Mekong Delta
Dances of Death (... And Other Walking Shadows)

THE REVIEW

To summarize the music of Mekong Delta, we could talk about "progressive-thrash" (with the 'h' strictly in the right place...!): an unusual definition for a new style, proposed by a band I wasn't familiar with at all and which I highly recommend acquiring.
The group formed in 1985, perfectly combining Teutonic metal (Sodom, Kreator) with classical music, and enriching the final result with "progressive" passages, essentially intended as continuous tempo changes and a proper balance between aggressiveness, melody, and technique. Mekong evolve metal in a properly orchestral sense. And they do so by arranging the pieces in a precise and compelling way, blending more melodic aspects with sound impact, albeit with some limitations. All of this, using exclusively bass, drums, vocals, and guitars.

"Dances of Death" consists of 5 tracks, in which a chilling classical atmosphere and a venomous voice stand out, reminding me of the very early Voivod. A lacerating singing style very suitable to the musical style and the content of the lyrics (quite original, perhaps secondary to the musical content).
The title track faithfully respects the soul of the group, made of metal influences enriched with originality and composure: the only downside, the excessive length of the track (20 minutes). The influences are beautiful, the classical theme fantastic, reprised at the end of the record from "Night on Bald Mountain" (Mussorgsky), hard and varied rhythms in every piece, not to mention the "clockwork" metrics: but digress too much, stretching the "broth" endlessly does not suit a band of this kind at all, which instead loves to lose itself on endlessly repeated riffs, that somewhat lose their impact. 42 minutes that seem never-ending.

The group still manages to evoke the best metal in excellent tracks like "Transgressor" or "True Believers", or "Night On A Bare Mountain", though at times risking straying into boredom. I usually start with excessive "sympathy" towards this kind of band, tending to overestimate them just for being "underground": I don't think I've done so now, and I hope at least to have piqued your curiosity. I want to emphasize, in conclusion, that the record requires repeated listens, after which it might appeal to many people, from the Malmsteen fan to the hardcore "deathster". And not only...