Review Summary: Nitzer Ebb? No, OOMPH!.
OOMPH!, influential band in the 90s, blah blah blah. It has all been said before. But this particular album is a bit different than their other albums. First of all, it's their debut, released in 1992. Back then, times were different. Let me tell you why.
What do you know about the musical characteristics of young OOMPH!? I guess you would say heavy guitars, heavy lyrics and creepy synths. Well, take away the guitars, make the synths more danceable and reduce the lyrics a bit. Now add obvious
Nitzer Ebb and
Nine Inch Nails similarities. Yay, you have their debut album. This album sounds a lot like "Pretty Hate Machine" or your average EBM album. This doesn't mean that this is a bad thing, OOMPH! real create a fun album with this ingredients. Just listen to the opener "Mein Herz". Raspy vocals, a beat that sounds like taken directly from the 80s and funny sound effects. This type of music is carried on through the album. It's fun, danceable and goes directly to your head where it can get stuck for a long time.
The lyrics on this one are a bit, well, stupid. Except for "Ich bin Du", "Gleichschritt" and "Der Neue Gott" the lyrics are cheesy, sometimes dumb but fun listening to, because Dero was and is a great singer, so you can forgive him for songs like "Me Inside You".
So, to make a long story short: Despite its obvious flaws in the lyrics, OOMPH!s debut album is a strong effort, taking the best off EBM-albums and creating pure fun while listening to it. And, if you don't like the newer stuff of them, but enjoy EBM, this might very well be an album you should check out.
Final point breakdown:
Music: 4,5/5
Lyrics: 3,5/5
Final score: 4/5
Excuse me, I have to go dancing to this album and "Pretty Hate Machine" now. See you next time.
