“Monster” is R. EM's ninth studio album and was released in 1994 after "Out Of Time" (1991) and "Automatic For The People" (1992) when the band reached the peak of their success. The album marked a return to R. EM's guitar-rich rock sound, reached number 1 on the US Billboard charts and in 7 other countries and received platinum status in Germany. After a long break from concerts (the band did not tour with the previous two records), the band played their first tour since 1989 as part of album promotion. Monster contains the singles: "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?", "Crush with Eyeliner", "Bang and Blame" and "Strange Currencies".

To the 25th On the anniversary of »Monster«, the album was remastered by sound engineer Greg Calbi and a remix of the album was created by producer Scott Litt, both of which will be released on a double LP (180g) and double CD. The remastered version of the album will also be released on LP (180g) with the original orange cover.

The deluxe box set of »Monster« (25th Anniversary Edition) contains the remastered version and remix of the album, previously unreleased demos from the album and a complete live performance from 1995 recorded in Chicago on 5 CDs. The accompanying Blu-Ray presents both the album in high-resolution audio and 5.1 surround sound as well as a variety of video content: all six music videos from “Monster” and the 90-minute “Road Movie,” which the R. European Championship tour from 1995 documented. The box set is packaged in a 5½-inch portfolio book that includes liner notes by journalist Matthew Perpetua and archival photos.

Reviews

»Even 25 years later, it's fascinating to hear how REM fought their way back to life with "Monster" after facing death on "Automatic For The People". After the melancholic mandolin sounds, now a ROCK album.« (RollingStone)