The great grandfathers of Neue Deutsche Härte are Die Krupps, Laibach, Kraftwerk and DAF - actually bands from the post-industrial field. Characteristic are their German lyrics, paired with a hard sound. But the first time people spoke of "Neue Deutsche Härte" was when Oomph! released their album "Sperm" in the mid-90s. Subsequently, there were bands like Schweisser, Fleischmann and Prager Handgriff and Rammstein also joined in with their style and even achieved international fame.
The names of the bands alone indicate the proximity to the industrial age, to which the old industrial sound was also dedicated: Eisenvater, Von Den Ketten, Stahlhammer, Megaherz. The proximity of the music to rock and metal is clear. But the "Neue Deutsche Härte" also lived up to its name with the vocals. Deep voices, rolled "R", military chanting, ambiguous statements, meaningful hints with plenty of room for interpretation: The lyrics celebrate masculinity and struggle and are not infrequently interpreted in the direction of a right-wing orientation. Together with the martial appearance of the musicians, this aftertaste is also difficult to eradicate, even if many bands of Neue Deutsche Härte explicitly speak out against right-wing radicalism or a glorification of war and the German past. Representatives of Neue Deutsche Härte at Gothic festivals are, for example, Eisbrecher or Stahlmann.
