Mekong Delta

A riddle wrapped within an enigma decked out in natural leather and studs, Germany’s Mekong Delta perplexed the rock globe both by using an unconventional make of progressive thrash and by keeping the identities from the bandmembers key for the very first five many years of a career beginning in 1987. The truth was a lot more mundane compared to the rumors, since it turned out, because it was afterwards uncovered that the group acquired originally been masterminded by Aaarrg Information owner Ralph Hubert, who wanted to set up associates of existing rings like Trend and Living Loss of life without incurring the wrath of labels they were agreed upon to. Hubert didn’t also intend to take part in the complete charade initially, but took over the function of bass participant as well as the pseudonym of Björn Eklund when Rage’s Peavy Wagner bowed out in early stages, then completed the original Mekong Delta lineup with vocalist Kell (true name Wolfgang Borgmann), guitarists Rolf Stein and Vincent St. John (in fact Living Death associates Frank Fricke and Reiner Kelch), and drummer Gordon Perkins (the truth is potential journeyman Jörg Michael, after that also an associate of Trend). This is the quintet in charge of 1987’s conceptually unified Mekong Delta debut, which and in addition delved in to the Vietnam Battle, in addition to 1988’s The Gnome EP and H.P. Lovecraft-inspired The Music of Erich Zann LP — which drew very much essential acclaim and noticed the band occasionally referred to as a Teutonic reaction to Canadian prog-thrashers Voivod. Regular membership changes started to happen behind the moments with Uwe Baltrusch’s alternative of Kelch for 1989’s The Rule of Doubt recording (that was loosely predicated on Stephen R. Donaldson’s dark dream trilogy, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever), and by the discharge of 1990’s Dances of Loss of life, Fricke as well was eliminated, Doug Lee got changed Borgmann, and all the fake names got finally been lowered, save for Jörg Michael’s, since he continued to be under contract somewhere else. Still, although their secrets got largely been subjected, Mekong Delta’s music continuing to shock and astound, because of the continuous infusion of traditional music components to their ever-adventurous prog-thrash. Though these components had already highlighted to some extent on most of Mekong Delta’s prior produces, it had been 1991’s Live at an Exhibition in-concert record that initial hinted at an especially strong fixation over the functions of Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, that your band later on explored completely with an orchestra-backed documenting of Photos at an Exhibition in 1997. Among, drummer Peter Haas experienced became a member of the group for albums like 1992’s Kaleidoscope and 1994’s Visions Fugitives, but following the launch of these orchestral task, Mekong Delta proceeded to go into a protracted hibernation, as sporadic gossips swirled regarding the intended exile and/or loss of life of primary mover Ralph Hubert. Commensurate with the band’s past background, however, all this speculation became that and, arrive 2007, Hubert convened a brand-new Mekong Delta offering vocalist Leszek Szpigiel, guitarist Peter Lake, and drummer Uli Kusch for fresh album Lurking Dread, which by all accounts demonstrated as reliably quirky and unstable as whatever fans may have expected out of this mysterious group.