Customer Reviews

Music of Erich Zann

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I remember buying this one back in 87-88 and after about two listenings I merely thought it was ok. Then I began to hear all the different layers of bass playing and riffing and played it non stop for weeks. I will never forget the first time I played it for my drummer at the time, in my car stereo. During our trip he crouched lower and lower towards the speaker, almost falling out of the seat. "What the eff is the drummer doing?" The song was Prophecy, which has a wild intro and one of the best endings of any thrash song ever, just a maniac unpredictable pounding section which seems to be changing all the time. The record and the band was a huge influence on me, allthough I never liked the vocals. In some way I owe my current occupation with wrtiting avant-garde orchestral and chamber music to this record.

this came out originally at the tail-end of the thrash era and just before death metal more or less took over.not quite as "math metal" as Watchtower,nor Sci-Fi as Voivod i felt they had their own sound.the H. P. Lovecraft theme to this disc i always enjoyed,in fact conveyed a certain "lovecraftian" feel to several of the songs.
but wether you get the Lovecraft references or not,if you appreciate "thinking" man's metal like the aforementioned and others like Atheist,Anacrusis,Cynic,Death,etc you will love this!

This came out in 1988 and almost defined technical thrash (along with Watchtower perhaps). Virtuouso progressive riffs that just didn't sound like they belonged in a thrash metal song, complex fast drumming that was ahead of its time and a dischordant, wierd-ass, manic feel to it all. I remember my ideas of what to expect from music being challenged listening to this for the first time.

Age of Agony is a reasonably straight forward (relatively speaking) fast thrash, True Lies has one of the most interesting riffs I've heard along with some challenging chromatics and fast drumming with many time changes. Confessions of Madness is more stright ahead medium pacer with a cracking thrash section with solos at the end. Hatred is a difficult one, absolutely manic and hard to listen to. Interludium is a masterpiece incorporating a real quartet or orchestra with crunchy guitars (interesting idea back in 1988!). Prophecy is another fast one which cracks from the start but sorta loses its way (only a bit). Memories of Tomorrow is one of my faves, pretty much perfect melodic techno mid pacer. I King Will Come is sloooow, i remember thinking it must have been slowed down in the studio when I first heard it, but it's not, it's deliberately played slower for effect, brilliant. The Final Deluge finished with a flurry of solos from both guitars and bass, it cranks. The last two songs are exactly what they say, epilogues of the quiter atmospheric type.

The things that let this album down are some strained off-key vocals, a good sound, but without the decent bottom end the first album had, and a couple of moments that don't work. But if you wanna hear some riffs that you may never have heard before, some great technical thrashy solos, bass solos and some really challenging music then check it out.

Today, the term "technical metal" became widely used, almost as frequently as progressive metal. In 1988, "Thrash Metal" was the only word my brother and I knew to describe it, but we really got hooked by the progressive feeling that was all around this album.

Totally ahead of its time, Mekong Delta proved that was possible to blend aggressive "thrash metal" riffs with the technicality of "progressive rock". I am not sure if Realm, Watchtower, Atheist, Coroner, Helstar and Mekong Delta were aware of each other, but they all put the foundations to both "progressive metal" and "technical metal" but not just that.

Albums like "The Music Of Erich Zann" still sound quite refreshing and complex while not sound dated as an 80s product merely, who would appeal just to old headbangers like me who miss the 80s. It is powerful and complete. Think of a "progressive megadeth" and that's just the surface of MD's brilliance.

Only two things i have ever heard close to this album are Voivod Killing Technology and Anacrusis Screams and Whispers so if you dig those albums you might dig this