Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta

Germany's Mekong Delta perplexed the heavy metal world both by playing an unconventional brand of progressive thrash and by keeping the identities of the bandmembers secret for the first five years of a career starting in 1985. Later it was revealed that the group had originally been masterminded by Aaarrg Records owner Ralph Hubert, who wished to pair up members of existing bands like Rage and Living Death without incurring the wrath of the labels they were signed to. Hubert took on the role of bass player and the pseudonym of Björn Eklund, then completed the initial Mekong Delta line-up with vocalist Kell (real name Wolfgang Borgmann), guitarists Rolf Stein and Vincent St. John (actually Living Death members Frank Fricke and Reiner Kelch), and drummer Gordon Perkins (in reality Jörg Michael, then also a member of Rage). This was the quintet responsible for 1987's conceptually unified Mekong Delta debut, which not surprisingly delved into the Vietnam War, as well as 1988's The Gnome EP and H. P. Lovecraft-inspired The Music of Erich Zann LP, all of which drew much critical acclaim.