Oomph! - Wunschkind (1996)^{Release ID: 5122}

I've tried! I've tried to get into Oomph!, but what do I expect? It's just the unsettling and barely understandable (for me) German industrial rock/metal subgenre Neue Deutsche Härte that has ended up popular via Rammstein. Still, Wunschkind (German for "Desired Child") is quite heavy in both music and lyrics.

As we only go through the songs I truly like, "Born-Praised-Kissed" starts with an innocent music box before you hear guitar heaviness everywhere. The title track has that kind of riffing too! Guitars and synths are blended together in dark atmosphere. However, it's not something you should be bring to dance parties because of the dark mood and slamming heaviness. The instrumentals might have better potential though...

"Wälsungenblut" (Blood) is the more interesting of the two interludes, having a didgeridoo and choir. One song really worth talking about is "Krüppel" (Cripple). Dero's vocals sound close to growling as he details a story about getting kicked, punched, crippled... basically getting beaten up by vicious bullies. Now this is the Oomph I need in the lyrics that are heavy as the gradually distorted music. The emotion is what makes the song special in its own right. Sadly, there's no later song like that in this album. The other interlude "Filthy Playground" has piano to add to the sad mood of the concept.

The songs I've mentioned make me understand why fans of German industrial metal see Wunschkind as a classic. However, I just can't get into a lot of this band or other Neue Deutsche Härte bands like Rammstein, Megaherz, and Eisbrecher. I'm fan of industrial metal, but NDH still ain't for me....

Favorites: "Born-Praised-Kissed", "Wunschkind", "Wälsungenblut", "Krüppel", "Filthy Playground"