Mekong Delta Self Titled CD (Slipcase, 2025, High Roller Records)

Deluxe remastered slipcase reissue of the landmark debut album from Germany's technical thrash metal pioneers Mekong Delta.

Originally released in 1987, Mekong Delta is the groundbreaking debut album from one of Germany’s most innovative and forward-thinking thrash metal bands. Formed in the mid-1980s by drummer Jörg Michael (Running Wild, Stratovarius) and producer/composer Ralf Hubert, Mekong Delta set out to push thrash beyond its boundaries after Ralf was introduced to Metallica’s “Fight Fire With Fire.” With a background in classical music, progressive rock, and studio engineering, Ralf brought a unique compositional mindset that would define the band’s unmistakable sound.

Joined by vocalist Wolfgang Borgmann and Living Death guitarists Reiner Kelch and Frank Fricke, the band crafted a debut that fused frantic thrash aggression with technical precision and avant-garde complexity. Tracks like the crushing “The Cure” and razor-sharp “Kill the Enemy” showcased Hubert’s unconventional approach: “I tend to hear music both vertically and horizontally, so I also compose differently.”

The album also marked the beginning of Mekong Delta’s signature classical integrations, including “Toccata” and their first interpretation of Mussorgsky’s “The Hut of Baba Yaga,” alongside mood-shifting moments like the doom-laden “Black Sabbath” and an unexpected and intense reworking of the blues classic “Black Betty.”

Standing alongside early Sieges Even and Watchtower in pioneering technical thrash, Mekong Delta remains one of the most forward-thinking debut albums of the era. This 2024 edition delivers the clearest and most powerful version yet, freshly remastered by Patrick W. Engel.

Recommended if you like: Watchtower, Coroner, Voivod, Toxik, Anacrusis, Living Death, Psychotic Waltz, Blind Illusion, Sieges Even, Realm

Artist: Mekong Delta
Title: Mekong Delta
Label: High Roller Records
Catalogue Number: HRR981CD
UPC: 4251267721610
Release Year: 1987/2025
Duration: Album
Format: CD
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
Condition: New & Sealed
Special attributes: Slipcase, remastered reissue

Tracklist:

1. Without Honour
2. The Cure
3. The Hut of Baba Yaga
4. Hero's Grief
5. Kill the Enemy
6. Nightmare Patrol
7. Shiva's Return
8. Black Sabbath
9. Back Home (In Hell)