Guano Apes are back! This is the good news. Guano Apes are softer than ever. This is not so good news. “She’s A Killer” it’s pretty intense and they still have some nerve, but there’s no more real skater anthems. The reunited Guano Apes left behind the nu metal and in gender the metal roots and they have some kind of indie rock approach with electronic spices. It’s not that bad, but somehow they didn’t manage to write rememberable tunes, sticky choruses, this collection of 12 brand new songs are kind of similar and linear. They have a few better moments, “Trust” is another better song for example, but still, something is missing. They last real release, “Walking On A Thin Line” came out eight years ago and a decade it’s like eternity this times, and “Bel Air” it’s sort of thin for a come back. They original fan base probably put their skates up in the attic and till now have a family and other worries. Generally this are not too good times for the entertainment business. The economical depression, the piracy and all that things makes everything ten times harder…
Guano Apes were formed in 1994 in Göttingen, Germany, by guitarist Henning Rümenapp, bassist Stefan Ude and drummer Dennis Poschwatta. Lead singer Sandra Nasić joined later same year and the band’s career took off in 1996 after they won a contest for local unsigned bands with their song “Open Your Eyes”, wich becomes kind of generation anthem. They release their debut album in 1997, “Proud Like a God”, followed in in 2000 by their second full-length album, “Don’t Give Me Names”. The singles “Big in Japan” – Alphaville cover – and “No Speech” received a lot of airplay and the album was certified gold in Germany. “Walking on a Thin Line” was released in 2003, but the band broke up in 2005.
Sandra Nasić started working on a solo album called “The Signal” wich was released in 2007 and Dennis Poschwatta focused on his new band called Tamoto. In 2006, Rümenapp, Ude and Poschwatta reunited and formed a new band named IO with American singer Charles Simmons, and recording material for their debut album, which is yet to be released.
Guano Apes reunited in 2009 and here we are. I’m kind of disappointed by this “Bel Air”, songs like “When The Ships Arrive” directly pissing me off, it reminds of Madonna by the way, but maybe live they still can bring some fire back. This album is pretty pale.
