HYMN TO THE IMMORTAL WIND

While Hymn continues to mine the cinematic drama inherent in all of MONO's music, the dynamic shifts now come more from dark-to-light instead of quiet-to-loud. The maturity to balance these elements so masterfully has become MONO's strongest virtue - save for perhaps their uncanny ability to sound every bit like a plane crashing into a Beethoven concert.

JJJ HOTTEST 100 VOL. 16

... well 45 of the top 100 at least - across 2 CDs: including Kings Of Leon, MGMT, The Presets, The Living End, Bon Iver, Ladyhawke, Cog, Santogold, Vampire Weekend and more!

21ST CENTURY BREAKDOWN (SPECIAL EDITION)

This special edition features a brick-embossed pattern with 52 perfect-bound pages of full colour text and imagery exclusive to the special edition. This album follows 2004's critically acclaimed American Idiot. Regarding the pressure, Billie Joe Armstrong said, "We could take a sideways step or go back to our roots. We chose to move forward."

DEATH MAGNETIC (DIGIPAK)

The Digipak features a dye cut throughout the middle of the digipak to give a 3D effect to the coffin in the ground design Death Magnetic, at least the title, to me started out as kind of a tribute to people that have fallen in our business, like Layne Staley and a lot of the people that have died, basically — rock and roll martyrs of sorts. - James Hetfield