The Guano Apes are one of the very few German alternative rock bands that have made the leap from the nineties to today. Everyone who had a preference for electric guitar music at the time probably knows the überhit "Open Your Eyes" from the "Proud Like a God" album. Lords of the Boards" and "Big in Japan" are also well remembered by most people. But beyond that, singer Sandra Nasić, guitarist Henning Rümenapp, bassist Stefan Ude and drummer Dennis Poschwatta have a whole lot of other top-class songs and albums in their discography.
Shortly after the male part of the Guano Apes founded the band in 1994, Sandra Nasić completed the line-up. With her raw power voice, she shapes the band's crossover sound and certainly contributes significantly to their success. The breakthrough came in 1997 with "Proud Like a God". The Göttingen band subsequently toured Europe and the USA, expanding their fan base beyond the borders of Germany. After three years, numerous live shows, gold and platinum awards and several awards, the Guano Apes follow up in 2000 with "Don't Give Me Names", which contains the singles "No Speech", "Living in a Lie", "Dödel Up" and the Alphaville cover "Big in Japan". The album reached pole position in Germany and Austria. This feat is also achieved by the follow-up "Walking on a Thin Line", which is released in 2003 and features songs like "You Can't Stop Me", "Pretty in Scarlet" and "Quietly".
Dissolution and comeback of the Guano Apes
In 2006, the Guano Apes put their band activities on ice for the time being. In "Planet of the Apes - The Documentary", fans learn a lot about the background. According to the documentary, there was a lot of trouble between the four band members. Ten years of full throttle and a steep career at a young age leave their mark. As a farewell present, the "Lost (T)apes" compilation with demo recordings from the early days of the band was released. During the time out, frontwoman Sandra Nasić released a solo album entitled "The Signal". Drummer Dennis Poschwatta, meanwhile, is having fun as one half of the duo "Tamoto". In addition, Poschwatta, Rümenapp and Ude joined forces with singer Charles Simmons to form the project "iO", whose album "For the Masses" was released in 2008. But the Guano Apes obviously can't do without each other. In 2011 they celebrated their comeback with "Bel Air" and the single "Oh What a Night". On their fourth studio album, the band exchanged their earlier harshness for much poppier tones. The fans seem to like the new sound - "Bel Air" is number one in the German album charts. This is what a successful comeback looks like!
Three years later, the Guano Apes head for similar musical waters with "Offline". Since their reunion, the former German nu-metal representatives seem to have become a little quieter. But that doesn't apply to their live shows - on stage, "Open Your Eyes", "Lord of the Boards" and newer hits are as popular as ever. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the debut album, "Proud Like A God XX" is released in 2017 with several new editions of various album tracks and several cover songs, including Eminem's "Lose Yourself". Even after so many years, the Guano Apes still manage to surprise with new sides. So we can be curious about what else the quartet has in the pipeline.
