Location: Bang Your Head!!! festival / Balingen / Germany
Interview date: July 16, 2011
Human Zoo are German melodic hard rockers from Balingen. This year they released their third studio album, titled “Eyes Of A Stranger” (RockLine review HERE). Although the band is relatively young, it brings together seasoned musicians who cut their teeth in other bands before, picking up valuable experience and plenty of miles on the clock. The sextet has one special trait: an alto sax in the lineup, and that quirk gives the band a touch of recognizability, because given that they’re built on the legacy of German hard rock acts like Bonfire, Frontline and Jaded Heart, it would be naive to expect, let alone demand, a musical revolution in songwriting from Human Zoo.
The band follows a modern musical track of the melodic rock template, which is flourishing especially in Scandinavia these days, as hinted at by the anthemic melodies, particularly in the choruses, and the care for melodic purity, polish and conciseness, which of course dabbles in AOR moments all across the album.
I got the chance to have a few words with the band in the middle of the day on the second day of this year’s Bang Your Head festival. On the promo bus that Gibson lends out for tours, the very same one where we did the interview with AOR champions Journey in the middle of Augsburg this June, the whole sextet gathered around me. But only three of them were really in the mood to talk. Bassist Markus Ratheiser, who played in Glenmore until 2004, before Human Zoo came to be, then saxophonist Boris Matakovic (Subway), whose parents come from Karlovac in Croatia, and keyboardist Zarko Mestrovic, who is the child of Slovenian and Croatian parents. The colorful Human Zoo crew was rounded out by singer Thomas Seeburger, guitarist Ingolf Engler and drummer Kevin Kimesch.
RockLine: Hey guys! You jumped onto the lineup at the last minute after Crash Diet canceled their show right before the festival. Were you nervous when the festival promoters suddenly called you to step in, or were you already 100% ready?
Markus: Playing the festival was an incredible challenge for us. With all due respect to Crash Diet, who had a mishap. We were extremely honored to play alongside the best bands, because only the best play Bang Your Head. We’re well rehearsed, and a week ago we played one of the shows here near Balingen.
RockLine: Just three days ago your third studio album “Eyes Of The Stranger” officially came out? Can you reveal the background of how it came to be and what it’s basically meant to say?
Markus: We’ve heard all kinds of stories. That we sound like Gotthard, like Pretty Maids and so on, which is only true in the sense that we listen to the music of those bands. People just love to put everything in boxes, that’s the habit of modern man. Music and musicians too. The album grew out of musical ideas that came up over the past year and in the first half of this year. But it took longer to arrive at the final shape of the songs, because as a band we kept polishing the arrangements down to the last detail in the studio.
RockLine: Boris, how does it feel to be one of the few saxophonists with a permanent spot in a melodic rock band, and how do you get along with all the noise the guitars make?
Boris: I came into contact with Human Zoo in the period before recording the debut “Precious Time”, when the guys initially just wanted me to contribute sax to three songs at most. While trying out individual ideas in the studio, we all realized that the whole thing just clicks together great. From that moment on we started treating the sax as a totally normal, integral part of the lineup, an integral instrument of Human Zoo’s music. And that’s how the recording went too. Of course, we don’t overdo the sax arrangements by any means. The melody is placed carefully, but it has to be clear and convincing in what it says, so that it touches whoever’s listening to our music as much as possible. I think the sax integration makes the sound and expression of Human Zoo special, new, different.
RockLine: How are things with AOR Heaven Records? Does the label give you enough support?
All: AOR Heaven Records doesn’t exist anymore.
Markus: It got renamed to Fastball Music.
Zarko: We’re very happy with how our new label treats our music. We have a great management team behind us that gives us all the support. So we expect that this time the promotion of the new album “Eyes Of The Stranger” will live up to our expectations, meaning that as wide a circle of listeners as possible in Europe gets to know Human Zoo, especially outside Germany too.
RockLine: What musical background shapes the musical character of Human Zoo?
Markus: All six of us in the band come from different musical backgrounds. We all listen to a huge variety of music, and that’s the whole point of Human Zoo. Most of the ideas come from Ingo with the guitar, Thomas with the melody and verses, and me. Then all six of us shape the final form of the songs. Even though we stick to a certain form, we love testing how far we can “bend” it, keeping what’s characteristic of our music while adding freshness to new ideas. Anyway, we all really appreciate Gotthard. We all love listening to Gotthard. And then of course there are other bands too, like Whitesnake and the rest of the eighties melodic rock. Our role is to recode the legacy of eighties melodic rock and, in a way, carry it over into a new era.
Boris: Yeah. Like we were talking about earlier, people like to compare us to Gotthard, but we ourselves don’t feel we’re similar to them. In a way we are, of course, since the basis of songwriting in this genre is the same. But we try to be our own thing, to develop our own musical principle, and I think we’re doing really well at that so far. That’s also very important when it comes to building the crowd that supports you, the fans who stand behind the band.
Markus: That’s why we gave ourselves the name Human Zoo too…
Boris: Yeah. Exactly because our music is a bit different from other bands, we offer things a bit differently. And of course the sax is one of the elements that brings that into our expression.
RockLine: Are you planning a tour any time soon?
Markus: In October this year. But it’s all still in its very early stages, so we can’t reveal any solid info. We haven’t signed a contract yet, but as far as the tour goes, things look very promising for us right now. Sadly we can’t tell you anything more at the moment.
RockLine: How are the crowds and the media reacting to your freshly released album “Eyes Of The Stranger”?
Boris: Very good so far. Promising. The media are rating our new studio album really well, which is a great sign. For example, one of the leading metal and rock media in Germany rated our album eight points out of a possible ten.
RockLine: What are Human Zoo’s plans for the near future?
Markus: Our main goal is playing on stages. As many shows as possible. As much as we can.
Boris: Yeah. It’s nice to read good reviews, it’s nice to record albums, but the essence is playing on stage. Getting in touch with people, so that people hear our music live.
Zarko: We have to spread our Human Zoo virus further, and we do that with live shows. That’s the band’s number one wish right now. It’d be great if we could play outside Germany too. Personally, for example, it would be incredibly exciting to play in Slovenia and Croatia, where my parents come from. I’d really love to play there.
Markus: Of course, we’re all perfectly aware that there’s still a long, thorny road separating us from that. It’s a process. We’re motivated, but we have to plan the whole thing carefully and thoughtfully. Step by step.
RockLine: Is there anything more behind the album title “Eyes Of The Stranger”, some deeper meaning?
Boris: Not really. The main reason we picked that name is that we were looking for a handy title that sounds good, punchy, and grabs attention right away. Usually, though, we name the album after one of the songs on it. That went for the previous album “Over The Horizon” too, where the song with that name came first, and the same goes for the new album.
RockLine: Yesterday you played here at Bang Your Head!!! festival. From what I managed to catch of your show, I think you’re a great band, really well rehearsed. Have you ever thought about doing any “unplugged” shows?
Markus: Oh yeah. We played here yesterday. Right in this very space, on this bus. We had fun. With tambourines and acoustic guitars. We were playing Whitesnake songs and the like. But otherwise we’ve never seriously thought about proper shows in an “unplugged” version. Personally I’m not even into them. I like really loud music, heh heh heh,…
RockLine: Was yesterday the first time in your career that you played here at Bang Your Head!!! festival?
Boris: Yes. This show means a lot to us. Bang Your Head!!! is the second biggest festival in Germany. Right after Wacken Open Air. So we’re really happy we got the chance to play here in Balingen. On top of everything, in our hometown, where we come from.
interview conducted, translated and edited by: Aleš Podbrežnik
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