Mono Inc - Revenge EP (No Cut)

Released to coincide with their sold out October tour, 'Revenge' is a key-cut from the 'Viva Hades' album and has very quickly become a live favourite.

There's an air of bitter gratification about the track, as Martin booms, "One Day Revenge Will Be Mine..." amongst the huge production and Gothic-oomph they've become accustomed for.

Amongst the B-sides is new track 'Tired of the Day', opening with a misleading twinkling intro, it soon erupts into a bouncing round of Goth-pomp.    It's strange to hear a song with lyrics like "I'm so tired of this life/ there's no reason for tomorrow" set to an up-tempo and uplifting track.

A triplet of live tracks from a show in Frankfurt earlier this year follow next; which serve as a good advert for the atmospheres at a Mono Inc show - you can just imagine there being crowds of thousands eating out the palms of their hands.  They probably are!

The 'Degradation' remix of 'Revenge' seems slow, plodding and grinding - we probably could have lived without it.

The final track of the EP is the 'Afterglow Version' of 'Revenge' which is like something off one of them Panpipe Moods CDs.  Your Gran might like it.

It doesn't quite offer as much as 2010's 'Comedown EP' - with only one new song and some live tracks present - but a decent enough stop gap release from one of the hottest bands in the German Gothic scene.

3/5

Kevin Morris