Tourniquet's Gary Lenaire shares a little-known about drummer Ted Kirkpatrick (RIP)

Currently Gary Lenaire is leading a major re-formation of Tourniquet, the legendary metal missionaries, and is in the process of recording a brand-new studio album. This is a major turnaround for the band, which had effectively ended in 2022 following the death of founder and drummer Ted Kirkpatrick.

On March 5, 2026 Gary posted this little known story about when Ted was about to become the permanent drummer for Slayer! Gary wrote:

In 1987, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue #Tourniquet. The drummer for Slayer was Tony Scaglione, Dave Lombardo’s replacement. Scaglione, who was a member of the band Whiplash, was recruited to fill in for Dave Lombardo after he briefly left the group in late 1986 during the Reign in Blood tour. Scaglione performed with the band on both the North American and European legs of the tour before Lombardo was persuaded to return to the lineup later in 1987. However, there was another Slayer drummer in the time between Tony’s stint and Dave’s return. Only a few of us know about that. It was the time Slayer was preparing to record the South of Heaven record. Tony was now gone and Dave hadn’t yet returned.

During that small window of time Ted, Guy, and I were working on new material for what would become the Stop The Bleeding record. We were told that producer Rick Ruben contacted Bill Metoyer asking him for drummer references for the Slayer record. Bill indeed had a drummer in mind. That drummer was a Christian friend of ours. We knew him well, very well. He was more than able to perform in Slayer. He told us that he was going to do the audition. When he told us, we were apprehensive yet respectful to him about it. Amongst ourselves we were like, “really, Slayer? Aren’t they satanic?” It seemed very odd, but we sought to not judge him.

Our friend caught up with us after the audition. He said when his drums were set up, the Slayer guys entered the studio. They called out the song “Angel of Death” to start with. Not an easy tune to play…accurately. He said he got through it OK, but was very out of breath. The Slayer guys looked at him and then called the same song, just seconds after it ended. He told us he was able to play it again without mistakes. He got the gig. He was slated to play on the South of Heaven record then do the tour. Just a few weeks later Dave Lombardo returned to Slayer and our friend was fired, and he returned to the Christian Metal band he was playing in before the Slayer thing.

I’m sharing this because it’s very easy to judge people, especially people you don’t know. Some musicians working in the business are employed by companies (bands, etc.) they share no personal beliefs with. It’s a job for them. It is our individual choice/responsibilty in this world to determine what is righteous, ethical, good. It’s the armchair quarterbacks (usually with no real success in entertainment) that are the loudest and most judgmental.

Our friend went on to be one of the best drummers in Christian Metal. I believe God protected him from being in Slayer, a band with very conflicting messages from his professed beliefs.

I suggest that it is good to not judge, especially in public, the moral / spiritual intent of artists and others working for their living. You haven’t walked in their shoes.

Tourniquet - SWARMING SPIRITS - from Stop the Bleeding (1990 album)