LURKING FEAR

What a frustration.After all these years i expected way more from Ralph Hubert.He reached the peak back in 1993 with the release of visions fugitives.14 years later he comes up with an utter mediocrity.Forget the dark and aggressive Mekong Delta you knew.This album has a profound speed metal twist, nasty vocals that emerge from power metal, and abysmal speed drumming which sounds more like butt-slapping.Ralph made a huge mistake counting on mediocre musicians with speed/power metal orientations.In spite of the other two new members,Peter Lake, the new guitarist,amazes with his guitar technique.On this album we hear some of the most tecnical(and benevolent) riffs of this band, however they lack in darkness and intelligence since they originate not from thrash/prog metal but speed/power/prog metal.The difference is vast to anyone but the mediocre listener.A rhetorical question: Has this former mastermind been listening to Running Wild through the time of his absence?