OOMPH! is an industrial rock band from the neue deutsche härte scene.
Read Full Bio ↴OOMPH! is an industrial rock band from the neue deutsche härte scene.

OOMPH! consists of:
Robert Flux (guitar, mixing)
Andreas Crap (lead guitar, keyboards)
Leo (live drums)
Hagen (live bass)
Der Schulz (lead vocalist)

The band was formed in 1989 in Wolfsburg, Germany. They are one of the founders of the fusion of hard metal music and industrial sounds known as Neue Deutsche Härte.

OOMPH! owed a lot to Nitzer Ebb in their self-titled debut (1992). OOMPH!'s change of style for the successor "Sperm" (1994), with a more guitar-driven metal sound mixed with their electronic roots, inspired numerous musicians, most famously Rammstein, to follow their lead. (Rammstein have cited OOMPH! in several interviews as their main inspiration.)

OOMPH! released their first album on Jor's Machinery label, then releasing their consecutive albums on its sister-label Dynamica. They stayed with Jor, until his labels disappeared during the acquisition by Sanctuary Records at around 1996/1997.

Following Dynamica OOMPH! finally signed with Virgin Schallplatten. With the benefits of major-label status OOMPH! gained a larger following, and toured with labelmates Skunk Anansie in 1999. Between 1998 and 2001 they released three albums on the Virgin label, fulfilling their contract, but did not continue, feeling that the record company never fully explored their potential.

In 2004 OOMPH! released their first single "Augen auf!" on a new label, this time on Supersonic Records, part of the Sony BMG group of music companies. It marks their first Number One hit ever in Germany, thus eventually bringing forth their major commercial breakthrough. It became part of the FIFA 2005 soundtrack.

The band's ninth record, GlaubeLiebeTod was released in March 2006, including the controversial single "Gott ist ein Popstar" and its follow-up "Das letzte Streichholz", the third single was Die Schlinge.

In 2007, they won the third Bundesvision Song Contest (a contest between the sixteen states of Germany) for Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) with "Träumst du?", which featured Marta Jandová from Die Happy.

While OOMPH! are not widely known within the United States, the band did perform at a New York festival in 1993. In Europe they have performed at M'era Luna, Ozzfest, Dynamo Open Air and Wacken Open Air.

Purple Skin
OOMPH! Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Haut auf Haut
Schweiss vermischt sich
Mund auf Mund
Ich und do
Fleisch in Fleisch
Blut vermischt sich
Zwei Nekrophilierende hullen vereinigt I'm Blut
Schweiss, Blut

Ich lebe
Doch mein Herz schlegt nicht
Mein Herz schlegt schnell
Doch do ahnst es nicht
Das nackte Nichts schlegt dir ins Gesicht
Die Stille erstickt das Schweigen
Wir leben
Wir leben

Ich halt dich fest
Doch ich spur dich nicht
do siehst mich an
Und erkennst mich nicht
Das nackte Nichts schlegt mir ins Gesicht
Das Dunkel erlischt die Nacht
Wir leben
Wir leben

Haut auf Haut
Mund auf Mund
Fleisch in Fleisch

do und ich
Vereinigt fur immer

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Oomph!'s song "Purple Skin" depict a disturbing and taboo subject matter of two people engaging in necrophilia. The first few lines describe the physical contact between the two individuals, with their sweat and blood mixing as they come together in a macabre union. The singer describes how blood is being mixed together as they become one flesh, indicating the depth of their union. However, the singer suggests that he is not truly alive, even though his heart is beating fast. Thus, he implies that he is dead inside, and the only way he feels alive is through his twisted encounters with his partner.

The next verse is about the singer's partner not recognizing him anymore. The nihilistic nature of their relationship has taken over, and they are both lost in this world of death and decay, to the point where the singer is not even recognized by his partner anymore. The vivid imagery of the naked nothingness striking at their faces underscores the hollow, meaningless existence that the two individuals have sunk into. The final verse is a restatement of the first verse, with the singer and his partner coming together in union, forever. It is a dark fantasy of being united with death, and the satisfaction that this twisted, macabre love brings to them.

Line by Line Meaning

Haut auf Haut
Skin on skin

Schweiss vermischt sich
Sweat mixing together

Mund auf Mund
Mouth on mouth

Ich und du
You and I

Fleisch in Fleisch
Flesh on flesh

Blut vermischt sich
Blood mixing together

Zwei Nekrophilierende hullen vereinigt I'm Blut
Two necrophiliacs united in blood

Schweiss, Blut
Sweat, blood

Ich lebe
I'm alive

Doch mein Herz schlegt nicht
But my heart doesn't beat

Mein Herz schlegt schnell
My heart beats fast