| Mono Inc. | |
| Origin: | Hamburg, Germany |
| Years Active: | 2000–present |
| Label: | NoCut,[1] SPV[2] |
| Website: | mono-inc.com |
| Current Members: | Carl Fornia Katha Mia Martin Engler |
| Past Members: | Miky Mono † Manuel Antoni Val Perun (Martin Purišić) |
Mono Inc. is a German Gothic Rock, Gothic Metal and Industrial band from Hamburg, founded in 2000.
MONO is a derivative of Monomania (German "Monomanie"), a term from the 19th century psychiatric disease theory, a form of partial insanity conceived as single pathological preoccupation in an otherwise sound mind. "Monomania Incorporated" means "Company of the partially insane" which was shortened to MONO INC. for the band's name.[3]
Mono Inc. was formed in 2000 by Miky Mono (lead vocals, bass), Carl Fornia (guitar), Chad Hauger (Cowbell) and Martin Engler (drums). Bass player Manuel Antoni joined in 2003, coinciding with the release of their self-published debut album Head Under Water. In 2004, the band signed with NoCut Entertainment [4] and re-released the album with new artwork, spawning two singles: "Burn Me" and "Superman". During the production of their second album Temple Of The Torn in 2006, Miky Mono was replaced with Engler on vocals and Katha Mia on drums. The album was released in 2007. The band's third album, Pain, Love & Poetry, was released in 2008. The album contains three new versions of songs from Head Under Water and a duet with Lisa Middelhauve of Xandria in the single "Teach Me to Love". In 2009, Mono Inc. released their fourth album, Voices Of Doom.
The band toured in 2009 with Subway to Sally and ASP, playing at more than forty concerts in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and began headlining in 2010 during their "Voices Of Doom Tour". Former singer Miky Mono died in October 2010 in a paragliding accident.[5] On 18 March 2011, Mono Inc. released their fifth album, Viva Hades. This was followed by another headlining tour, the "Viva Hades Tour", which included appearances in Austria and Switzerland for the second time, and guest appearances at the M'era Luna Festival and other festivals. After changing labels to SPV / Rookies & Kings in August 2012, the band released their sixth album, After The War,[6] beginning the "After the War Tour". The song From the Ashes was performed live at the cruiserweight boxing match on 15 September 2012 between Yoan Pablo Hernández and Troy Ross in the Brose Arena in Bamberg.
Their seventh album, Nimmermehr, was released on 9 August 2013, reaching third place in the German Offizielle Top 100 charts in its first week. In August 2014, the band released their first compilation album, the two-disc The Clock Ticks On 2004-2014. The first disc, titled "The Clock Ticks On", is a sixteen-track "best of" compilation. The second disc, titled "Alive & Acoustic", is a sixteen-track acoustic re-release. "Gothic Queen" and "Twice In Life" served as the album's two singles, the second being the only new song composed for the album. The album was supported by the "Clock Ticks On Tour" in 2014 and the "Alive & Acoustic Tour" in 2015. In May 2015, the band released their eighth album, Terlingua, spawning five singles, followed by their "Terlingua Tour". In January 2017, they released their ninth album Together Till The End and later that year released their second compilation album, titled Symphonies of Pain.[7] It is more comprehensive than The Clock Ticks On.[8] In July 2018, they released their tenth album Welcome to Hell,[9] followed by The Book of Fire in January 2020. The book of fire reached number one on the music charts. To celebrate the success, a different version of The Book of Fire was released in 2021 called The Book of Fire (Platinum edition). The album was followed by a massive international tour.
Timeline
| Year | Title | Peak (GER)[10] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Head Under Water | — | |
| 2007 | Temple of the Torn | — | |
| 2008 | Pain, Love & Poetry | — | |
| 2009 | Voices of Doom | — | |
| 2011 | Viva Hades | 50 | |
| 2012 | After the War | 6 | |
| 2013 | Nimmermehr | 3 | |
| 2015 | Terlingua | 6 | |
| 2017 | Together Till the End | 6 | |
| 2018 | Welcome to Hell | 2 | |
| 2020 | The Book of Fire | 1 | |
| 2023 | Ravenblack | 1 |
| Year | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Clock Ticks On 2004–2014 | |
| 2017 | Symphonies of Pain | |
| 2020 | Melodies in Black |
| Year | Title | Peak (GER) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Live | — | |
| 2019 | Symphonic Live | — | |
| 2023 | Live In Hamburg | — |