In my humble opinion...one of the best metal bands ever to grace the planet. The drummer, Ted Kirkpatrick, is considered by many to be one of the best in metal.
i agree, amazing band. I have all of their releases except the one that came out 2 years ago. Heard it, though. Sounds great. Hard to pick a favorite because they have about 5 or 6 albums that I'd put up against almost any other band out there, and TQT's worst albums are still pretty great with no filler and lots to love about 'em.
Ted Kirkpatric is one of my favorite metal drummers (or just plain drummers in general). He also has played occasional rhythm guitar on the studio albums throughout the band's entire career and plays all of the rhthym guitar parts on the 2003 album "Where Moth And Rust Destroy" and actually does a very commendable job doing so.
They basically have 3 different eras:
'90-'93: straight forward speed/thrash with sprinklings of progressive influences and a few death metal leanings but very few. Lead vocalist uses King Diamond-like wailings, fits the music but can get slightly irritating at times. I've grown to love it but first time listeners might be turned off by it. Song titles are very obscure, most of which require dictionaries and google searches.
'94-'97: gone is the thrash/speed elements, beginnings of a more streamlined metal approach. Maybe evn a slight bit of the alternative/grunge groove but not overtly. Gone are the obscure song titles, more of a humorous and tongue-in-cheek approach.
'2000-present: back is the speed/thrash and the obscure song titles, both of which would persist up to the present. Alot more lengthy tracks and some doom metal leanings. Not really a touring band anymore, only occasional shows here and there.
