MONO INC.

MONO INC. are one of the most versatile German Dark Rock and Gothic Metal bands. They not only dominate the stages of their own rock tours and countless festivals, but also the charts with albums like Ravenblack or Book Of Fire. MONO INC. also have a flair for sophisticated arrangements of their famous hymns.

As a result, MONO INC. repeated their successful 2019 Symphonic Tour in spring of 2024. Of course this tour was sold out and of course it was recorded live. Now the release date is approaching and here is our short review.

Symphonic Live – The Second Chapter

CD1

It all starts on CD1 with “Louder Than Hell” and its piano-driven soundscape accompanied by haunting strings that give you the first goosebumps. What an emotional difference from the original version! It continues with fan favourites “Seligkeit” and “When the Raven Dies Tonight’”. Tonight the raven doesn’t die, but rises as a phoenix from the ashes.         

“If I Fail” comes in with marching step drums and cellos and reaches even more emotional heights than the original version. This is one to dream away before the goddess of vengeance takes over. Of course I am talking about “Nemesis”. It is one of those songs that seems predestined for a symphonic version. It still sounds soooo different.

“Alles was bleibt” starts with the well-known piano intro and doesn’t differ too much from the original song, except that all the electronic instruments have been replaced by classical orchestration… “Revenge” speeds up and closes the first CD. Listening to the clepping hands of the audience, I doubt if anyone is still sitting on their chair.

CD2 

If you are still listening to music or a CD, now is the time to switch to CD2 with “Heartbeat of the Dead”, clearly a fan favourite once again. The symphonic version loses none of the original’s subliminal power and speed. “Ravenblack” with its “We Will Rock You”-like drum intro even surpasses the mood of the regular studio version, even though there isn’t much symphonic in the first minute. A choir of thousands shouts the simple but perfect chorus.

It becomes German again, but “Still” is far from silent. It keeps up the speed of the previous songs and leads directly into “Wiedersehen Woanders”. It becomes very sentimental now. Everyone slows down, sits back and relaxes for this very emotional song. Let it sink into your heart! That’s where it belongs.

After the short “Piano Interlude” it is time for the piano to meet “At the End of the Rainbow” with cellos instead of guitars. Very catchy and still close, but not so close to the original. Then Martin asks for “Lieb Mich”, but it gets a bit “rough”. Is “rough” the right word for a symphonic song? In this case I think yes. Listen to it yourself and you will know what I mean.

If I talked about the Phoenix a few songs ago, now it is really time to rise “From The Ashes”. I somehow like the scream of joy of a single female fan when Martin announces the song. This is what real live music is all about! To say it, “In My Heart” hit me just right to give you a hint for the next of the remaining symphonic gems.

The “Voices of Doom” electrify the audience even without electric guitars, but with a fine arrangement of violins, piano and a beautiful backing choir, which is extended by the crowd to sing along. Then it is time for perhaps MONO INC.’s most popular song, “Children of the Dark”. Any regular attendee of MONO INC. shows knows that the end of the show is near. It raises the mood and the energy once more and is of course celebrated by the audience. 

“Potter’s Field” has little or nothing to do with the famous books. Instead, it is a place for the burial of the unknown, the unclaimed or the destitute. Do you think it is too sad a song to end a concert with? At least it gives you something to think about…

It feels symphonic good

I like the clever arrangements. I like the choreography, how the songs are built up one after the other. I like the changes between “light”, catchy songs and serious, slow songs. You can clearly feel how much effort and thoughts MONO INC. have put into this production, tour, CD and DVD. I’m now more than curious to see the DVD to SEE all the emotions I heard between the songs and to see the faces of the audience.

“Symphonic Live – The Second Chapter” will be released on August 23^rd 2024 as a 2-CD/DVD/Blu-ray version in a high quality media book. And there are some vinyl versions too! It is an album not only for the visitors of the tour in spring 2024, but for everyone who has a sense for good music in a symphonic garment.

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Short Facts

Symphonic Live – The Second Chapter

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Symphonic Tour 2024
Tickets: https://www.mono-inc.com/shop/de/Symphonic-Tour-2024
14.09.2024 Lübeck – Kulturwerft Gollan (Final Show of the Second Chapter)

MONO INC. Live 2025
Tickets: https://www.mono-inc.com/shop/de/MONO-INC-Live-2025
02.10.2025 Hannover – Swiss Life Hall
03.10.2025 Filderstadt – FILharmonie
04.10.2025 Oberhausen – Turbinenhalle
10.10.2025 Berlin – Columbiahalle
11.10.2025 Zwickau – Stadthalle
18.10.2025 Hamburg – Edel Optics Arena
24.10.2025 Saarbrücken – Garage
25.10.2025 Köln – E-Werk
30.10.2025 Wiesbaden – Schlachthof
31.10.2025 München – Backstage Werk
01.11.2025 CH-Pratteln – Z7

 

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Online:

MONO INC.

Webshop

Please buy merch and physical music or downloads from the bands’ official sources and don’t stream music for free because it steals the artists’ income.

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Proof-reading by DeepL

Photo credit Bernd Schwinn