Mekong Delta
In a Mirror Darkly
SPV/Steamhammer
2014
It’s funny how the label prog has been lately been bestowed upon “whatever” and for reasons more associated with marketing rather than with the actual tendency of breaking new ground, being technically proficient of actually not being stagnant in a certain little style that mostly defines you.
German avant-garde technical prog-thrashers Mekong Delta, will next year be celebrating their 30th year anniversary, (funny how time flies) even with an almost decade long hiatus in their career and quite a few personnel changes (The very first line-up largely comprised of Rage members but that largely changed with the musicians always assuming pseudonyms to keep an air of mystery around the band).
It’s really funny how a lot of “reviewers” just could not get “this” and really decided that this album was “tiresome” oh really, in that case those more recent Dream Theater albums that score “nearly perfect”, on the premise that they are released by the band that just bears the same name, as a band that a long time ago released some classic albums, should be thrown off a cliff…
“In a Mirror Darkly” continues, the Germans foray into the unknown, shape-shifting musical forms at will and all within the context and the duration of a song, effortlessly. You could go from claustophobic thrashing rhythms to almost joyous prog passages and back again, without realizing it and most importantly without feeling that the band is overplaying and that’s quite an accomplishment, to be honest.
After the “Introduction” with its brilliantly played acoustics, there’s a pretty awesome 5 minute “overture” that’s totally mind bogglingly complex and just when you thought the band had just thrown all the most impressive ideas in the first track, “The Armageddon Machine” comes along to just boggle your mind even more. Singer Martin LeMar just sounds like the choir in a nightmare, as he’s layered multiple times over, for dramatic effect, and then just comes about with some more melodic verse. Pretty awesome and intense stuff.
In “The Silver in God’s Eye” he sounds a lot more melodic throughout, as does the track, apart from the end, where things get a bit more “involved” as the track segues into “Janus” a track that fluctuates between more placid and intense moments interestingly enough, in a rather hypnotic way.
The rather awesomely titled “Inside the Outside of the Inside” has some pretty great guitar runs, both the classical intro, the leads well, everything in this fiery and catchy instrumental is positively cool!
“Hindsight Bias” maintains the rather fast tempo from the “I-O-I” but adds a rather pronounced and slightly syncopated drum, which totally boggles your mind at this speed.
Last but not least “Mutant Messiah” which hardly changes the tempo or the overall sensation is another awe inspiring number, that cannot but leave you with your jaw dropped!
In its 45 minutes, “IAMD” is not too short and it’s not particularly long, songs, don’t aim hopelessly just for the sake of reaching the 10 minute mark, in order “to be prog”, nor has the band, try to sound like anyone else, as they were so unique, ever since they arrived onto the scene all those years ago, that I hardly think anyone, wanted to copy their highly “idiosyncratic” and hard to fathom/swallow style.
Mekong Delta, was never a band that would appeal to the masses and I never think they actually aimed for that in particular, it’s a joy that they have been able to make music for so long and that they keep making thinking man’s music still. If you appreciate good music, do yourself a favor and pick this album up, or there’s always countless “albums of the month” paid for by advertisements, for you to buy, the choice is up to you…
German avant-garde technical prog-thrashers Mekong Delta, will next year be celebrating their 30th year anniversary, (funny how time flies) even with an almost decade long hiatus in their career and quite a few personnel changes (The very first line-up largely comprised of Rage members but that largely changed with the musicians always assuming pseudonyms to keep an air of mystery around the band).
It’s really funny how a lot of “reviewers” just could not get “this” and really decided that this album was “tiresome” oh really, in that case those more recent Dream Theater albums that score “nearly perfect”, on the premise that they are released by the band that just bears the same name, as a band that a long time ago released some classic albums, should be thrown off a cliff…
“In a Mirror Darkly” continues, the Germans foray into the unknown, shape-shifting musical forms at will and all within the context and the duration of a song, effortlessly. You could go from claustophobic thrashing rhythms to almost joyous prog passages and back again, without realizing it and most importantly without feeling that the band is overplaying and that’s quite an accomplishment, to be honest.
After the “Introduction” with its brilliantly played acoustics, there’s a pretty awesome 5 minute “overture” that’s totally mind bogglingly complex and just when you thought the band had just thrown all the most impressive ideas in the first track, “The Armageddon Machine” comes along to just boggle your mind even more. Singer Martin LeMar just sounds like the choir in a nightmare, as he’s layered multiple times over, for dramatic effect, and then just comes about with some more melodic verse. Pretty awesome and intense stuff.
In “The Silver in God’s Eye” he sounds a lot more melodic throughout, as does the track, apart from the end, where things get a bit more “involved” as the track segues into “Janus” a track that fluctuates between more placid and intense moments interestingly enough, in a rather hypnotic way.
The rather awesomely titled “Inside the Outside of the Inside” has some pretty great guitar runs, both the classical intro, the leads well, everything in this fiery and catchy instrumental is positively cool!
“Hindsight Bias” maintains the rather fast tempo from the “I-O-I” but adds a rather pronounced and slightly syncopated drum, which totally boggles your mind at this speed.
Last but not least “Mutant Messiah” which hardly changes the tempo or the overall sensation is another awe inspiring number, that cannot but leave you with your jaw dropped!
In its 45 minutes, “IAMD” is not too short and it’s not particularly long, songs, don’t aim hopelessly just for the sake of reaching the 10 minute mark, in order “to be prog”, nor has the band, try to sound like anyone else, as they were so unique, ever since they arrived onto the scene all those years ago, that I hardly think anyone, wanted to copy their highly “idiosyncratic” and hard to fathom/swallow style.
Mekong Delta, was never a band that would appeal to the masses and I never think they actually aimed for that in particular, it’s a joy that they have been able to make music for so long and that they keep making thinking man’s music still. If you appreciate good music, do yourself a favor and pick this album up, or there’s always countless “albums of the month” paid for by advertisements, for you to buy, the choice is up to you…