The eclectic music experts at long-running Exile On Mainstream mark a historic moment for the label, today releasing their first-ever reissue, for BEEHOOVER’s second album, Heavy Zooo.
Is it metal? Is it stoner rock? Is it jazz, or even avant-garde? Just forget all those categories for a moment and answer this question: When was the last time someone tried to classify the Melvins? Or Primus? Exactly…
Ladies and gentlemen, the Heavy Zooo opens its doors! Step inside and marvel at a collection of the most incredible creatures on this planet. Chimeras of groove and intelligence. Sounds that are both familiar and yet so new. Nothing here is one-dimensional. With just bass and drums, BEEHOOVER achieves the squaring of the circle, with crazy arrangements with an edge that make you want to dance but still leave you wide-eyed. These are the cornerstones of sound for one of the most extraordinary German bands today.
Categorization seems impossible, even though BEEHOOVER weaves influences from traditional styles together. In the truest sense of the word – the result is a tapestry of bass and drums, of emotional outbursts and psychotic melancholy. Claus-Peter Hamisch (drums) and Ingmar Peterson (bass) consistently try to avoid conventional structures and explore new paths, without losing sight of the song. Their approach is avant-garde, but the result is still melodic. Their engagement with sounds is intelligent and cerebral. Yet the result hits you in the gut – an effect that not many bands can achieve today.
Originally released by Exile On Mainstream on CD in April of 2008, this is the first time the label is reissuing one of its titles, as the album has been completely sold out for years. Now presented for the first time on vinyl, BEEHOOVER’s Heavy Zooo reissue features the original artwork, including a 4-page folder containing the incredible war animal illustrations by Dirk Wachsmuth. The 140-gram black pure virgin vinyl is wrapped in a beautiful sleeve printed on reverse board, the LP housed in a polylined inner sleeve. Additionally, the album has been remastered for vinyl, delivering the tunes with a massive punch.
The band writes, “Finally! Often wished for, thought about, and then dismissed. But now, finally, with the help of our favorite label, Heavy Zooo can come out the way we’ve wanted it to for the last fifteen years: on vinyl!”
The vinyl reissue of BEEHOOVER’s Heavy Zooo is now available for purchase at the Exile On Mainstream webshop RIGHT HERE.
2008 media reactions to Heavy Zooo:
“A mouth-watering mix of Faith No More at their most unhinged, Kyuss at their grooviest, System Of A Down at their angriest, and Tool at their most progressive… dangerous, unpredictable, and breathlessly exciting.” – Terrorizer
“…a skull-splitting rock album…” – Metal Hammer
“…BEEHOOVER have to play no favorites or deal with outside influences, they just write super riff oriented Kyuss-On-Caffeine riffs with progressive touches and everybody else can pretty much fuck off!” – Skulls’n‘Bones
“This isn’t so much music, as visceral, raw heaviosity. If Motörhead, as Lemmy once famously claimed, could kill your neighbour’s lawn, BEEHOOVER could blow their fucking house down, eat their children and rape their cat. These riffs could cause total enlightenment, or they could melt your face off like the Nazi in Indiana Jones. This is metal not to be trifled with … Simply, earth-shatteringly awesome.” – Subbacultcha
“…There just isn’t a weak link in Heavy Zooo’s majesty… Bold, beautiful, and bewitching, all behold the brilliance of BEEHOOVER!” – Ninehertz
BEEHOOVER Tour Dates:
9/05/2024 Chemiefabrik – Dresden, DE
9/06/2024 Los Pampos Festival – Zittau, DE
9/07/2024 UT Connewitz – Leipzig, DE
10/03/2024 Alster – Jena, DE
10/04/2024 Keiler – Stuttgart, DE
10/05/2024 Goldgrube – Kassel, DE
1/29/2025 Sonic Ballroom – Cologne, DE
1/30/2025 Kortrijk – The Pits, BE
1/31/2025 Music City – Antwerp, BE
2/01/2025 De Onderbroek – Nijmegen, NL
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