(Photo by Heilemania) The German Neue Deutsche Härte pioneers of OOMPH! have just revealed a first single and video with their new singer Der Schulz: “Wem Die Stunde Schlägt”.

“Wem Die Stunde Schlägt” is taken from the band’s new forthcoming album, “Richter und Henker”, which will be out on September 8, 2023. This new album will mark the band’s 14th studio effort. Oomph! has handled the album’s production and recording themselves promising “a mix of their signature sound with innovative elements”.

Here’s what the band says about the single: “The song is about recognizing what hour has struck and becoming aware of the situation you are in. It’s about not giving up. Even in hard times, you always have to get back up and try to come back stronger than before, instead of listening to those who would like to see you fail and only want to make you small. The title is borrowed from the bestseller by Ernest Hemingway, whose great writing style we adore.”

A video has also been released. The band adds: “The video is a symbolic representation of the song’s lyrics – stating that we always have a choice in which directions we go. In a flashback daydream of sorts, we’re told the story of a young woman at the turn of the century, who is condemned by mythical masked figures and led to the gallows because she apparently murdered her husband. The band is both the witness and the storyteller. The plot is not given away. In addition, there are energetic and powerful band performance scenes. The video was shot in the impressive baroque setting of Bückeburg Castle and its mausoleum.”

About OOMPH!

OOMPH! is a German rock band that originated in Wolfsburg, Germany, and was formed in 1989. They are known for pioneering the Neue Deutsche Härte movement. The band’s music incorporates various styles including metal, industrial, alternative rock, electronica, and gothic. They initially produced music with lyrics in both English and German, but in recent albums, they have shifted towards exclusively German lyrics.

Throughout their career, OOMPH! has undergone several changes in their musical style. They started with a dance-laden industrial sound and later moved towards a guitar-driven metal sound while still incorporating electronic elements. This unique blend of guitar-driven metal and electronic music has been influential, inspiring other bands like Rammstein, Megaherz, and Eisbrecher.

OOMPH! has released several albums and has had a number of successful singles. One of their most notable singles is “Augen auf!” (“Open your eyes!”), which was part of their eighth album “Wahrheit oder Pflicht”. This single became their first number one hit in Germany and marked a major commercial breakthrough for the band. Their album “Ritual”, released in 2019, became their first album to debut at No. 1 on the German charts.

As of September 2021, the band’s longtime frontman Dero Goi is no longer part of the band. The current members include Crap (Thomas Döppner) on lead guitar and keyboards, and Robert Flux (Rene Bachmann) on rhythm guitar, samples, and bass.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Heilemania ) German industrial rock band Oomph! has announced the arrival of a new vocalist, Der Schulz, who will be collaborating with existing members Cr4p and Flux after the departure of Dero Go.

The band’s upcoming album, titled “Richter und Henker” (Judge & Executioner) is slated for release on 8th September 2023. This new album will mark the band’s 14th studio effort. The first single from the album, featuring Der Schulz, is set to drop on 11th July 2023.

Oomph! has handled the album’s production and recording themselves promising “a mix of their signature sound with innovative elements”.

Cr4p and Flux say this regarding their new frontman: “Der Schulz was always our first choice. Since we have known and appreciated each other for a long time, he was the first singer we approached. Of course, we also met with many other promising applicants in our studio and tried out the collaboration. In the end, Der Schulz convinced us because he manages to revive the feeling of the old OOMPH! songs and we harmonize extremely well on a human and creative level. He is a strong songwriter and lyricist and has the exact charisma, presence and character we were looking for. We had the right feeling all the way from the start!”

About OOMPH!

OOMPH! is a German rock band that originated in Wolfsburg, Germany, and was formed in 1989. They are known for pioneering the Neue Deutsche Härte movement. The band’s music incorporates various styles including metal, industrial, alternative rock, electronica, and gothic. They initially produced music with lyrics in both English and German, but in recent albums, they have shifted towards exclusively German lyrics.

Throughout their career, OOMPH! has undergone several changes in their musical style. They started with a dance-laden industrial sound and later moved towards a guitar-driven metal sound while still incorporating electronic elements. This unique blend of guitar-driven metal and electronic music has been influential, inspiring other bands like Rammstein, Megaherz, and Eisbrecher.

OOMPH! has released several albums and has had a number of successful singles. One of their most notable singles is “Augen auf!” (“Open your eyes!”), which was part of their eighth album “Wahrheit oder Pflicht”. This single became their first number one hit in Germany and marked a major commercial breakthrough for the band. Their album “Ritual”, released in 2019, became their first album to debut at No. 1 on the German charts.

As of September 2021, the band’s longtime frontman Dero Goi is no longer part of the band. The current members include Crap (Thomas Döppner) on lead guitar and keyboards, and Robert Flux (Rene Bachmann) on rhythm guitar, samples, and bass.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Industrial-Metal, Neue Deutsche Härte

Background/Info: Already the 13th album for OOMPH!, the German band from the area of Wolfsburg that exists of Dero (vocals/drums), Flux (guitars/samples) and Crap (guitars/keyboards), and that inspired bands like Rammstein, Eisbrecher, Megaherz and Unheilig.

Content: 11 tracks about war, politics and abuse are featured in this jewel-case edition that opens with the first released single “Tausend Mann Und Ein Befehl”, an anti-war song with a sing-a-long chorus. Fans of Disturbed will like “Achtung! Achtung!” that contains very nice nu-metal riffs and a dramatic chorus. Second single “Kein Liebeslied” has some riffs that reminded strongly on Rammstein, although no Rammstein without OOMPH!. “Trümmerkinder” starts with the sound of a marching army and is a very uptempo song with strong lyrics. “Europa” is a political song with a guest-appearance of Chris Harms (Lord Of The Lost). “Im Namen Des Vaters” is another uptempo rocking song and has an aggressive chorus. “Das Schweigen Der Lämmer” and “Seine Seele” are the only two calmer ballads. “TRRR – FCKN – HTLR” is an opus about terror, porn and nazis, followed by “Phönix Aus Der Asche” that in the end sounds a bit like System Of A Down. “Lass’ Die Beute Frei” was for me the best song especially because of the very nice melodic voice of Dero and the very catchy guitar-riffs.

+ + + : Singer/frontman Dero knows very well how to use his voice in different ways, high and low, screaming and whispering, harsh and soft. The guitars sound very heavy but melodic and well produced. This album sounds more metal than ever before.

– – – : This album is very guitar-oriented, not much sampling and almost no EBM-style elements were included anymore.

Conclusion: OOMPH! still sounds as fresh as almost 30 years ago, when they started their career, and show once again that they are still the leading founders of this genre. Fans of Marilyn Manson, Fear Factory and Rammstein will surely like this album! “Ritual” is also released on vinyl and the limited edition digipak contains 3 bonus songs.

Best songs: “Kein Liebeslied”, “Achtung! Achtung!”, “Trümmerkinder”, “Im Namen des Vaters”, “Lass’ Die Beute Frei”.

Rate: (9) WH.

Band: www.oomph.de / www.facebook.com/oomphband

Label: label.napalmrecords.com / www.facebook.com/napalmrecords

Eisbrecher 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), Dominik Palmer (bass), Achim Färber (drums). The band’s lyrics and slogans often include terms of ice and sailing so it doesn’t come as a surprise that the band’s newest album “Sturmfahrt” holds artwork with a U-boat as centre piece.

You can order the album right now from this fine mail-order.

Over 15 years & 6 albums, Eisbrecher has become one of the most respected Neue Deutsche Harte acts. The band was born in 2003 when Wesselsky left Megaherz (as we reported back in time) and this due to creative differences. Wesselsky got together with Noel Pix, who composed the synths, guitars and programming for Megaherz’s albums “Kopfschuss” and “Himmelfahrt”, and in January 2004 the band released their self-titled debut album, “Eisbrecher”. The band would release their second album “Antikörper” in October 2006 and the rest is history.

The last album the band released was “Schock”, their sixth studio album, in 2015. Below is already a first track from the band’s upcoming album. Check “Was ist hier los?” below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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On 12th and 13th August 2017 the annual M’era-Luna festival takes place in the area of Hildesheim-Drispenstedt, Germany. M’era Luna exists since 2000 and is one of the biggest Gothic festivals in the European scene. Gothic, new wave, electro, EBM, industrial and medieval bands are featured on 2 stages.

Besides watching concerts you can also visit markets, artist signing events, gothic fashion shows, book readings and parties. The Gothic Garden, an oasis of calm right in front of the festival infield, offers demanding festival-goers comfort, space and conveniences to make your stay more exclusive, pleasant and more relaxing. A new fact this year is the M’era Luna Academy where you can follow catwalk workshops and lectures by Mark Benecke and Gerald Axelrod.

The last years the festival was every time sold out and had about 25.000 visitors. This year some of the confirmed artists are: Korn, DAF, KMFDM, Front Line Assembly, Leaether Strip, And One, ASP, Blutengel, Subway To Sally, Schandmaul, Project Pitchfork, Ashbury Heights, Haujobb, Mono Inc., Covenant, The Cruxshadows, De/Vision, Mesh, Megaherz, Solar Fake, …

The interactive M’era Luna app can be downloaded here and tickets can be ordered here.