1 AUGEN AUF! 
2 TAUSEND NEUE LÜGEN 
3 WENN DU WEINST 
4 SEX HAT KEINE MACHT 
5 DEIN WEG 
6 DU SPIELST GOTT 
7 DEIN FEUER 
8 DER STROM 
9 NICHTS (IST KÄLTER ALS DEINE
LIEBE) 
10 DIESMAL WIRST DU SEHN 
11 TIEF IN DIR 
12 IM LICHT 

going down

Produced by OOMPH!
Recorded & mixed by FLUX & OOMPH! at Nagelstudio. Mastering at La Source Mastering, Paris / France by Jean-Pierre Chalbos, assisted by Jean-Sébastien Dupuis.

review  by dalia "gryphon_spirit" di giacomo____   

Agreeable with its slightly Industrial and new Gothic Wave/Electro appeal, Wahrheit oder Pflicht is an album full of varied influences (maybe too many), nevertheless these are balanced to such an extent that they reach characteristics of its own. Enjoyable and rocking, sometimes emotional and tormented, Wahrheit oder Pflicht is particularly suitable to all who like Megaherz, and to all who appreciated Paradise Lost of the BIN era but would have preferred a harder multi-layered version of it. A couple of winks to Modern metal are not missed.

I have a theory : there are bands that are the great priests of the altar of Metal and Rock, and there are bands that act more like a door through which you enter the rooms of the hard realm. These agents of initiation, these keepers of the keys and awakeners of the blood sometimes are a bit underrated. Well known in the scene yes, also selling good, but still not belonging to the sacral gotha of the monsters managing the rite. Nevertheless their work inclined even to disco and pop, is very important. And Oomph! are doing this work wonderfully ! How many young people will be attracted and invited to proceed into the Gothic, Rock or Industrial, and into a dark way of life anyways. So it's under this point of view that i'd like to see Wahrheit oder Pflicht, that is an announcer, a forerunner for heavier tastes to come. It's up to the listeners whether to remain on the threshold or to go further. Wahrheit oder Pflicht is an agreeable album, that could be a revelation at the eyes of the young generations like the current success confirms. 

Whatever you can think, this album MUST be played loud, the louder the better. His heaviness and force, mainly based on electro vibes (but crunchy strings are not missed !), don't appear at a first rushed listening with low volume. Second factor, this album is completely sung in German (songs in English are to be found in the Limited Edition) though we will see that there is a final surprise. Of course those who don't know the language are losing much in the comprehension of the lyrics that are interesting. Anyway it sounds clear that the lyrics perfectly match the music and one can realize how agreeable, emotional and musical the German language can be, also because here there is much more stress on the melodic aspects than in Rammstein's songs, for example. Third factor : we can find in Oomph! many musical influences that span from Industrial and Electro to Gothic/Rock/New Wave, but among all these influences, i think that those coming from Megaherz and from Paradise Lost of the Believe in Nothing era prevail. Fact is that the influences are really too many, but presented and put in so a different niche, that they don't arouse (too many) suspicions. Not too hard, not violent, but anyway resolute, Oomph! use refined arms of subtle morbid seduction, empowered by remarkable hook-lines. 

By the way hook-lines : the opener (and single too) Augen auf is the flag of Oomph!'s success, which is very massive in particular within the German speaking countries. Based on an attractive groovy arrangements and an attractive piano, his hard looping refrain "Augen auf ich komme!", that reminds however so much of   Rammstein's style, hardly lets you escape, and the more you listen to it, maybe after having judged it as an easy Rammstein copy, the more you understand that you're trapped in a spider's web. Augen auf (whose video is broadcasted in musical tv programs and in clubs, and whose lyrics contain the title words Wahrheit oder Pflicht) fastens your attention and appeals so much to the young generation, but imo it's not the most beautiful song of the album, and to tell the truth doesn't mirror the musical direction of the album on the whole, which proceeds somehow differently. Stop to decise Rammstein influences and green light to a Rock that is converging with PL and Megaherz, only slightly Industrial. Melodic, bloody, sensual, but anyway lively, due to the much rhythmic tension, and catchy, Wahrheit oder Pflicht is embracing the dark horizons of the electronic world, balanced anyway by solid energetic guitar and rocking riffages.

Tausend neue Lüge delivers us an obscure choir in the background, a catchy cadenced heavy midtempo that launches a pleasant melody. A bit Heavy, a bit Industrial, a bit centered on personal questions of Faith. And when the song ends, letting the occult choir playing as protagonist, you understand that this choir is soooo similar to the one of The seventh Seal from Van Halen. Ahhhh surprise surprise. How many influences eh ?

Wenn du weinst, more aggressive also concerning vocals, is a lively gothic Rocker that winks only just a bit to modern metal sonorities, a track i would avoid, however.  

But it's with the fourth song, Sex hat keine Macht, (Sex has no full powers) that the attention level improves.   With a catchy breaking melody and resolute crunchy guitars this song cleverly hits the mark and you can only fall down at its feet. One of the best tracks of the album. Tempting and sharp lyrics : "...Sex hat keine Macht. Du blutest nicht genug für mich, küss mich noch ein letztes Mal..." (Sex has no full powers, you are not bleeding enough for me, kiss me for the last time).

The attraction towards Believe in Nothing fully explodes with the fifth track : these sonorities instead of being embedded in a general slow proceeding, are part of a lively midtempo that shows a catchy rhythm and  temperament.

Du spielst Gott formidably wins there where the third 3 fails : it combines the old Oomph! with more modern tendencies that involve a feeling of Modern metal with much energy, and here again the influences are numerous, but you cannot denigrate anything.

The catchy Dein Feuer , Megaherz flavored, armed with new vocal effects, and so near to typical martial but harmonious German Industrial way of feeling, is a bit desperate, a bit anthemic with a drop of angry  ineluctability ! An angry veil of shout in Dero's voice.

Melodic and with our recurrent BIN sound background. Der Strom appears however lively, much rhythmed with a good drum pushing, with metropolitan gothic atmospheres : very rocking and persuasive.

The nervous Nichts combines guitar exotism, modern metal tendencies, synthetic effects, alternative rock acoustic, and a bit of psycho feeling. Suffocation and hypnotism. An interesting experimentation.

 A striking intro, so similar to the one of PL song Mouth, with its typical guitar riffing, here combined with a disto emotional effect that will iterate in the refrain throughout the song, announces the very emotional Diesmal wirst du sehn. Everything is mixed in an excellent melody. I could say that this song is the mirror image of Mouth, where Mouth rocks, Diesmal wirst du sehn acts on a wide melody but the points of connections are evident and the temperament is the same. 

Tief in Dir is very catchy, propelled by the rhythmic section, heavy enough, always in the direction of the mainstream influences.

Im Licht is reverberant, rolling in its electro-darkness, bursting out through another catchy refrain just to hide back again in its obscure electro lines of perdition. A question of taste, i don't like it particularly but i cannot say it's a bad song. After all it is an electro - alienated - mysterious way to say bye.

The time counter doesn't stop : if you are not in a hurry to change disc (and why then, from the moment that this album makes you think a bit) you get a surprise : a couple of minutes after that the 12th track is finished, the bonus notes of a vibrate intense almost desperate song, ideal music track for a farewell, are hitting you unexpectedly...and beautifully. I could also come to the paradox that Going down IS the best track of the album, consumed in the heavy increase in "crescendo" of its tormented theme. Incurable damnation.


I loose my mind
I hate my kind

The only thing I wanna let you know
I never meant to hurt you.
The only thing I’m really know for sure
I never meant to kill you.

And I’m going down
As you see
I can feel your hand reaching out ....

Rating: 8/10

[ I Despair ]