Mekong Delta is a German metal band which released their debut album way back in 1987. Now 33 years later they come up with their 12th studio album called Tales Of Future Past. On this album the band consists of Ralph Hubert (bass, classical guitar),Peter Lake (guitars),Alex Landenburg (drums) and Martin LeMar (vocals). One thing is for sure, Mekong Delta still does not make catchy metal music, again you must really put an effort into this album to fully appreciate it. So, there are no singalong songs or catchy choruses, the music is complex, epic, versatile and one of a kind, actually. The songs Landscape 1, Landscape 2, Landscape 3 and Landscape 4 are instrumental tracks and they have a kind of Eastern feeling/atmosphere and they feature a lot of orchestral passages and therefore sound rather bombastic, although Inharent (part 3) is rather heavy, featuring lots of tempo changes and some head banging stuff as well. When All Hope Is Gone, is the longest and for me also the best song of the album as it features great guitar solos, dramatic passages, bombastic parts and even choir like vocals so that you have the feeling that you are listening to a metal opera!! All the ten tracks have a very high technical level and to me Tales Of Future Past is an excellent album to listen to (with headphones) on a rainy day in May... Another highlight is the almost trash metal-like The Hollow Men, with “brutal” guitar riffing, screaming vocals and a more than superb speedy guitar solo. So, again another great album by Mekong Delta, shame that A Farewell To Eternity is a rather mediocre song, but the rest of this album is awesome. But be warned, after the first spin you might not actually like it yet, as I said: you have to get used to it, but then you will be rewarded. Play it LOUD, if you can!! **** Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
