Tourniquet has been around in the music industry for quite a long time, bringing us the thrash metal they are known best for. However, Crawl To China doesn't exactly bring us the trio's signature music. Instead, they decided to take a lighter approach. The effect: several Tourniquet fans are very dissapointed.

That's not to say the album is bad, but it's an average effort that could have been better. But there are some heavier songs present on the album. For instance, "Claustropelunker" is a favorite, starting off with a strange jazzy effect before breaking out into hard rock. It talks about the fear of dropping from God's grace, coming closer to the devil. Another album highlight is "The Tell-Tale Heart," based on Edgar Allen Poe's famous novel. It's probably the heaviest song on the album and one of the best.

Another album highlight is "If I Was There." It brings two things to the song that Tourniquet has never crossed: pure worship and acoustic guitars. There are no signs of hard rock guitars in the majority of the song, but by the song's close, they make a subtle appearance in the background.

While the album does have its advantages, it also has its fair share problems. As I stated earlier, the entire album is considered too soft for diehard Tourniquet fans. At least half the songs don't really have any messages, either. "America," tucked away at the end of the album, makes for a strong finish, serving as a tribute to our country. In compliment to the song, the album's jacket includes this stirring message: "Between the years of 1861-1865, over 620,000 Americans died from gunshot, disease, or sickness in the bloodiest battles of our nation's history- the Civil War. Through the instrument of prejudice, fear, and hate, a different battle rages on to this day. But in Christ, we are all one people united in our commitment to God and each other because it is He who first loved us." For once, I was truly touched by a Tourniquet song.

Neither a hit nor a miss, Crawl To China is another album in the trio's collection, and an underrated one at that.

Review date: 7/9/05, written by David "massivifan" Larkin for Jesusfreakhideout.com.