Oomph! is a German rock band from

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony, located on the river Aller. It lies about east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the location of Volkswagen AG's hea ...

, formed in 1989. The band pioneered the

Neue Deutsche Härte Neue Deutsche Härte (; "new German hardness"), sometimes abbreviated as NDH, is a subgenre of rock music that developed in Germany and Austria during the early-to-mid 1990s and during the early 2000s. Alluding to the style of Neue Deutsche Well ...

movement. Their work contains lyrics in both English and German, with a shift towards German exclusively on recent albums (''

GlaubeLiebeTod ''GlaubeLiebeTod'' ("FaithLoveDeath") is the ninth studio album by the German industrial metal band Oomph!. It was released in March 2006. ''GlaubeLiebeTod'' was released in three versions: a basic album with jewel case and no booklet; a standar ...

'', ''Monster'', ''

Des Wahnsinns fette Beute ''Des Wahnsinns fette Beute'' ("Madness' juicy prey") is the eleventh studio album by German rock band Oomph!. It was described by the band as being a big change from their normal gothic and industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Ind ...

'', '' XXV'', and ''

Ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

'' are entirely in German).

History

Early years (1989–2002)

Oomph! incorporated many styles of music such as

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

and

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

to create their sound. Their style changed between their self-titled debut, ''

Oomph! Oomph! is a German rock band from Wolfsburg, formed in 1989. The band pioneered the Neue Deutsche Härte movement. Their work contains lyrics in both English and German, with a shift towards German exclusively on recent albums (''GlaubeLiebeTod ...

'' (1992), and its successor ''

Sperm Sperm is the male reproductive cell, or gamete, in anisogamous forms of sexual reproduction (forms in which there is a larger, female reproductive cell and a smaller, male one). Animals produce motile sperm with a tail known as a flagellum, whi ...

'' (1994). Though they started with very much a dance-laden industrial sound, they quickly moved to a much more heavily guitar-driven

sound, while still acknowledging their

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

roots. This guitar-driven and electronic accompanied sound inspired numerous musicians, most famously

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...

Megaherz Megaherz (English "Mega-heart", a pun on the homophone " megahertz") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Eichenau in 1993. Megaherz has gone through many changes in musical style since their founding. Their early works are a fair ...

, and

Eisbrecher Eisbrecher (; German for "icebreaker") are a German Neue Deutsche Härte band that consists primarily of Alexander Wesselsky (vocals) and Noel Pix (lead guitar/ programming), with live support from Jürgen Plangger (guitar), Rupert Keplinger ...

, to follow their lead. Oomph! was signed on

Virgin Schallplatten Virgin Schallplatten GmbH was the German subsidiary of Virgin Records. It was consolidated into EMI Germany and since 2012 is the Virgin Music division of Universal Music Group Germany. Famous artists who recorded for the company include Sandra ...

between 1998 and 2001, where they released three albums; the first, ''

Unrein ''Unrein'' (German for "Impure") is the fifth studio album by German rock band Oomph!. It is the first album released on Virgin Schallplatten. Track listing # Mutters Schoß (''Mother's Lap'') (01:12) # Unsere Rettung (''Our Salvation'') (05:04 ...

'', was released in 1998, which became their debut album on the German

Media Control Charts Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

, peaking at No. 37, and the Austrian top 40 at No. 38. A single called "

Gekreuzigt "Gekreuzigt" (German for ''Crucified'') is the first single from the album ''Unrein'' by Oomph! Oomph! is a German rock band from Wolfsburg, formed in 1989. The band pioneered the Neue Deutsche Härte movement. Their work contains lyrics in b ...

" was released in 1998 to promote ''Unrein'' and became the band's debut single on the German charts, peaking at No. 81. The second Virgin album, ''

Plastik ''Plastik'' (German for ''Plastic'' (das Plastik) or ''Sculpture'' (die Plastik)) is the sixth studio album by German rock band Oomph!. With this album, the band changed its style to feature less aggressive instruments and vocals, more pronounce ...

'', was released in 1999 and peaked in Germany at No. 23. The third, ''

Ego Ego or EGO may refer to: Social sciences * Ego (Freudian), one of the three constructs in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche * Egoism, an ethical theory that treats self-interest as the foundation of morality * Egotism, the drive to ...

'', was released in 2001, peaking at No. 21 on the Media Control Charts. This fulfilled their contract with Virgin; the band did not continue with the record company, feeling that it never fully explored their potential. With the benefits of major-label status, Oomph! gained a larger following and toured with labelmates

Skunk Anansie Skunk Anansie are a British rock band whose members include Skin (lead vocals, guitar), Cass (bass, guitar, backing vocals), Ace (guitar, backing vocals) and Mark Richardson (drums and percussion). Skunk Anansie formed in 1994, disbanded in 2 ...

in 1999, later opening for Finnish rock band HIM in fall 2001. In 2002, Oomph! played at the

Ozzfest Ozzfest is an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband Ozzy Osbourne, both ...

in Germany, alongside

Black Label Society Black Label Society is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1998 by guitarist/singer Zakk Wylde. To date, the band has released eleven studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, one EP, and three vide ...

Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

and

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

on 20 May. The band appeared at the

With Full Force Full Force (previously With Full Force) is a German heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented music festival held annually since 1994. The 2011 edition took place between 1 and 3 July at Roitzschjora airport in Löbnitz. Lineups ...

Festival on 5 July 2002. On 19 December 2002, Oomph! opened for

Apoptygma Berzerk Apoptygma Berzerk (; commonly abbreviated to APB or APOP) is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a brand of synth-pop, and ballads backed with electronic rhythms, commonly known within the scene and referring to themselve ...

''Wahrheit oder Pflicht'' and ''GlaubeLiebeTod'' (2004–2007)

In 2004, Oomph! released their first single, "

Augen auf! "Augen auf!" ( en, "Eyes Open!") is the first single from the German industrial metal group Oomph!'s album ''Wahrheit oder Pflicht'', and their first released under the GUN label. "Augen auf!" is considered to be the most known Oomph! song and br ...

" ("Open your eyes!"), from their eighth album ''

Wahrheit oder Pflicht ''Wahrheit oder Pflicht'' (; German for "Truth or Dare") is the eighth studio album by the German rock band Oomph!, released in February 2004. It is the band's most commercially successful album, being their only title to achieve platinum status ...

'' on a new label, this time on

Supersonic Records GUN Records (''Great Unlimited Noises'') was a record label located in Bochum, Germany, founded in 1992 by Bogdan Kopec ( DRAKKAR Promotion Musikverlag GmbH) and Wolfgang Funk. Different artists on the label have had hit singles as well as albu ...

, part of the

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

group of music companies. It marks their first number one hit in Germany, eventually bringing forth their major commercial breakthrough. The album hit No. 2 on the

. In June 2004, Oomph! played at two major European music festivals: the

Dynamo Open Air Dynamo Open Air is a festival in the Netherlands held (almost) every year between 1986 and 2005. It was reborn in 2008 as Dynamo Outdoor and in 2015 as Dynamo Metal Fest. History Originally held to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Dynamo ...

Festival on 5 June in the Netherlands, and on 25 June at the

Graspop Metal Meeting Graspop Metal Meeting is a Belgian heavy metal festival held in Dessel each year since 1996, excluding 2020 and 2021 due to covid restrictions. Despite the small size of the festival grounds (upholding a perimeter of only ~4 km) the festiva ...

in Belgium. "Augen auf!" became part of the ''

FIFA Football 2005 ''FIFA Football 2005'', also known as ''FIFA Soccer 2005'' in North America or simply ''FIFA 2005'', is a football simulation video game released in 2004. It was developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the Pl ...

'' soundtrack. Oomph! appeared for the first time at

Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a rock music, rock music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all styles and su ...

on 4 August 2005. The band's ninth album, ''

'' ("FaithLoveDeath"), was released in March 2006, including the controversial single "

Gott ist ein Popstar "Gott ist ein Popstar" (German language, German for ''God is a popstar'') is the first single (music), single from Germany, German industrial metal group Oomph! from ''GlaubeLiebeTod''. Music and lyrics The song was written by Dero, Crap, and Fl ...

" ("God is a popstar"), its follow-up "Das letzte Streichholz", "Die Schlinge", and "

Träumst du? "Träumst du?" (German for "Are you dreaming?") is a song by German rock band Oomph! and the fourth single from their album ''GlaubeLiebeTod''. The single edition features Marta Jandová on vocals. The standard version of the single includes edit ...

". In August 2006,

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

released the compilation album ''1998–2001: Best of Virgin Years''. It contains tracks from Oomph!'s three Virgin albums as well as a few unreleased tracks. The band distanced itself from this best-of release and asked that fans not buy it, as the band's current label GUN had scheduled a best-of compilation as well. On 15 June 2006, Oomph! played at the

Nova Rock Festival The Nova Rock Festival, also just Nova Rock, is an Austrian rock festival that has existed since 2005 and takes place each year in June. It is located in Burgenland, the easternmost federal state of Austria, near Nickelsdorf and the Hungarian a ...

in Austria. On 1 December 2006, Oomph!'s official best-of album, '' Delikatessen'' (''Delicacies'') was released under the GUN label. The songs on it were hand-picked by the band itself. It contains tracks from all nine Oomph! albums,

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

, remixes, and new tracks like "The Power of Love" and "Gekreuzigt 2006". By 17 November 2006, Oomph! released those two songs in a form of double-single to promote the new compilation release. On 9 February 2007, the band released their final ''GlaubeLiebeTod'' single "Träumst du?", featuring the female vocalist from

Die Happy Die Happy is a German alternative rock band from Ulm. The group was founded in 1993 by Czech singer Marta Jandová and Thorsten Mewes. Even though the band is based in Germany, their songs are written and performed almost exclusively in English. ...

Marta Jandová Marta Verner (née Jandová; born 13 April 1974) is a Czech singer, best known for being the lead singer of the German alternative rock band Die Happy. She Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, represented the Czech Republic in the ...

. The single peaked at No. 9 on the

. Oomph! performed the song live the same day at the 2007 edition of

Bundesvision Song Contest The Bundesvision Song Contest (often shortened BSC or BuViSoCo) was a song competition held annually between the sixteen states of Germany. Created by German entertainer Stefan Raab and aired live on ProSieben, the show was loosely based on the ...

, representing

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

in the competition, coming in first place. On 6 July 2007, Oomph! opened for

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

in Vienna, Austria. Oomph!'s first DVD was ''

Rohstoff ''Rohstoff'' (German for "Raw stuff" or "raw material") is the first live DVD by German rock band Oomph!. It features live footage consisting of 23 songs, music videos of the band's singles, as well as making-of videos and interviews. The audio v ...

'', which contains live footage consisting of 23 songs, most of the videos the band has created, making-of videos, and an exclusive interview. The DVD was released on July 20, 2007.

''Monster'' and ''Truth or Dare'' (2008–2010)

A new song called " Wach auf!" appeared in the film '' Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem''; the single was released on 4 January 2008. Oomph! made their first appearances at the

Rock am Ring and Rock im Park The (German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' takes place at the Zeppelinfeld ...

festivals on 6 June 2008. The band released their tenth album, ''Monster'', on 22 August 2008, which peaked in the

at No. 8. The album's cover art was designed by a fan who won a contest the band held through their Myspace page. The band's most successful single from the new album is "

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

", released in September 2008, which peaked at No. 26 on the Media Control Charts and No. 4 on the DAC Singles charts. The remaining tracks were released as

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

s on the upcoming singles. The first and only was " Sandmann", released in February 2009. ''Monster'' was reissued in June 2009 to include "Sandmann". Oomph! opened for

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

on 24 June 2009 in

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...

, Austria. The band recorded a version of "Ernten was wir säen" by

Die Fantastischen Vier Die Fantastischen Vier (, "The Fantastic Four"), often shortened to Fanta 4, is a German hip hop band from Stuttgart. The members are Michael Schmidt (Smudo), Andreas Rieke, Thomas Dürr, ''janitor''), and Michi Beck. They were, together with ...

for the 2009 compilation album ''A Tribute to Die Fantastischen Vier''. On 26 February 2010, the band released their fourth compilation album, ''Truth or Dare'', with their German songs re-recorded in English. From 24 April to 22 October, the band toured Europe to promote the new compilation album. On 10 September 2010, Oomph! debuted the song "Sieger" ("Winner"), which was written for the ESL Pro Series 17, to a worldwide audience. The song had previously only been heard at the Gamescom 2010 trade fair.

''Des Wahnsinns fette Beute and XXV'' (2011–2018)

upLongtime frontman Dero Goi performing in 2015 Flux announced on 8 October 2011, on the official Oomph! Facebook page, that recording of a new album would be finished by the end of November. Dero also said that after so much time, only 20 tracks would be chosen and then they would select 12 or 14 of the best of them. The band announced on their official website that their next album is going to be titled ''

''. The first single, "Zwei Schritte vor", was released on 4 May 2012. The album was released on 18 May 2012. Oomph! gained two new live members in 2012: Okusa (percussion) and El Friede (keyboards). Announced via the band's official Facebook page on 29 August 2012, live drummer Leo (Christian Leonhardt) departed the band to take on new musical challenges. Leo's last show with Oomph! was at the KRock U Maibutne Festival in

Kherson Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers appr ...

, Ukraine, on 1 September 2012. Oomph!'s new drummer, Sylvestri, was announced on the band's official Facebook page on 14 September 2012. On 16 May 2014, Dero mentioned in an interview with ''Global Metal Apocalypse'' that the band has been working on a new album slated for an early 2015 release and that the band does have plans to tour the UK in 2015 as well. Oomph! announced via their official Facebook page on 23 May 2014 that they have a new live drummer, Martin Bode, and will perform with the band for the first time in June at the

Wave Gotik Treffen The Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT; ) is an annual world festival for "dark" music and "dark culture" in Leipzig, Germany. 150+ bands and artists from various backgrounds ( gothic rock, gothic metal, EBM, industrial, noise, darkwave, neo-folk, neo- ...

Festival. The band announced on 17 April 2015, that their upcoming studio album would be released on 31 July 2015. On 17 May, the band announced that the album will be named ''XXV''. The first single from ''XXV'', "Alles aus Liebe", was released on 17 July 2015. In September 2015, Oomph! announced that their album ''GlaubLiebeTod'' attained Gold status after selling more than 100,000 copies in Germany, nine years after its initial release. It was the band's first album to achieve gold and the band's second release to achieve it after their single "Augen auf!". On 5 December, Oomph! announced that they had been nominated for three GMA (Global Metal Apocalypse) awards. GMA Vocalist of the Year 2015 (Dero), GMA Music Video of the Year (''Alles aus Liebe''), and GMA Album of the Year (''XXV''). Oomph! embarked on their European tour in April 2016 to promote ''XXV''. Oomph! performed a concert in Mexico on 3 December 2016. This was the band's first show in North America. The band remained quiet throughout 2017, only going on a small tour in Russia early in the year, Faine Misto fest in Ternopil, Ukraine on 21 July, and Gothic Meets Klassik festival in Leipzig in November.

''Ritual'' and Dero's departure (2018–present)

Oomph! announced a string of festival appearances for 2018, including

Greenfield Festival The Greenfield Festival is an annual rock music festival held on the outskirts of the town of Interlaken, in the Swiss canton of Bern. Editions 2005 * Date: 24–26 June 2005 * Visitors: 25,500 Line-up: * Adam Green * Aereogramme * Alter ...

and the second edition of the ''

Volle Kraft voraus! ''Volle Kraft voraus!'' is the second album by the German band Die Krupps. Track listing # "Volle Kraft voraus" – 3:44 # "Goldfinger" – 3:21 # "Für einen Augenblick" – 4:14 # "Tod und Teufel" – 2:45 # "Das Ende der Träume" – 3:34 # " ...

'' festival with German band

. Oomph! signed a worldwide deal with their new record label

Napalm Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a gelling agent and a volatile petrochemical (usually gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel). The name is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: coprecipitated al ...

in April 2018. They also announced plans to release their 13th studio album in 2019. On 12 November 2018, Oomph! teased artwork for the new album with the caption "Achtung! Achtung!" (Attention, attention!), as well as another post announcing a number of radio interviews in Berlin and an expected release date for the new album on 18 January 2019. On 13 January, another picture captioned "Seid ihr bereit?" (Are you ready?) was posted. On 15 November, a picture of the album artwork and its title, ''

'', was posted. The album's first single, "Kein Liebeslied", was released on 30 November 2018 with an accompanying lyric video. ''Ritual'' was released on 18 January 2019 and went on to become the bands first ever album to debut at No. 1 on the German charts. The band then went on a month-long European tour in March 2019 to support the album. On 29 September 2021 it was announced that Dero was no longer a part of the band.

Members

;Current *Crap (Thomas Döppner) – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1989–present) *Robert Flux (Rene Bachmann) – rhythm guitar, samples, bass, backing vocals (1989–present) ;Former *

Dero Goi Stephan Musiol (born 16 April 1970), known professionally as Dero Goi, is a German singer, musician, songwriter and poet. He is best known as the former lead vocalist, drummer and founding member of Neue Deutsche Härte band Oomph! from 1989 to ...

(Stephan Musiol) – lead vocals, studio drums, programming, live percussion (1989–2021) ;Live *Hagen Godicke – bass, backing vocals (2002–present) *Silvestri (Michael Merkert) – drums (2012–2013, 2015–present) ;Former live *Leo (Christian Leonhardt) – drums (1993–2012) *Tobi (Tobias Gloge) – bass, backing vocals (1993–2002) *Martin Bode – drums (2013–2015) *El Friede – keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals (2012–2015) *Okusa (Patrik Lange) – percussion, e-drums (2012–2018) *Felix Vonk – keyboards, backing vocals (2016–2020) Timeline Touring Members Timeline

Discography

Albums * ''Oomph!'' (1992) * ''Sperm'' (1994) * ''Defekt'' (1995) * ''Wunschkind'' (1996) * ''

'' (1998) * ''

'' (1999) * ''

'' (2001) * ''

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2006) * ''Monster'' (2008) * ''

'' (2012) * '' XXV'' (2015) * ''

'' (2019)

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control German Neue Deutsche Härte music groups Participants in the Bundesvision Song Contest 1989 establishments in West Germany Musical groups established in 1989 German musical trios GUN Records artists