OOMPH!
PLASTIK
ALBUM VIRGIN RELEASE: OCTOBER 25, 1999 REVIEW: NOVEMBER 29, 1999


I've actually never bothered listening to Oomph!. Not only because of the silly band name but also because they simply belong to a tradition of German crossover that today seems hopelessly out of date. And their current album "Plastik" doesn't really change anything.
Their semi-gothic metal ends up somewhere between fellow countrymen Rammstein, Paradise Lost and perhaps even Faith No More. And like on every other metal act of today, Marilyn Manson seems to have had some impact.
Lyrically, several phrases could be identified as some comic left-over from the Reverend's note book. Oomph! definitely manage better when they use their native language.
Unfortunately Oomph! never reaches the, actually very surmountable, level of the bands that influence them. There is just nothing that tickles your mind. But the track "Fieber" indeed features punk diva Nina Hagen and at least momentarily makes this pale album shimmer.

ERIK ALMGREN