I just wrote a review of Ritual, OOMPH!’s 13th (!) full length album. I mentioned that I thought it was among their best efforts. But, where does it fit in with the others? Here is what I think.
13. OOMPH! (released 1992) Every band has to start somewhere, and OOMPH!’s eponymous debut marks the beginning of this influential band’s career. This album is very different from anything else that OOMPH! has released, as it contains no guitars. It is purely 80s-vibe German EBM. It’s not bad for what it is, but combining…interesting music with bad lyrics, I personally find the album borderline unlistenable.
12. Plastik (released 1999) Plastik marks a definitive style change for OOMPH! It is considerably less heavy and dark than its predecessors. It also feels like a transition album for the band, as if they are uncertain as to what direction they wanted to go musically. It’s not bad, but none of the songs really stand out.
11. Ego (released 2001) This is OOMPH!’s softest album to date. It is obvious that Dero had vocal lessons between Plastik and Ego. He introduces vibrato, and the whole album feels like a showcase to his improved vocal skills. The opener, “Ego” sets the tone for the album, and the following track, “Supernova” is among my favourite OOMPH! songs. However, they are not enough to salvage an uneven, and almost flat effort from the band.
10. Monster (released 2008) The album that features the most disturbing music video from the band (watch “Beim Ersten Mal tut’s Immer Weh” if you dare), as well as stadium-ready “Labyrinth” is a pretty solid effort throughout. It’s a bit heavier than its predecessors (GlaubeLiebeTod and Wahrheit Oder Pflicht), but it is still mostly melodic. The songs are all good, but for some reason this album has only ever been “meh” for me. It’s too bad that the best single from this time, “Sandmann”, didn’t make it on the original album.
9. Wunschkind (released 1996) This is one of OOMPH!’s heavier and darker albums. The theme of the album is child abuse and, even if you don’t speak German, this theme is obvious on the album with its alternating melodic/innocent moments contrasted with its heavier and disturbing ones. Musically, this album is brilliant, as it features headbangers like “Wunschkind”, “I.N.R.I vs Jahwe” and “Krueppel” as well as haunting instrumentals such as “Filthy Playground”. However, I have rated it so low because the theme is not handled very well lyrically. Instead of shedding light on the issue as the band intended, the lyrics seem to glorify the abuse. It is a disturbing effort, but well worth it if you can get past the lyrics.
8. Wahrheit Oder Pflicht (released 2004) WoP is the album that contains OOMPH!’s most successful hit to date, “Augen Auf”. However, the album is mostly just “Augen Auf” that is supported by OK, but not standout songs. It is one of OOMPH!’s more radio-friendly albums in general, but Dero has noticeably more grit in his voice than he did on Ego, which is a good thing.
7. Sperm (released 1994) While I don’t personally like this album more than some of the other ones I ranked below it, I had to give it a relatively high rating because of its importance to the Neue Deutche Härte (NDH) genre. This is the album that Rammstein cites as being highly influential, and it is arguably the first NDH album. It features repetitive guitar riffs, deep spoken vocals with some signing, and synthesizers from the band’s EBM roots.
6. Des Wahnsinns fette Beute (released 2012) OOMPH!’s poppiest album to date is filled with incredibly catchy songs.The songs are lighthearted, and the band doesn’t seem to be taking themselves too seriously. I get the impression that they had a lot of fun making this album.
5. Defekt (released 1995) This is arguably OOMPH!’s heaviest effort. The vocals are mostly shouted, although the cleans are powerful when they do come through. The electronic elements and repetitive guitar riffs that characterize NDH are still here, but the quality of the vocals make me classify this as a pure metal album instead of an NDH one.
4. Ritual (released 2019) OOMPH!’s most recent album shows of the heavier side of NDH. The band decided to put more of a metal sound in their music, without sacrificing some of the more melodic influences of their more recent albums. The darker nature of the album, both musically and lyrically, make for a most enjoyable listening experience.
3. XXV (released 2015) As fun as Des Wahnsinns fette Beute was, XXV thankfully takes a step back in the direction of Monster and GlaubeLiebeTod. It is a touch heavier than the other two albums I’ve mentioned, but it contains a good mix of NDH-style rock, and ballads. Dero’s singing is as strong as ever here, and it fits well with the instruments.
2. Unrein (released 1999) This is OOMPH!’s heavy masterpiece, and it is also one of my all-time favourite metal albums. It starts off with the creepy intro “Mutters Schoss”, and then hits hard with “Unsere Rettung”, and never lets go until the breather “Foil”. The songs here exhibit some of OOMPH!’s best songwriting. There are soft moments that get blasted by in-your-face heaviness, often within the same song. The guitars are heavy and loud, but not so overwhelming in the mix that the electronic elements and the keyboard can’t be heard. These, in my opinion, are what make this album so great. Having these heavy passages with a chromatic/dissonant piano line on top of the mix sends chills down my spine every time. The only reason I didn’t rank this as OOMPH!’s #1 album is that a few of the songs have a tendency to drag on a bit too long, but this flaw does not detract too much from the absolute brilliance of Unrein.
1.GlaubeLiebeTod (released 2006) Yeah, this album is one of OOMPH!’s more radio-friendly efforts, but I don’t consider this to be a flaw, nor an indication of the band “selling out”. To me, it’s a sign of the band trying to go back to their roots of being a metal band, while also acknowledging the softer direction that they chose to go. That doesn’t mean that the album is soft by any means; it’s a great, fun, NDH rock album, whose songs did not feel out of place at a metal festival. They mastered the songwriting that they tried to get on Wahrheit Oder Pflicht (trying saying THAT five times fast). For me, this album is satisfying for NDH fans, as well as anyone who doesn’t mind having German lyrics in their rock. This is usually my go-to album when I feel like listening to some OOMPH!, so it is the easy choice for #1 album for me.
The great thing about OOMPH! is that they have changed styles so much, that they almost certainly have an album or at least a song that anyone could like. Despite their various style changes, they always keep their EBM roots in mind, and that is the element that separates them from other bands. While fans may disagree with my rankings, which are purely opinion-based, hopefully they can acknowledge the amazing body of work that OOMPH! have produced in their career.
Random Thoughts 