Mekong Delta - Lurking Fear

Fresh from the longest of their now customary hibernations from the music world that has by no means deterred their 22 years career, the ambivalent sons of Erich Zann return to bewilder us all with their classically enriched thrash metal blast operettas!!!

Named after a river bed in Vietnam, with each member bearing a nom de plume, and as a band having flirted with an H. P. Lovecraft story and music by drunkard composer Mussorgsky, comes to no surprise that MEKONG DELTA never fail to surprise with the off-the-wall twists ever-present in their music.

With a new line-up supporting main man/producer Ralf Hubert and returning drummer Uli Kisch, this outfit open “Lurking Fear” with its signature interpolating riffs aplenty on “Society in Dissolution” before even more intense “Purification” attacks further as the thrasher it is, up to midway into the song when it lets loose a short prog interlude before picking on where it left with a solo screaming its soul for help.

Besides the now epitome guitar lines here there and everywhere, follower “Immortal Hate (Accepting Prayers of Supremacy)” manages to briefly introduce some haunting arpeggios before next up “Allegro Furioso” - the first of a trilogy of metal-suites-bathed-in-classical-school instrumentals on this LP - grabs one’s soul and crashes it from wall to wall.

The next two tracks “Rules of Corruption” and “Ratters (Among the Dead)” follow suit of MEKONG DELTA’s characteristic twists, with the latter throwing in some effective stop/start riffs before 2nd instrumental “Moderato” commands itself majestically as a welcome aria to ease things out on the listener.
But not for long as “Defenders of the Faith” comes in with another of those riffs that start anywhere and end anywhere before or after the musical bar, to be followed by another riff of the similar MEKONG ilk, and another and another. Simply this track is any musicians’ wet dream - simply over the top!!!!


Followed by “Symphony of Agony”, this then paves the way to album’s folder “Allegro”, a climax above climaxes, abundant of distinct bass lines that walk their way among clear guitar diatonic melodies on the upper register and chromatic lines of buzzing guitar speaking out insanity on the middle register. Unreservedly, this is a case where not even sex can be this good!!!


This is music that make musicians the world over stop whatever they are doing, pick their instrument and play like there is no tomorrow. As for me, I will do the same and stop this review here; now where is my guitar?

1. Society In Dissolution
2. Purification
3. Immortal Hate (Accepting Prayers Of Supremacy)
4. Allegro Furioso
5. Rules Of Corruption
6. Ratters (Among The Dead)
7. Moderato
8. Defenders Of The Faith
9. Symphony Of Agony
10. Allegro


AFM Records
Reviewer: necrogool
Feb 26, 2009

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