Neue Deutsche Härte legends OOMPH! have released the captivating title track of their upcoming 14th album, Richter und Henker, out on September 8, 2023 via Napalm Records! Having charted at #1 on the Official German Album Charts with their successful previous album, Ritual (2019), and reaching over 25 million streams on their biggest hit “Augen Auf!” on Spotify, it is safe to say that both fans and critics are anxiously awaiting the new album, once again recorded entirely by the band themselves. The upcoming full-length kicks off a new era as it marks the first album with a new lineup, as CR4P and FLUX are joined by new vocalist DER SCHULZ. Accompanied by an official music video, “Richter und Henker” captivates the listener with a mixture of hooky guitars and chanting vocals, while criticizing ignorant social movements. Countless massive international tours and festival appearances have paved the massively successful band’s way, and this November fans get the chance to catch OOMPH!’s new lineup live on tour. OOMPH! on “Richter und Henker”:
“Richter und Henker” deals with communication and behavior, especially on social media these days, where dissenters get defamed: ‘If you don’t support my opinion, you’re against me. Then you are stupid and I hate and insult you and won’t listen to you anymore’. This can easily lead to a loss of objective discussions, which are crucial in a democracy. Irresponsible populists sow hatred and discontent in order to make political and monetary profit from it.
Germany, the so-called land of poets and thinkers, is in danger of becoming the land of judges and executioners [ger: Richter und Henker] – and we’ve been through that before…
In the video for the song, we perform in an old, run-down mansion, which symbolizes the impending decay of society. In the calm interlude, reason – personified by our young performer – is put up against the wall by an execution squad.” |