Hi Zarko. Would you please tell us how and when was Human Zoo formed?
Hi Alessandro. Human Zoo was the result of a fortunate coincidence. Yeah, that’s really what happened. All the band members have played with different successful bands in the past, with Markus Ratheiser playing with Glenmore (world tour with Sage, European tour with Saxon) and Tommy Strobel with Subway (European tour with Talisman, German tour with Axxis), although they have been less involved in the music business in the last 8 years. Lucky enough, all the members of Human Zoo come from the same town and have known each other for a long time. The passion for music which, in my opinion, musicians have for a lifetime led to us meeting on a snowy day in 2004 when we decided to form `HUMAN ZOO` and have some fun.

The band often gets comparisons to Gotthard, because of your name I guess, but in my personal opinion there’s no that much similarity in your sound with the one of the Swiss band. What’s your point of view on this matter?
First I’d like to say that it is, naturally enough, an honour to be involved in any way with the currently most successful rock band. Our band name also leads to people looking for similarities with Gotthard. However, I don’t believe that our sound can be compared with Gotthard. So I can only agree with you on this point.
On Precious Time, the band had the ability to perfectly fit saxophone on a very bombastic sound and choruses.

Who brought this truly unusual (but winning) idea in, and how easily was it shared by the other band mates?
You probably already know that our saxophonist Boris Matakovic used to play together with our drummer (Tommy Strobel) in Subway during the 90’s. We already knew Boris for a long time, so it was initially a case of testing and trying out to find the best way to integrate a saxophone, and the results are fantastic. The band has also been lucky at a personal level with Boris. He’s a great guy! And none of the other band members had any problems with the saxophone as a new style factor.

Some of the band members come from heavier experiences, such as Glenmore and Subway. What led this project towards a catchier hard rock?
This has developed from the teamwork of the different musicians. It wasn’t planned, but was instead a process that led to the album `Precious Time`.

Dennis Ward proves once more to be a first-rate producer. Is it true that Human Zoo granted his collaboration for the next album too?
I can only agree with you here. Dennis Ward is in my opinion one of the foremost music producers on the rock scene. Very professional, and relaxed when it comes to a working together. We’ll see what future co-operation will lead to. I can’t – and don’t want to – say anymore at this stage. I hope you understand this.

As far as I know, after the independent release of Precious Time, a few moths ago the German AOR Heaven offered a deal to Human Zoo. Had you got any other proposal from further labels?
It’s true that we talked to a few different labels after our extremely successful debut album `Precious Time`. However, a fondness for Georg Siegel (the boss at the AOR HEAVEN recording company) was decisive in us deciding to sign a recording deal on the 1st August 2006 for the next two albums. And the conditions involved are more than good for a band of our status.

Any examples about this?
For instance, one thing is sure from the AOR HEAVEN contract – we will play at the United Forces of Rock 3 in 2007.

Have you got many further opportunities to play live?
Of course it would be good for us if we could play every week. But I think we have to continue establishing ourselves on the market and solidifying our position. Experience has shown that this takes a few years and a few records. But the evaluation and opinions of a lot of people are extremely positive, and planning of concerts in 2007 is currently in full swing. We may also be able to organise a tour for the `Precious Time` album in 2007. Prepare for a surprise!

I totally agree with some international press which defined Human Zoo as the “new sensation” in the German melodic rock scene. But as far as you know, what’s the H.Z. reputation among the other German musicians/bands?
Human Zoo tries to combine ideas with a contemporary sound to reflect the current spirit of rock music. I think we interpret rock music in a different way, and this is, in my opinion, received positively by many listeners in a subconscious manner. It’s rock in some way, but it’s also somehow played in a different manner to classical rock combos. It’s simply `Human Zoo`!

In their cd review, AOR Dreamzones arrived to preview a Top Ten ranking for Precious Time among the 2006 releases, and I do definitively share this opinion. But were you aware of such a high potential for your product at the time you released it?
Thanks a lot, Alessandro, for your extremely positive evaluation of `Precious Time`. We were, of course, not aware of the very positive opinions expressed by the specialist press at the release on the 05.05.2006. We had set ourselves a target in 2005 of releasing a disc and then, hopefully, signing a recording contract at some stage which would enable `Human Zoo` to strengthen its image and popularity. The fact that this has happened so rapidly and successfully was not planned.

Do you think that with a huger support by your Label the album might have been even better than it actually is, or do you think that all your artistic potential has been fairly captured on those recordings?
I think that an increased advertising budget could have made `Precious Time` more popular than the recording already is. If our sales partners had known this disc would be a runaway success, those responsible would, naturally enough, have acted in a different way. However, this was not obvious to anyone involved at the time.
As regards our musical potential, we certainly haven’t exhausted this. I think it was more important to introduce and establish the name ‘HUMAN ZOO’ in the music business with the debut album, and it’s now up to us to strengthen our position by producing high-quality material.
You will be able to hear this in the autumn of 2007 on the next album.

Thank you for the interview, Alessandro. I think you will be able to see us in your home country Italy very soon. We’re ready for it – I hope you are too!