and released on KMG Records in 2000. Vanishing Lessons was independently re-released on Pathogenic Records with digital remastering, bonus tracks, and new artwork in 2004.

Luke Easter is an American singer and songwriter. Before becoming a solo artist, he was the lead singer of the Christian metal band Tourniquet.

Gary Lenaire American musician (born 1967)

Gary Lenaire is an American musician who primarily performs thrash metal and speed metal. Lenaire is best known for his work in Tourniquet, though later he began to work for BOSS amps and interviewed musicians, including Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, John 5, and Rudy Sarzo. Lenaire was nominated for six GMA Awards, and received Heaven's Metal Magazine's "guitarist of the year" award between 1994 and 1996.

Echo Hollow was an American Christian metal band founded by former Tourniquet members Guy Ritter and Gary Lenaire in 1996. Echo Hollow released two studio albums, Diet of Worms in 1998 and Superficial Intelligence in 2004.

<i>Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm</i> 2000 studio album by Tourniquet

Microscopic View of a Telescopic Realm is the sixth studio album by the American Christian metal band Tourniquet. It was released on Metal Blade Records in 2000. The title track includes Steve Rowe of the Australian Christian metal band Mortification as a guest vocalist and the song "The Skeezix Dilemma Part II " is a sequel to "The Skeezix Dilemma" from Tourniquet's 1992 album Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance. This album marks the return to the band's neo-classical technical thrash style of metal.

Ted Kirkpatrick American musician and songwriter (born 1960)

Ted Kirkpatrick is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work with the American Christian thrash metal band Tourniquet. Primarily a drummer, Kirkpatrick is the principal songwriter for the band, and has played other instruments as necessary.

<i>Undeceived</i> 2000 studio album by Extol

Undeceived is the second LP and third studio release by Norwegian Christian metal band Extol. It was released in 2000 on Solid State Records and re-released in 2002 on Century Media; all releases of the album other than the Solid State version switch the two opening tracks, such that "Undeceived" is the first track on the album.

"Ark of Suffering" is a song by the American thrash metal band Tourniquet. One of the band's best known songs from their early years, "Ark of Suffering" is the third track from Tourniquet's 1990 debut album Stop the Bleeding. It is widely known for its stance on animal abuse and the music video which contained graphic material on the subject. "Ark of Suffering" is still an almost constant part of the band's live set list, frequently as the opening or closing song.

<i>Antiseptic Bloodbath</i> 2012 studio album by Tourniquet

Antiseptic Bloodbath is the eighth full studio album released on July 19, 2012 by Tourniquet, a Christian metal band formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. It is the band's first release since 2003's Where Moth and Rust Destroy. It was long-time vocalist Luke Easter's last studio album before he was kicked out in 2015.

<i>Extol</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Extol

Extol is the fifth full-length studio album by the Norwegian Christian progressive death metal band Extol, released in 2013. It was described by music critics as a mixture of death and progressive metal, with some melodic elements. Reviews of the album were very positive, and the album managed to chart on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.

Anna Sentina is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, best known for her work as a session bass guitarist, live performer and YouTube celebrity. She has performed around the U.S. at venues such as the world-famous Whisky a Go Go, the Viper Room, the Mint, SOMA San Diego, the Hard Rock Cafe and the House of Blues. In 2012, Sentina started a YouTube music channel that by October 2015 had over 21 million views and by July 2021 had over 55 million views.

Onward to Freedom is a solo album by Tourniquet drummer Ted Kirkpatrick. Originally announced as a side project to be released as The Tourniquet Ark, Kirkpatrick made the decision to release it under the Tourniquet name with himself listed as the primary artist. This has led to confusion in the fan community, and the erroneous classification of the album as an actual Tourniquet release. This has been exacerbated by Kirkpatrick choosing to refer to it as part of the Tourniquet catalog instead of as a part of his solo catalog. The album features many musicians, such as Marty Friedman and Chris Poland of Megadeth, Mattie Montgomery of For Today and Michael Sweet of Stryper. The album was released on November 11, 2014, via Tourniquet's own label, Pathogenic Records.

David Husvik is a Norwegian drummer who has played in metal bands Extol, Absurd², Twisted Into Form and InSection and Aperture, a jazz and acoustic rock project. David Husvik helped to start Pirates N 'Thieves in 2007. He also performed in a side-project of Extol called Ganglion.

Bill Metoyer is an American record producer who has recorded with Slayer, Deliverance, Hirax, Morbid Angel, Trouble and Tourniquet. He has worked at Metal Blade Records for several years as house producer and currently works as A&R. He also works with Alpha Omega Management as A&R as well. Metoyer formed Skull Seven Productions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Walker, Todd (April 10, 2007). "Heaven's Metal Exclusive: Guy Ritter Interview". HM Magazine. Archived from the original on September 17, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
  2. MacIntosh, Dan (January 1999). "HM Cover Story/Echo Hollow". HM Magazine. Archived from the original on January 17, 2005. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  3. "Tourniquet's Ark of Suffering Hypocrisy". FreeThunk. May 8, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Guy Ritter - Questions". Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Interview: Guy Ritter and Gary Lenaire". Metal Mission Magazine. September 1999. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  6. "Rafik Oganyan". Echo Hollow. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  7. "Gary Lenaire - No Time Now". Gary Lenaire. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  8. Beard, Mason (August 24, 2020). "Bringing the Band Back Together". The Metal Onslaught Magazine. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  9. "FLOOD - About" . Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  10. Lundskow, George N. Religious Innovation in a Global Age: Essays on the Construction of Spirituality. p. 126.
  11. "Guy Ritter". Echo Hollow. Archived from the original on April 26, 2001. Retrieved October 16, 2018.

Notes

  1. The exact birth date of Guy Ritter is unknown. However, he started playing music in 1985 when he was nineteen, which puts his birth date around 1966.