After 'Together Till The End' in 2017 (see here), the Germans of ‘Mono Inc.’ release a new album in the form of a double CD which presents two versions of their new compositions, the first ‘electrified' and another refined and classic as could be done in another style 'Arjen Anthony Lucassen' with 'The Gentle Storm' (see here). The themes of the group are still quite dark and 'Welcome to Hell' tells the story of the Black Death in Hamburg which caused suffering, death and destruction. In contrary, on the music side, there are songs with catchy rhythms and melodies that give you a great form for a whole day and an irresistible urge to clap your hands. After 'The Heart of the Raven' which calmly begins the album where we refind the deep voice of 'Martin Engler', with the following 2 tracks 'Welcome to Hell' and 'Long Live Death', 'Mono Inc' puts on the way his tube machine and offer us 2 melodic compositions which should be taken in heart in live. Follow the ballad 'Risk at All' with its chorus which reminding me 'RPWL' and the title 'Breathe in, Breathe Out' (see here), then with ‘Flies’ and 'Under a Coal Black Sun', these are 2 mid-tempos always very melodic and accessible from the first listening. The rest of the album offers other nuggets that catch you immediately like the beautiful ballad 'A Vagabond' s Life 'or the last title' When the Raven Dies Tonight 'and each could have been the subject of a single. In addition, the classical acoustic versions of the 2nd CD are not mere classical covers; Indeed, the titles have a completely different face because they have been stripped to keep only the essential : 'Martin Engler' is only accompanied by a piano, strings and an acoustic guitar. The atmosphere that emerges is very intimate and endearing which puts even more emphasis on the theme of the album. In summary, the Germans of 'Mono Inc.' released not one but 2 albums of great quality and 'Welcome to Hell' will no doubt welcomed by all fans of the group but could also reach a much wider audience through to very accessible compositions... | |
