Mekong Delta (Slip)

High Roller Records, Mekong Delta were founded in the mid-1980s by drummer Jörg Michael (later in Running Wild and Stratovarius, among others) and sound engineer Ralf Hubert (who remains it's prime mover until this day) when the former introduced the latter to Metallica's 'Fight Fire With Fire'. With his background in classical music and progressive rock, Ralf was set to improve on the traditional thrash template, writing four songs that lay the foundation for Mekong Delta's self-titled debut. Completed by singer Wolfgang Borgmann as well as guitarists Reiner Kelch and Frank Fricke from German thrash outfit Living Death, the band released "Mekong Delta" in 1987, a frantic thrash effort not unlike what Watchtower were doint at about the same time across the Atlantic. Still, the originality was there right from the start, especially in the angular guitar riffs of standout tracks such as steamroller 'The Cure', or the whip-cracking 'Kill The Enemy'. "This is probably because I come from expressionism and contemporary music," comments Ralf on this trademark. "I tend to hear music both vertically and horizontally, so I also compose differently." Alongside further ventures into classical terrain - 'Tocatta' and 'The Hut Of Baba Yaga', the first in a series of adaptions of works by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky - the aptly titled doom of 'Black Sabbath' and a curious cover of blues standard 'Black Betty' round up an impressive first album which, besides the first steps taken by Sieges Even from Bavaria, pioneered technical thrash in Germany. This 2024 edition of "Mekong Delta" was remastered by Patrick W. Engel.