HUMAN ZOO – Over The Horizon

Human Zoo is a Hard Rock outfit that hails from Balingen, Germany, and Over The Horizon is the six-piece’s second offering, after 2004’s Precious Time. Like with that album, Over The Horizon was produced by Dennis Ward of Pink Cream 69 fame. Over The Horizon has a playing time of around 46 minutes and is 12 tracks in length, with two of those songs being short intro tracks.

Human Zoo specializes in slick, up-tempo Hard Rock tunes with lots of big riffs, melodic vocals and choruses, and enough fast-paced, infectious rhythms and grooves to fill a couple of albums. Most of the songs here are fast and rocking, and there are a couple of obligatory ballads thrown in for a change of pace. And while there are plenty of strong riffs and guitar passages to keep the songs pretty heavy, Over The Horizon also has a lot of sax appeal, with a handful of tracks featuring some well-done saxophone playing.

Over The Horizon is mostly heavy, but with an eye towards getting radio airplay, none of the songs on the album will blister your ears. Still, Human Zoo knows how to rock, and their Hard Rock stylings are heavier than lots of other similar radio-friendly bands: the riffs and solos are loud and in your face; the sing-along vocals are strong, soaring and catchy; and the highly-polished choruses have all been carefully crafted to get stuck in your head the first time you hear them. The album also has a big, clear production that puts the music over the top.

Like most atmospheric tracks found on other albums, Over The Horizon‘s are pretty disposable and you probably won’t even notice them; one of them, “Interlude Creatures Theme,” is only 12 seconds long. Luckily, the remaining 10 songs have more staying power, with energetic tunes like “Cryin’,” “Over The Horizon,” “Communicate,” and “Want It” being strong Hard Rock tracks. “Rock Your Town” and “Hit The Rock” are probably the two best songs on Over The Horizon — they’re a pair of arena-friendly stompers with lots of solid riffing and “shout it out” vocal parts.

Ballad-wise, Over The Horizon has a couple of respectable ones in “Be The One” and “Lovin’ You,” which do a good job giving the listener a chance to rest up a bit. These tracks seem crafted to get some radio airtime; luckily they’re both pretty good and not too maudlin or sappy.

Over The Horizon is a solid sophomore disc from Human Zoo, and is a safe purchase for Hard Rock fans.