MONO INC. - Interview

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Published on Monday, 23 October 2023 18:46

Hamburg, Germany-based dark/gothic/industrial rock band Mono Inc. has - in its twenty-three years of existence - delivered 12 studio albums, numerous singles with chart entries, EPs, live albums, and compilations, and played on the most eminent European festivals. Mono Inc. is, without any doubt, besides Lord Of The Lost, Within Temptation, VV and some others, one of the rulers of the modern goth scene. This year, Mono Inc. released, via NoCut Entertainment, its twelfth studio album aptly titled Ravenblack. The album got raving-positive responses from both the media and its huge fan base. The band is a live force to reckon with since it usually leaves the audience beyond enthused, so its upcoming long-awaited live album, Live In Hamburg, which will be out on 24 November, is a must-buy for every new, old and potential fan, who wants to taste just a little bit of this magical experience. Mono Inc. is definitely in full swing, and we seized the opportunity to find out more about it. The line-up today is Martin Engler (vocals), Katha Mia (drums, vocals), Carl Fornia (guitars) and Croatian bassist Val Perun, who joined Mono Inc. only recently. We caught up with him right before the band's jaw-dropping performance at the M'era Luna festival, and even though Val joined the band in 2022, he gave some surprisingly detailed answers. So, if you continue reading, you will learn more about the Mono Inc. phenomenon, too.

Interview with:Val Perun
Conducted by: Tomaz, Jerneja
Edited by: Jerneja

Jerneja: Hello Val, nice to meet you, although organizing the interview took quite some time... So, how many times has the band performed at the M'era Luna festival already? Do you usually receive the best public response when performing so near home?
Val: I don't know, actually, because I haven't been that long in the band. When we are playing in the Hamburg Sporthalle, it's always beautiful, but I guess it's also good when we play on the other side of Germany or anywhere else in the world. Since I'm a member of Mono Inc., the response has always been good. Ultimately, this makes me happy. I guess whoever comes to the show knows what Mono Inc. is - what we do, and public response is something we hope to be good.

Jerneja: Considering you've been around since 2000, people probably already know what Mono Inc. stands for:  "Monomania Incorporated" or "Company of the partially insane", but since monomania is a disease concept characterised by the presence of an expansive fixed-idea in which the mind was diseased and deranged in some facets but otherwise "normal" in others, is there, perhaps, any specific fixed-idea in your case?
Val: In a way, yeah. A special fixed idea about the name. As far as I know, the disease monomania is going insane about something or perhaps being crazy about just one thing. It's maybe about being crazy about your career, about your music, loving something or loving someone. It's that you are so focused on this one thing that you can get crazy about it.

Tomaz: You joined Mono Inc. last year... So, how do you feel being part of the Mono Inc. family?
Val: Oh, it has been nothing but good things so far: acceptance and love. When I joined, I was worried about how people would react seeing me on stage and how this all would come together. I didn't want to fake anything - I didn't try to replace or copy anybody. I give my own thing. I give myself - Val Perun. I'm so happy that people are accepting and welcoming. It's just great, I have nothing to complain about, and I love doing it.

Tomaz: Do you also already participate in the composition of songs?
Val: Yes. Every time that someone has an idea. I was a little bit shy in the very beginning. Then I said, "here is my idea, here's something that I did". Eventually, I did it. When everything comes together, we all give our ideas, and then think very critically - trying to focus whether something is Mono Inc. or not. Even if something isn't the Mono Inc. thing, but it sounds good, we can still make it be the stuff of Mono Inc. We all contribute, when it comes to song compositions, and that's just it.

Jerneja: You celebrated the debut album's tenth anniversary by releasing a compilation album, the two-disc The Clock Ticks On 2004-2014; are you planning anything similar next year for its twentieth anniversary?
Val: Maybe we are, maybe we aren't. I haven't heard anything from the band yet, but I think we should do something special. There's, of course, our jubilee concert, where all of our label mates will be there, at least most of them. We will be having a great time, and celebrating these 20 years we've been on the road. Of course, I've been with the band for only two years, and I don't really know how it must be if you put 20 years into just one project, putting all in. It's hard for me to imagine what it's like, but nevertheless, I'm going to celebrate with the rest of the band.

Jerneja: Out of 12 albums you've released (not counting three compilation albums), which one brought Mono Inc. the most fans, and which is the most special to you?
Val: It's a hard question. I don't really know which album brought Mono Inc. the most fans. Maybe it was Together Till The End, The Book Of Fire, or even Ravenblack? The most special for me is The Book Of Fire and Ravenblack. It's hard to decide which one of these two. I remember that my brother contributed to some of the songs on Ravenblack, and it's so nice to see that it was my brother who wrote a couple of those songs now being played in front of thousands of people. On the other hand, The Book Of Fire is the first thing I heard of Mono Inc. while browsing the internet. The songs like "Children Of The Dark", which is from another album, but still, though it was "Louder Than Hell" that got me into it. A couple of weeks later, I found out that I was to help with the support band, and it was the first time I experienced Mono Inc. live. At the time, I fell in love with the old song "Voices Of Doom". I also really like "The Last Crusade" from The Book Of Fire. That whole album, The Book Of Fire, is really something.

Jerneja: You tour a lot, though mainly within Germany's borders - how come? Namely, I'm sure you have fans all around the world... Besides, you have more lyrics in English than in the German language...
Val: I mean, when you are writing songs, let it be in English or German, you must know that English is the best-known language in the world and that there's no language barrier to communicate with fans of what you sing about. The band is mainly from Germany, and of course, we have some songs in the German language also. Germany is not a small country, you know, and I'm coming from Croatia with four million people. I guess that only Hamburg and its surroundings have almost the same number. The thing is, even though the language is English, our main touring place is in Germany. It's not that we purposely play only in Germany; we would like to play for the whole world. Regarding the lyrics, I know, for example, that the songs like "An klaren Tagen" or "Lieb' Mich", wouldn't feel the same way, if written in English. Of course, and vice versa, if the English ones were in German, they wouldn't give quite the same message. That's also a language barrier, but it's better to have the songs in the language they were meant to be in.

Jerneja: Since you come from Croatia, do you consider bringing Mono Inc. to play live in Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and other southern European countries?
Val: I would love to be able to show in my homeland what kind of a band we have here in Germany. Not just Mono Inc. but different bands I've met and heard throughout these last two years. The problem is that every little country has a different market and different people, so some are more welcoming than others. It's really a battle when trying to bring any kind of band from one country to another. Nevertheless, I'm still willing to fight - at least for one show. That's the least I can do.

Jerneja: Stylistically, your music has stayed pretty much the same throughout the albums... Well, "Arabia" took a trip to the Oriental vibes... Do you go with the phrase "never change a winning horse"?
Val: Oh well, I wouldn't say "never change a winning horse" because when you hear all of our albums and pick up some random songs, it's important, also for a new listener, that he still hears the same band. You should always try to change yourself in a manner that you are improving yourself. You need to know where your roots are, and there's a formula that you've perfected over the years. You need to know that formula and respect it. You shouldn't change it too much, in a way of going to a completely new genre.

Tomaz: Regarding your new album, Ravenblack, is there a special meaning behind it?
Val: For me, it is. Not just listening to the songs but also looking at the picture on the album's cover. When I first saw it, to me, it was just a golden raven - it looked nice and so on. Then one night, when listening to the songs and just staring at that picture, I came up with a very different interpretation. It was a golden raven that symbolizes yourself or your community as you want to see it, and around the raven, it's all pitch black darkness. You can't tell the depth of anything, or if it's in a room, cave, or anything, it's total darkness. Within this darkness, where there's no light at all, the golden raven still shines. It's not like a perfectly cut statue of Michelangelo's David or something, but it's still melting because it was fresh from the fire. When you are making something, like a knife or a piece of jewellery, you put it on the fire and still get it hammered on. Even if there are difficulties, it is still shining.

Tomaz: So there's a lot of symbolism in this quite minimalistic picture...
Val: Yes, and then again, you must know that this is only my interpretation of the album cover. I hope each raven can see its interpretation of the picture and the songs, of course.

Tomaz: And how are you personally satisfied with the Ravenblack album and the response by the public and media?
Val: I'm very very happy. I see that people just love it. We put a lot of thought into it, and it's very different from the last two albums, which were more like concept albums and were telling the story from the first song until the last one. On Ravenblack, there are just 11 strong songs; you can easily take them apart, change the order, and the album will still shine. It's a different album, and I'm very happy with all the criticism and great reactions.

Tomaz: As already mentioned, soon you are about to perform a very special anniversary concert in Hamburg. So, what are you preparing?
Val: Well, you can expect to see Mono Inc. and many of our old label mates. It's just going to be a great day and an experience. As for anything that special, I don't want to give out any secrets, and you should see it for yourself.

Tomaz: How it came that you've joined Mono Inc.? Is there some interesting story behind all this?
Val: I've already mentioned a couple of things before. Ok, my brother is playing in a band Manntra, which was a support of Mono Inc. on a tour. I was Manntra's roadie, the band's everything guy behind the scenes. I was the photographer, the crew, and the tour manager, responsible for many little things, like merchandise. Then, when I had some free time, I got to listen to Mono Inc. stuff, and I simply had to congratulate Katha, Carl and Manuel - I couldn't find Martin anywhere - for the great show, and they told me that they were searching for a new bass player. Martin just asked me if I wanted to play bass for Mono Inc. Yes, of course, I was shocked. There's no way, among all people, among all the bass players that he met in his life, he chose me, a roadie, and he did not even hear me playing bass. It's insane, but after all, I guess that in that little conversation I had with them, something just clicked. It was just as if we were friends from another life or a destiny. After that, Martin invited me to join them while they were on vacation, and we had super great fun. I was not even on an audition, and here I am.

Tomaz: Which song in this comprehensive repertoire of Mono Inc. do you prefer to play live? Which of the songs gets the best response when played live?
Val: There are two different songs. For me, it must be "Arabia". It's my favourite to play because I'm the kind of guy who likes to play hard-tempo songs with a heavy beat. On the other hand, I think that from the fans we get the most when we play "Children Of The Dark". It's also one of my favourite concert moments - when this song slowly fades out, and the crowd keeps singing "Children Of The Dark". It's a never-ending look.

Tomaz: Mono Inc. is signed to NoCut Entertainment, a division of SPV Records. How are you satisfied with the label, and since Mono Inc. has become so big, is an even bigger label in view, perhaps?
Val: I don't know. It's not that I dislike it, but I try to keep out of most of the business - about labels and stuff like that. No Cut is a Mono Inc. label now, as it has been for many years, and I think there's a good reason for that. We are happy with it; everything goes smoothly.

Jerneja: Do you prefer to play live at big festivals or in clubs?
Val: Well, I came from playing just in smaller clubs. Before Mono Inc., I was playing with my little band and was trying to make a breakthrough in front of just 50 people. Now I play at festivals in front of - what - twenty or thirty thousand people. It's really a hit. Honestly, if I had to choose, I would pick smaller clubs because it's much more intimate than on the festival show.

Tomaz: Before we end, would you tell us which bands or artists inspired you the most in your career?
Val: Oh, since I was 13 years old, I kept changing my favourite genre of music and my cup of favourite bands. When I started, I listened to Metallica and Megadeth, then I went into more nu-metal, Slipknot, Korn and stuff like that. I had the most fun with garage rock and some hard rock like Airbourne, AC/DC, even Iron Maiden, The White Stripes, The Black Keys and stuff like that. Even to this day, I mostly listen to metal and rock music.

Tomaz: Thank you, Val, for sharing your time with us. Is there anything you would like to say at the end of this interview?
Val: It was very nice, and thank you for having me. Thank you very much for all your support, and I can't wait to see you in the fan pit.

Live photos by: Tomaz

Mono Inc. discography (studio albums):
- Head Under Water (2003)
- Temple Of The Torn (2007)
- Pain, Love & Poetry (2008)
- Voices Of Doom (2009)
- Viva Hades (2011)
- After The War (2012)
- Nimmermehr (2013)
- Terlingua (2015)
- Together Till The End (2017)
- Welcome To Hell (2018)
- The Book Of Fire (2020)
- Ravenblack (2023)

Mono Inc. links: Official Website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

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