The arguable founders of the Neue Deutsche Härte (NDH) genre released their 13th album, Ritual, this year. Amazingly, while the band has gone through a large variety of style changes over the years, they have kept the same lineup since 1989. 29 years after their founding, the band is as strong as ever, and continue to show a willingness to grow as songwriters and musicians.
Stylistically, Ritual is a logical continuation of its predecessor, XXV. It is dark, and has its heavy moments frequently throughout, while not giving up on OOMPH!’s industrial roots or melodic tendencies. That being said, this is the heaviest album that the band has released in the past 20 years.
What really shines throughout the album are Dero’s vocals. The classically trained singer shows off his deep and haunting voices in the choruses of songs like “Achtung!Achtung!” and “Phönix aus der Asche”. Excitingly, this is the first OOMPH! album in a while to feature harsh vocals. This adds a level of heaviness that hasn’t been heard from the band since the 90s. While Dero’s shouts are not as powerful as they have been, it still adds a layer of grit that fits well with the lyrical themes of the album. Of course, the deep voice spoken vocals that are typical of NDH are also featured on this album.
Lyrically, this album deals with issues that are relevant today. Everything from organized religion (“Das Schweigen der Lämmer”), the rise of dictatorships (“Achtung!Achtung!”, TRRR-FCKN-HTLR”), war (“Tausend Mann und ein Befehl”) and critiques of society (“Kein Liebeslied”) are tackled. OOMPH! has never been subtle with their message (at least, from this non-native/not very good speaker of German’s standpoint), but the lyrics complement the heavier and darker nature of the album well.
While the new style change is refreshing, Ritual lacks the ballads that OOMPH! has previously excelled in writing. This is not a necessary part of a good OOMPH! album, but it would have provided more contrast in the style of the songs.
Overall Impression: Ritual is among the best albums that OOMPH! has released to date. It is heavy, dark, and utterly satisfying. Fans of NDH, and open-minded fans of melodic metal should enjoy this.
Highlights: “Achtung! Achtung!” A chilling build-up leads to a haunting chorus. “Tausend Mann und Ein Befehl” Great message, and catchy tune. “Im Namen des Vaters” A heavy tune to bang your head to.
Skip Over: “Der Schweigen der Lämmer” Not a bad tune, but it is forgettable. After 20+ listens, I still don’t know what it sounds like.
Overall Score: 9/10
Random Thoughts 