Böhse Onkelz

Böhse Onkelz are a punk rock band from Germany founded in 1980. Although the band still enjoys a large fan base today, it has repeatedly faced accusations throughout its career. Particularly in the early phase, the band was accused of not clearly distancing itself from the right-wing extremist punk scene. The debut album Der nette Mann (1984) was therefore also banned in 1986. The Böhsen Onkelz achieved their first official chart entry in 1992 with the album Heilige Lieder. The album climbed to number 5 in Germany and achieved gold status. In the 1990s, the band's rise to become a celebrated punk rock band began. Albums such as Weiß (1993), Schwarz (1993) and Hier sind die Onkelz (1995) regularly reach top positions in the German charts. The longplayer E.I.N.S. reaches number 4 in Germany in 1996 and achieves platinum status. Two years later, the Böhsen Onkelz achieved their first number 1 success in Germany with Viva los Tioz. The song "Terpentin" made it into the German top 10 at number 7 in 1998. The next two albums Ein böses Märchen ... aus tausend finsteren Nächten (2000) and Dopamin (2002) also made it to the top of the German charts. The singles "Dunkler Ort" (2000) and "Keine Amnestie für MTV" both reach number 2 in Germany. The song "Onkelz vs. Jesus" (number 2 in Germany) announces the next album Adios in summer 2004. Once again, the Böhsen Onkelz make it to the top of the German charts. Prior to this, the band had already announced their retirement from the music business. In 2005, the Böhsen Onkelz released the live album Live in Hamburg and again jumped to number 1 in Germany. The first comeback rumors emerged in 2013. The Böhsen Onkelz actually play at the Hockenheimring in 2014 and celebrate their return in front of 100,000 fans. Two years later, new studio material was released in 2016 with Memento. The longplayer reaches the top of the charts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The band achieved the same success with the self-titled album Böhse Onkelz in 2020. At the beginning of 2024, the Böhse Onkelz celebrated their long-standing career with 40 Jahre Onkelz - Live im Waldstadion, another number 1 success in Germany. The 1985 EP Mexico is re-released in 2026 and reaches number 2 in the German charts.