Oomph! Album: “Wahrheit Oder Pflicht”

The Attitude, the emotion, the POWER. Augen auf will have you singing along in a matter of seconds. It's the perfect blend of goth, metal, techno, and down right dark music. The lyrics by Dero blend so well with the rhythm of the music. Favorites of mine would have to be (of coarse)Augen Auf!, Tousend Neue Leugen,.....AWW heck I listen to the Cd straight through EVEYTIME I play it. There IS no bad song on this album. In fact this album was voted one of Germany's best albums of the Year...Although I do agree with that, I just think it should be for longer than just a year :)

I've been an OOMPH! fan for about 2 years now and so far I've collected all of their albums except for the first two, which I'm still working on. It's quite interesting to see how this band has progressed over the years, from their early days as an EBM outfit to becoming one of the originators of the German industrial metal movement, later followed by such bands as Rammstein and Megaherz. Although Rammstein may be the biggest band of the genre, I honestly think OOMPH! should be the one selling out concerts worldwide - as I think their music is even catchier and would more likely appeal to a wider audience.

This is probably OOMPH!'s best-selling album to date, due mostly to the success of the single "Augen Auf!" (Eyes Open!), which received a lot of airtime in central Europe and became the band's 'anthem' so to speak. It's a pretty cool song if I must say so myself, but I don't quite like it as much as "Supernova" or "Das Weisse Licht" from previous releases. I think the albums strongest moments are its most melodic ones (as expected with any OOMPH! album), which in this case are "Wenn du Weinst" (When You Cry), "Der Strom" (The River), "Tief in Dir" (Deep in You) and the mesmerizing closer "Im Licht" (In the Light). In addition, the limited edition CD (also available on Amazon and at a cheaper price!) contains the single "Brennende Liebe" (Burning Love) featuring Sonja of the Austrian darkwave band L'Ame Immortelle, which I also recommend giving a listen.

The only problems I have with this album are that 1) not all of the songs stand out to me (which is typical with most albums I own), and 2) for some reason I'm not too crazy about the production. It sounds as though everything is pushed up too far to the front of the mix and I much preferred the cleaner, more subtle sound of Plastik and Ego. Still, it's not a big deal and doesn't really affect my opinion of the CD as a whole. This is grade A music that should be selling out everywhere, and hopefully the band will still get their chance to make it big in the US someday. They deserve it far more than the multiplatinum artists that do make it big here.

Similar artists: Rammstein, Megaherz, Joachim Witt, Eisbrecher, Stahlhammer, (newer) Samael

ok, first i love oomph! my favorite record of theirs up until now was either plastik or unrein..i was alittle dissapointed by ego just a bit too poppy for my tastes, but as soon as i put Wahrheit oder pflicht into my cd player good lord, its heavy but not early oomph heavy i'd say its the perfect mix between plastik and unrein. the songs still remain melodic without going mainstream, the vocals are heavy in songs more melodic in others..i can't even get my thoughts out straight due to the sheer greatness of this record. Oh yeah no more english on this record all the vocals are in german..so if you like industrialrock do whatever it takes to buy this record now. you won't be dissapointed

There are many reasons why this CD is hella good. First of all, the pop element is virtually nonexistent and originality is used here in place of it. Second of all, the songs are not too lengthy (or too short for that matter) to enjoy in their entirety. Augen Auf is a song based on the German version of Hide and Seek. "Ekstein, Eckstein, Alles muss Versteck sein" as the chorus goes, translates to "Cornerstone, Cornerstone, all must be hidden".

The young woman posed on the cover holding a knife behind her sets the pace for this exciting CD. Oomph explores the conflicting aspects of love and sex in 14 tracks of throbbing, singable rock/industrial music. The fast-paced "Augen Auf!" plays the game of hide-and-seek with the longing lover coming after his "prey." I love the child who chants the German rhyme "Eckstein...alles muss versteckt sein [hidden]" and counts to 10 in a deliciously threatening way. Another great track, "Brennende Liebe,"[Burning Love/Desire] features L'Ame Immortelle as it examines how obsession takes you deep inside someone. On the other side, lead singer Dero also sings"Sex Hat Keine Macht," looking for soul as well as sex, or in "Eisbår," finding coldness. Overall there is great variety here and melodies that stay with you.