“When I first used EarthQuaker Devices' Afterneath, all of a sudden I got a lot of song ideas. I thought it was like a magic box that springs up inspirations.

The sound is nothing like reverb or delay. If I had to explain it, it's almost like that deep, beautiful, transparent reverberation you get from grand piano's sustain pedal and I was really moved by it. I used it on pretty much all of the songs on the MONO's new album, which will be released next year, to the extent of "hey, aren't you using it too much?". I've naturally used it on all the clean parts but I've also used it on many noisy parts as well which also used fuzz and more. This pedal adds some seductiveness to the dirty sound, and it becomes a very fantasy-like rich sound.

It just really has a great chemistry with MONO's worldview. It's a truly special pedal which can create a unique, beautiful and rich sound.”

-Takaakira 'Taka' Goto

Afterneath

“This pedal is the one and only. It creates a sound that only Afterneath can. If I had to categorise it, I think it's related to delay and reverb but I personally do not get the same feeling from using it. It just feels like using Afterneath. It creates a sound that you have never really tasted before, like trying to express the universe that continues to eternally expand. On top of it all, the sound gets released at the most exquisite timing which I think you can only experience with Afterneath. It's used on many of the songs from our new forthcoming album so do check it out, and you'll understand what I mean how it can create a unique feeling of space. I think you'll be able to feel a further new world from our music.”

Hoof

“When we were preparing for our new album, I got a message from Taka saying we will be required to use fuzz on some of the new songs. This was actually my first time using fuzz in MONO. Creating this new sound that can't be done with my current distortion and overdrive pedals was my new challenge. After trying out many types of fuzz pedal during many rehearsals, we decided to use Hoof and it really is just amazing! The old style of fuzz sound is of course still there, yet the tone and shift knobs work just excellently. It makes me feel so many new possibilities. Of course, vintage style fuzz pedals are also fantastic but the rarity, cost and maintenance of them are not something I really like. I think "Hoof" suits MONO the best because it can create sounds that have furthermore new possibilities. Old yet new, I think that's what this fuzz sound is like!”

-Yoda