Dr Metal posted this over on PM:X. I checked it out after reading his review and was just as blown away as he was.
His review:
Views:111
Every once in awhile an album comes along really suprizes me.... Mekong Delta's "Wanderer on the Edge of Time" is one of those albums. Mekong Delta has been my favorite band ever since I discovered them back in 1988 and after such a long time you begin to expect certain things from a band.
With "Wanderer", Mekong Delta not only met my expectations but exceeded them by adding some new elements into the mix. Before I get into the music I want to cover the band a bit.
For "Wanderer" Ralf Hubert (The bassist and creative force behind Mekong Delta) has assembled a great team of musicians to make his musical vision come to life....
First there's Martin LeMar formerly of Tomorrow's Eve. Martin's vocal range is impressive and perfectly suited for progressive metal. Next we have the guitarists Benedikt Zimniak (Ivory Night, and Memento) and Erik "Adam H." Grösch formerly of the band Annon Vin.
Both guitarists seem to understand Ralf's musical vision and execute it with great success. Next we have Alex Landenburg (Annihilator, At Vance) on the drums who does a great job of providing the backbone to this complex musical beast.
Now onto the music.... Wanderer on the Edge of Time is structured as a "Rondo" like the 19 minute thrash classic "Dances of Death" where there is a main theme with episodes between the recurring main theme.
Wanderer starts off with an acoustic intro then moves on the the main theme "Ouverture" which is a thrashy intrumental piece done in typical Mekong Delta fashion. Next it transitions into "A Certain Fool" which is where the first suprize appears.... This song is a slow mellow piece with vocals which has more in common with prog rock than metal.... Interlude 1 continues on with the main theme then transitions into "The 5th Element" which is another tune that reminds me more of prog rock with metal influences in the first half of the song. Towards the end it gets more metalized.
Next we have "Interlude 2" which continues the main theme and guides you into "The Apocalypt - World in Shards" which is one of the two thrash tunes with vocals. Then we have "Interlude 3" which is short acoustic piece which kind of acts like an intro to "King with Broken Crown" which is a moody, atmospheric piece with some cool vocal effects and some heaviness.
Intermezzo continues the main theme in a fine thrash fashion which leads you strait into "Interlude 4" which further expands on the main theme and goes right into "Affection" which starts with some delayed acoustic guitar and is probably the closest thing to a "love song" that Mekong Delta has ever done. Vocals take prominence in this song.
Next is "Interlude 5" which is really short and transitions right into "Mistaken Truth" which is the 2nd thrash based tune with vocals on the album. Finally we have "Finale" which finishes out the album in fine fashion.
Overall this is an excellent album with the thrash you would expect from Mekong Delta but with some definate prog rock influences and a decent amount of atmosphere. Even if you dont like thrash I would recommend getting this album as it's brilliantly written and masterfully executed!!!!
His review:
Views:111
Every once in awhile an album comes along really suprizes me.... Mekong Delta's "Wanderer on the Edge of Time" is one of those albums. Mekong Delta has been my favorite band ever since I discovered them back in 1988 and after such a long time you begin to expect certain things from a band.
With "Wanderer", Mekong Delta not only met my expectations but exceeded them by adding some new elements into the mix. Before I get into the music I want to cover the band a bit.
For "Wanderer" Ralf Hubert (The bassist and creative force behind Mekong Delta) has assembled a great team of musicians to make his musical vision come to life....
First there's Martin LeMar formerly of Tomorrow's Eve. Martin's vocal range is impressive and perfectly suited for progressive metal. Next we have the guitarists Benedikt Zimniak (Ivory Night, and Memento) and Erik "Adam H." Grösch formerly of the band Annon Vin.
Both guitarists seem to understand Ralf's musical vision and execute it with great success. Next we have Alex Landenburg (Annihilator, At Vance) on the drums who does a great job of providing the backbone to this complex musical beast.
Now onto the music.... Wanderer on the Edge of Time is structured as a "Rondo" like the 19 minute thrash classic "Dances of Death" where there is a main theme with episodes between the recurring main theme.
Wanderer starts off with an acoustic intro then moves on the the main theme "Ouverture" which is a thrashy intrumental piece done in typical Mekong Delta fashion. Next it transitions into "A Certain Fool" which is where the first suprize appears.... This song is a slow mellow piece with vocals which has more in common with prog rock than metal.... Interlude 1 continues on with the main theme then transitions into "The 5th Element" which is another tune that reminds me more of prog rock with metal influences in the first half of the song. Towards the end it gets more metalized.
Next we have "Interlude 2" which continues the main theme and guides you into "The Apocalypt - World in Shards" which is one of the two thrash tunes with vocals. Then we have "Interlude 3" which is short acoustic piece which kind of acts like an intro to "King with Broken Crown" which is a moody, atmospheric piece with some cool vocal effects and some heaviness.
Intermezzo continues the main theme in a fine thrash fashion which leads you strait into "Interlude 4" which further expands on the main theme and goes right into "Affection" which starts with some delayed acoustic guitar and is probably the closest thing to a "love song" that Mekong Delta has ever done. Vocals take prominence in this song.
Next is "Interlude 5" which is really short and transitions right into "Mistaken Truth" which is the 2nd thrash based tune with vocals on the album. Finally we have "Finale" which finishes out the album in fine fashion.
Overall this is an excellent album with the thrash you would expect from Mekong Delta but with some definate prog rock influences and a decent amount of atmosphere. Even if you dont like thrash I would recommend getting this album as it's brilliantly written and masterfully executed!!!!
