Kollaps

Oh fuck yeah, now we're talking. Wait no, I swear I'm not being pretentious. This is the lowest rated album on this site because I guess mostly people aren't very fond of German people smashing metal plates together - who would have guessed. But halle-fucking-lujah, this is something this list needs more of. Albums that make you go "well, that was an experience and now I'm a changed man". Nobody is lying on their deathbed wishing they heard more crappy 80s post-punk or late 60s psychedelic rock. THIS is what we all deserve to be listening to as we embrace eternal oblivion. I'm giving this a high rating not only because I genuinely really love it, but also to help Kid Rock move to his rightful place as the actual worst album on this list. Together we can make a difference. Save the turtles.

My god what will this do to my Spotify recommendations???

Around 1990-91, I was a volunteer at 2SER student radio. Mostly, I did technical work helping my mate, Tim. Panelling, editing, that kind of thing. In 1991, Einsturzende Neubauten were touring Australia and there was an offer to do a radio interview with 2SER. I could actually pronounce “Einsturzende Neubauten” and knew a little bit about the band, so it was decided that I would do the interview. Which was not really my thing, but it came with perks; tickets to their show at the Phoenician Club and a copy of the Strategies Against Architecture LP, so I said OK. I knew the legendary Blixa Bargeld has a reputation for not suffering fools, so I tried to prep questions that were interesting. So, on the day of the show the plan was to go down to the club after soundcheck and interview Blixa. It was a bit intimidating. I mean, EN were one of the world’s most dangerous bands, and Blixa also played in the Bad Seeds, which made him an underground legend. Tim and I were in the equipment room gathering up a portapack and mics and whatever else we needed, when someone comes running in the room whispering “There’s a vampire in the lobby, and he’s looking for you!” And sure enough, there in the lobby, stands Blixa, in full stage outfit, pale as death, six foot six in cuban heels and his hair teased up, and 100lbs wringing wet. He has a bottle of schnapps and a filthy look in his eye. He’s staring death at everyone. And then I hear my name called. Standing next to this imperious vision in black is a smiling Japanese man in bright green overalls with a flower appliqued on the front. His voice is oddly familiar; it is Rick Tanaka, former presenter of the Nippy Rock Shop, a collage-like radio show from Triple J in the 80s. I was a fan. Turns out, he is the road manager for this EN tour, and he is asking for me. He hands me his business card: Rick Tanaka, Private Guy. We hurriedly shuffle Rick and Blixa into a meeting room and turn on the recorder, and I attempt an interview. It did not go well. Blixa did not want to be there, was much smarter than me, and was not very patient with my attempts at questions that were more engaging than the usual stereotypical “who gets to go to the junk yard for your stage show?”. Eventually, he just started ignoring me and chatted to Rick. Tim and I kept the tape rolling for their conversation, and afterwards edited it up into something resembling proper radio. And then they left. Tim and I packed up, and then walked down the road to the Phoenician Club. (En route, we bumped into the Beasts of Bourbon, who were playing support. They were intensely focused. They clearly knew what was coming and determined to put on a good show. They were the best I ever saw them play that night; tight, ferocious and angry, showcasing material from their Low Road album, that was not yet released). And then on came Einsturzende Neubauten. It was possibly the most intense, frightening show I ever seen. I confess I was a little freaked out by my encounter with Blixa, and not really prepared for the experience of an EN show. By the end, I was pressed up against a wall with my fists clenched and my eyes shut. The sound from the stage was so brutal and overwhelming. I can’t recall much of what went on, except for a bit with shopping carts with contact mikes crashing into each other repeatedly. It was really loud. I know I left the venue about 11.30pm. At 2am, I turned up at my girlfriend’s house, tapping on her window. I assume I spent the intervening hours walking the streets in a daze, but not really sure of what I did in that time. She yelled at my for waking her up for a good 15 minutes, but I was unable to put a sentence together, let alone explain what had just happened to me. It was a heavy, really heavy, performance. Ok, so given that background of my relationship with EN, what do I think about this album? I have listened to it once or twice before. EN is really influential on me. I love noisy things, really noisy things. I played in industrial bands through most of the 1990s. And this is like the ur-text for much of what industrial music became. It still sounds frightening and surprising now. That said, this is a massively difficult listening experience. I am reminded of Brian Eno talking about Steve Reich (I think), and how hearing one of his early tape pieces was massively influential, but he never listened to it again. Early EN (and this album in particular) is like that for me. It opened up a world of possibilities to explore, but I don’t need (or probably even want) to listen to it much. I certainly was much more enamoured of their early 1990s material, which contains actual songs, rather than just this scary barrage of crashing rhythms and screaming. Kollaps is an important record for me, but I would not recommend it.

This is a joke, right? No way this is real. These guys took mics to Haus Depöt and started recording everything on the plumbing aisle. This shit sounds like a “10 HOUR INDUSTRIAL BLACKSMITH FACTORY AMBIENCE” youtube video. Honestly though, I can dig abstraction and distorted electronica, but you always need something for the audience to latch on to. At times this is cool, but if this plays at the discotheque, I’m leaving because you can’t even try to dance to this shit

Not bad background music except for it feeling like I was being shouted at by Hitler the entire time

If you have a headache and would like to worsen your headache, this is the perfect album for you. Let's just say...interesting does not equal listenable.

It’s like when you visit an art gallery and there’s a video instillation. The video is shot on Super 8, and features broken mirrors, religious imagery, and a good deal of nudity. This album would be the soundtrack. You stand at the back of the darkened gallery just long enough to prove you aren’t scared/confused/shocked by it, then politely edge your way out to go and find something by Banksy, whose book you have on the coffee table at home. Giving it 2 stars. If you gave it 1 star, it would mean you didn’t ‘get it’ … and I definitely ‘get it’. 100% ‘get it’. It’s just I prefer stuff by Radiohead, or Banksy.

A band and album that is so hard to properly describe. I got into Neubauten through listening to the Bad Seeds and I was lucky enough to see the play in 1991. It was like visiting hell, am I mean that as a compliment to the unabashed fury on display that night. Cut pieces of shopping trolley raining over the audience and sparks from angle grinders adding a sense of danger that they may just set the venue alight. This album doesn't even come ose to capturing that but it still gets five stars as it is still on a whole other level to most of the albums on this list

What the hell is this? Power tools and someone screaming in German? This is absolute garbage. If I could give negative stars, I would. I thought Limp Bizkit was the worst this list had to offer, but boy was I wrong. I owe Mr. Durst a heartfelt apology. This is literally the worst thing I have ever heard. Imagine you're outside on a busy street standing next to someone jackhammering the sidewalk, so you're wearing headphones that are just playing static to try and cover up the construction sounds, but you can't quite get the volume high enough. Then out of nowhere an angry German dentist tackles you and starts giving you a root canal while yelling in your face. Then someone in the building next door sees what's going on and starts throwing random drums and chains out the window onto the street. Now imagine that but worse. That's the kind of thing we're dealing with here. So I say to you, Mr. Einstürzende Neubauten, BOOO! BOOOOO!!!

This should be everyone's selection on April 1st, because it being included on the list has to be a joke. Worse than awful.

Really solid creatively and certainly the most deserving of the label industrial, but not the EN album I would’ve picked for a “must listen.”

An album full of literal bangers. Hahaha, I made myself laugh. This is fascinating. And yes, obviously better than Kid Rock. I mean, obviously. Are you mad? Of course it is. And Ryan Adams, both of them. Anyway I like krautrock and I like industrial. And I like experimental stuff, and people smashing shit together while screaming in German. So yeah, high score. Tempted to rate it higher than I rate Sgt Peppers for the lols.

I've got no hope of being neutral about Einstürzende. They're one of my husband's favorites. I hear them whether I like it or not. So I might as well find reasons to like them. This album's noisy and rather unpleasant, but it's not chaotic, not just loud noodling and screaming. I couldn't tell you what their intention is, but I can tell they've got one. It's hard to tell from this album but there are songs on later albums where Blixa's voice is actually soothing. On Kollaps, we only hear the stuff of nightmares. Still, this is different! I would much rather listen to something that disturbs me with noise than to something that disturbs me with boredom. So, thumbs up!

I appreciate the use of tools and building materials, it sounds like a demented construction site. For an album that they were trying to make unlistenable, it has quite a bit going for it. The rhythms are entrancing at times, and they leave a lot of space in many of the tracks, which invites then listener in before they are eventually jolted out of the trance with a primal scream. Would listen again.

epic noise

There sure is a lot of hate for this record, so much that it's the lowest rated song on the entire list. I think that's a bit overstated as this isn't a "bad" record per se, it's definitely challenging though and it will necessitate that you adjust your expectations of what "music" is. IMO there are a lot of more unlistenable albums on this list, eg Black Death Metal. I found the second side with the instrumental songs without any vocals to be the most interesting. Particularly the 7 songs that end in "dub", with the best being Gastarbeiterdub with some very interesting percussive beats. I probably wouldn't seek this out to listen to it but I found it to be quite interesting.

The real thing! 1ste wave of industrial music. Neubauten, Test Department, Sans, Coil, Foetus. All sound can be music. And German brilliant language for this noise. 5 stars of course. Later made e.g. Tabula Rasa, beautiful album.

Not my thing. Awful

10/10. Forget about what other people are saying about this album. THIS is truly a must-listen album. There are far too many unremarkable albums in this 1001 album project. This is not one of them. This is incredible, and revolutionary.

I can’t think of a more appropriate album for Christmas Day. 5/5, no notes.

Look, this album is not something you listen to while you dust your living room, all right? It is an early work of industrial and drone sound to create nightmarish landscapes. There are certainly better guitarists than Blixa Bargeld on a technical level but few people in music use their instrument to create proper soundscapes like that. In that respect, he is closer to Robert Fripp and his Frippertronics than Eric Claption or Jimmy Page. Compare that with Unruh's and Einheit's percussion work you have something extraordinary.

Honest to god, hearing the angle grinder tear through sheet metal kind of won me over.

This noisy assault had me glued to the listen for at least half the album, then became a bit tiring. This is at times incredibly raw and dark, but also humorous in its audacity. Definitely unique and for a record created to be the “most unlistenable album ever”, Ein came pretty close. Actually, there was enough rhythm and beat to keep me listening. I’ve had much harder times listening to more conventional albums I just didn’t like. I suppose ‘unlistenable’ is very subjective.

Music is context specific right. And my current context is really jarring with this. This ISN'T work background music. But, there's something that's made me curious. I like the textures. The drums on Steh auf Berlin sound similar to a Woodkid track (you know the one trending on TT right now). There must be some techno remixes of these songs playing at Berghain right? U-Haft-Muzak has a really interesting intro, and not surprised to read one of the band members joined Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. Can hear how Nine Inch Nails have been influenced by them. Apparently the band threw fire at their audiences and damaged venues. Hmmm, that sounds like really shitty behaviour IMHO.

It's strangely comforting to know that this sounded exactly as insane as I thought it would upon reading the description

Among the “1 Star Album Club,” some space must be reserved for bold, exciting ideas which have been ruined by their execution. I actually enjoy a lot of the experimentalism on this album, and I want reward any and all artists willing to go out on a limb. You can hear some nightmarish— but somewhat enticing— sounds on the second half of this record. Almost a more homespun, industrial version of the Raymond Scott/Manhattan Research tapes. Little ideas made from experiments, and some are pretty neat. That’s the instrumental second half of the album. Unfortunately for Eunsturzrnde Neubauten, most of us start our albums at the beginning, and the beginning of this album is absolutely unlistenable, and it is entirely up to the screaming, frightening vocals. Comparisons have been made to the sound of Hitler screaming one of his speeches while giving you a root canal. I think that’s not at all unfair. I can’t hear anything redeeming in those first three tracks, and that’s a lot of time to lose someone. If Neubauten was really going for this, and they actually want me to turn my mind to the dark, repressed memories of my last dentist appointment, then “Steh Auf Berlin” is a stunning achievement. And so it is with all of the good ideas on this album: ruined by horrific vocals. I’m so repulsed by them that anything else redeeming on this album is forgotten. I was going to write an unserious review, but halfway through my second go-round I realized that this band is actually deadly serious, and so they deserve to be more than just slagged off. 1 star for me.

Heck yeah Sonic Voyagers strap in for the ride. I admire the intestinal fortitude it takes to say fuck what other people think, I'm going to be artistically creative in a way that makes me happy. Collapsing new buildings indeed.

This is totally in my wheelhouse. I love this so much, bring it on. How can this be rated worse that Kid Rock? Save the turtles indeed people.

I’ve never heard of Einstrüzende Neubauten before, but their reputation on this list certainly precedes them (you know some poor sap got this as their first album and then bailed on this project, cursing the day they were born). I studied German for three years in high school and two years in college, and I’m honestly shocked that I managed to go this long without hearing about them. Even after reading a few reviews, I still don’t think I really know what I’m in for, but I signed up for this project to be challenged and experience new things, so I’m ready to dive into this. I can easily understand how this album isn’t for everyone, but I thought listening to Kollaps was a fantastic experience. I was really hooked from the start by “Tanz Debil” and its pounding rhythms (I’m not even going to try to ballpark what instruments were used on this album). I would have though that pulsing would have gotten repetitive throughout the song, but paired with what I assume was a bass guitar, it made a really unique pairing, and it built an incredible sense of anxiety and dread that permeated any language barriers. “Steh auf Berlin” was great too; I loved the pulsing percussion and the other jarring noises that were used in the song. There were a couple of songs that really tricked me on this album; “Negativ Nein” and “Sehnsucht” both started off in a way that made me think they were going to be more melodic, almost like Bauhaus, but they both went off the rails eventually, and I thought that was some really brilliant song structure. The whole album was really great, and I was surprised that I enjoyed something that was so rhythmically driven and didn’t rely much on melodies. This is the type of thing that pushes boundaries in a way that I really enjoyed and appreciated. I didn’t care much for the other notoriously poorly received album on this list, Trout Mask Replica, but this album had a cohesiveness to it that really made it a fun experience to listen to. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I would honestly listen to this again. If you’re reading this review, my advice is to just turn off your brain and let the chaos of Kollaps wash over you. You may not enjoy it, but I think it’ll help you appreciate the experience more.

Industrial music edges forward, sometimes quite literal in its meaning. Fascinating despite its noise and attempt to be unlistenable.

Though this isn't something I'd put into my daily rotation, it resonates with me on a personal level far more than a great deal of other albums on this list. I know where the impulse to make something like this comes from, and you can hear how it gave permission to others that followed to go further down the trail they blazed here.

If Doodle Bob had a band, this would be the album. Perfect for any haunted house, artsy horror film or torturing your neighbor. Have a Godzilla like monster? Mikrobendub. Deranged dentist turned torturer? Steh auf Berlin. Scene with a NY street performer? Rohrbombe. Doodle Bob does the Bubble Bowl? Vorm Krieg. For house security, play Gasterbeiterdub on repeat while you’re away from home. Passerby will think you’re jamming out and building your new IKEA furniture. The weak hearted should skip the first seven songs and head to the more palatable second act starting with Kollaps. Sado-Masodub is an absolute banger that ends just as it’s getting good. A marvel for its time that is now blended into whacky sound effects on keyboards and Ableton push sound packs.

Gotta be honest it takes a lot of balls to record something like this and release it. The whole time listening to it all I could think about was them in the studio recording it and it made it a little easier to listen to. The back half of Helga was my favorite part. This album would make a great horror movie soundtrack. Terrible music though I recognize they perfectly executed what they were going for

Unlistenable…but that’s probably the point.

Knowing German did not make this any better, honestly might've been more tolerable if I didn't know it.

truly different sound, unique project, must have

HELL YES. Metal plates, drills & other power tools, giant water bubbles, tape recorders played on fast-forward, plastic barrels, huge springs used as bass strings, guitar noises that you can barely tell are guitar, and Blixa Bargeld's demonic screams. This is not top-40 radio-friendly pop music, this is industrial in its purest form: raw, brutal, and jarring. The lyrics speak for themselves: "Hear with pain, hear with pain, hear my wounds, hear with pain." The first 6 tracks all appear on Strategies Against Architecture '80-'83 (albeit in a slightly different order) but there were a few I hadn't heard before (including the "remixes" taken from Stahldubversions, since current playlists are using the 2002 re-release that includes those). As the first proper album from EN, though, this definitely deserves its spot on the "must hear" list. If you're one of those "ugh, can't listen, 1 star!" people- congratulations, you didn't get it. And if you're one of the subset of those reviewers who could literally only come up with the name of 1 famous German to compare Bargeld's voice to? Shame on you. Get out of your tiny English-only cave, expand your horizons, & go listen to some Falco or Kraftwerk, or maybe that Rhabarberbarbara rap that's been trending lately.

Revolurionary

Dannati geni.

Raw, industrial, experimental, and noisy. EN and this album made such a mark when they came on the scene. How I wish I could have seen one one of their shows back in the 1980s. Very cool that they are represented on this list.

I have a soft spot for weird music and this certainly fits the bill

The word angst is Germanic in its origin, so it's of no surprise that this music did too. It's horrible, but in the best way. They find emotion in power tools and destruction. It's difficult. But brilliantly so. It could only be done once, but it's amazing it was done at all. While normally I sneer at the people giving low ratings, this is an album you have to be in exactly the right mood for. Amazing Serge Gainsbourg cover too!

This album was certainly interesting in a "German guy is yelling at me while hitting pots and pans" kind of way. With titles like "Schmerzen Hören," at least you knew this wasn't gonna be Easy Listening. The title track was quite long, but I got through it smiling as I imagined it as a karaoke choice. I would enjoy that. I was intrigued and engaged, and I appreciated the experience as an exploration of sound, and that's how I rated it. The question of whether I "liked" it or not seems irrelevant.

This is one of those albums where you either get it or you don’t. Kollaps isn’t just music—it’s a full-on assault on sound itself, built from clanging metal, literal power tools, and raw, guttural vocals that feel like they’re trying to dismantle traditional songwriting entirely. It’s harsh, abrasive, and absolutely chaotic, but once you start thinking about what they were doing and the context they were working in, it makes a lot more sense. Coming from post-war Berlin, Einstürzende Neubauten were reacting to their surroundings—both physically and culturally—using industrial wreckage as instruments to reflect a world that felt just as unstable. Translated, the lyrics are full of bleak, existential dread, but even without understanding a word, the sheer sound of it tells you everything you need to know. That being said, it’s not exactly an album you’ll be spinning on a daily basis. The noise and destruction are the point, but it does require patience and an open mind to fully appreciate. Tracks like Tanz Debil and Steh auf Berlin feel like precursors to noise rock, industrial, and even modern experimental hip-hop—this is the OG drill music, quite literally. It’s not the worst album on this list by any stretch, but it does demand effort from the listener. If you’re willing to engage with it, there’s something undeniably fascinating about Kollaps, even if it’s more of an experience than an everyday listen.

Highlights: Jet’m, Tanz Debil. In a nutshell: taking the genre literally. I think the mission of the band (at least in 1981 context) is deconstructing percussion. To be weird. It's chaotic and impressive. This is an easier listen compared to Throbbing Gristle. Without looking it up, I bet this was creative fuel for Rammstein, Nick Cave and Trent Reznor (spoiler, frontman Blixa Bargeld is a founding member of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds). Did I like it? Eh. Do I think it’s worth keeping on the list? YES. Overall: 5/10

I really want to rate it higher, but I don't love it enough for a 4. I can totally see why this is so low rated, this is so far removed from Paranoid Android, 1989 and Master of Puppets that it will alienate al.ost everyone But what's the purpose of this list if not to showcase the bravery of these Germans? No I'm not listening to this outside of this project, but I'm glad that I have listened to it and it will remain one of the most memorable albums on the list. Way more interesting than anything that Rod Stewart is involved in

I didn’t hate this! Not sure if I would return to it anytime soon - but I’ve listened to far worse albums on this list - I’m looking at you *insert shitty BritPop band of your choice*

That was not pleasant, but at least it was interesting. The unique rhythmic and harmonic use of industrial noise was very cool. Never want to hear it again.

Som experimental, não muito agradável

So imagine you're listening to your neighbors building a shed in their backyard. It's one of those pre-fab metal ones that's made of steel. They're hammering away for hours, yelling and using power tools, and sometimes they stop for a beer break or whatever and you can hear the music they're playing for just a brief second before they get back to their noisy bullshit. Even if you put headphones on to listen to something else, you can't hear anything but these fuckers in their yard working on this dumbass shed. At the end of the day, they're not even really doing anything interesting anymore. They're not even talking anymore. They're just finishing the rivets and still hammering away. And you just have to sit there and listen.

I don't even know what the hell im listening to or how to even rate this thing, it sounds like someone going crazy and if a homeless man was trying to perform music with random things he found at a junkyard for spare change but was on drugs, I cannot even understand what was even trying to be portrayed it's so horrible and my ear needs help. Abomination

If I was being charitable I could say that these creepy soundscapes and industrial rhythms helped lay the groundwork for Burial, Nine Inch Nails and others to build upon, or that the extreme experimentation and complete disregard for pleasant sounds is way more punk than anything else on this list. I could also say that this album would make an ideal soundtrack to a horror film, or horror video game, or horrifying mental breakdown. But I can't in all conscience call it good music. 1.5

Underrated brilliant and well ahead of it's time

Challenging. I do understand why people hate them. Excellent beats, though.

it was funny

This is audio performance art. It doesn’t have to make sense and you don’t have to immediately understand what it’s all about, for it to get to you. From what I’ve read, if you saw them live you also got the visual performance art to go with it - which I’m sad, but also relieved(?) to be missing out on. Ultimately this was interesting, and engaging enough that I listened all the way through - which can’t be said of some of the very mid, bland, inoffensive pop albums on this list. So I’m giving it more stars than it seems most people have done.

This is the joint last place album on the project at time of writing, illustrating the fact that a lot of people doing this equate something being easy to listen to, to being good, and something challenging to listen to, to being bad. 🙄 Plus, judging by a lot of the comments, they stopped listening only a few tracks in. Anyway, yeah, this is engaging. Dark AF. I prefer it to the Throbbing Gristle album that's in joint last place with it, anyway! Fave tracks - "Steh auf Berlin" for the liberal use of powertools to scare off the norms 😆, "Negativ Nein" is great (including the live version which is presumably a bonus track) and "Sehnsucht" is a fun little interlude!

Experimental, punk, a bit off, odd and brave.

schlag schneller, schrei lauter schlag schneller, leb schneller bis zum Kollaps, nicht viel Zeit This had me tapping my foot the whole way through, I loved it and didn't mind the abrasive elements at all. I do speak German, which perhaps removes one mental barrier a lot of people have where they dismiss anything in a language they don't understand, but I also just found it a really compelling clusterfuck of noise. I knew the name Einstürzende Neubauten from the meme list of experimental musicians: "Merzbow, Boredoms, Gerogerigegege, Coil, Throbbing Gristle, Whitehouse, Nurse with Wound, Einstürzende Neubauten..." but this was my first time actually listening to them. I will definitely come back to this and explore more of their discography.

Scream, soft ears!

Surprisingly accessible, I was expecting something weirder and unlistenable but these are really just pop songs when you get past the banging and the angry German screaming.

This feels like industrial era Tom Waits, except it’s dialed up to 11 and made 10 years earlier. There’s no way he didn’t take inspiration from this band when making albums like “Bone Machine” and especially the grisly, metallic “Real Gone.” That being said, “Kollaps” is as raw as punk can get, with random metal objects being large parts of the instruments used to back the hellishly distorted vocals. In a way, it’s as punk as punk can get, with the title track exemplifying that stronger than any other here. As a whole, this thing is vicious, it’s as stripped back as punk music can be, and it’s forward-thinking as hell.

Wow. This was a challenging listen and I think that’s by design. This is abrasive, confrontational, and ugly. I really enjoyed it.

Did I just enjoy listening to a german construction site ? Yes. Maybe. Probably. Well, I'm still not sure how to feel, but at least it made me feel something, it's really bold, conveys a purpose, and is not another piece of boring bland generic pop/rock music as is so often the case in this selection of albums. I discovered something, and I'm glad I did.

Everybody's favorite genre: evil noise. I've made mental note of this album based on seeing it on the global Worst Rated Albums list on this site, and I always look forward to finding out why. What we get here is an industrial noise album from the early '80s, and wouldn't you know it, I really dig it. I know I've mentioned Pharmarkon's Bestial Burden in another review, and I mentioned it to Alex as we talked about this album, but it's a reference point for me as this sort of vile, bitter noise that represents really harsh, negative emotion. You'd think it would be unpleasant for me, and in a literal sense it definitely is, but it's also an expression that I really respect and feel like I understand, to the point that I geniunely have grown to love albums like this. Most would say it's not even music, and I don't know if I can make a case to the contrary, but damn I love this stuff. Albums like this ABSOLUTELY belong on a list of things you must hear before you die, even if it literally kills you. I'm keeping a good handful of bangers. I think the album got a little tame and same-y on the back end, but overall a great ride. Favorite tracks: Tanz Debil, Steh Auf Berlin, U-Haft-Muzak, Draussen Ist Feindlich, Schmerzen Horen, Kollaps, Vorm Krieg, Spionagedub. Album art: What the hell am I looking at? A little cyclops freak? Is that even supposed to be a person, or just a symbol? Not much to it, but it's kind of memorable for that same reason. 4/5

So, this is my first time hearing this album and… I have a lot of thoughts. First though, I have a question for my fellow reviewers out there. How many times in your life have you uttered some version of the sentence, "I listen to all kinds of music," or "My tastes are diverse," or "I like everything"? So today we have Einstürzende Neubauten, here to call all of us to the carpet and really make us examine what we consider to be music. What do we even consider to be music? How far can that line be pushed? Are we all full of shit? At almost 900 albums into this little project, I kind of love that. It's why we're here, right? When we hear a piece of "music" for the first time, it's instinctual to look for what feels familiar, to orient us into whatever it is we're about to experience. We unconsciously look for structure when we listen to music just to comprehend what we're experiencing. EN is consistent in their refusal to provide that structure for us, so as a listener you're kind of on your own to figure it out. On an essential level, this album is pretty disorienting and unsettling from the get-go because of this. I mean, the boundaries you expect from music are completely gone here, and you just have to strap in and let it take you wherever it's going. There is nary a hook nor a bridge nor a melody to be found, so be prepared. This is the purest, most stripped-down representation of industrial music that exists out there. It's gritty and noisy and minimalist in ways that are incredibly daring. As you work through this 1001 albums project, you will find pieces of this music in the DNA of dozens of albums from artists that came after it - industrial, post-punk, goth, alternative, metal, electronica. It's not a particularly easy listen, but it's not a hard listen either. It's not the kind of album I would just want to hear on the regular, but this is pretty compelling, primal stuff. The "Dub" songs probably are the most listenable of the bunch, but across the board, the album is never boring. I was planning for a 3 with this album, but this is a 4. Truly mind bending, fascinating stuff. I'll also add, EN is still out there making music today, 40+ years later. Sleep well. Fave Songs: Rivieradub, Kollaps, Sado-Masodub, Spionagedub, Lünebest, Jet'm, Sehnsucht, Rohrbombe, Liebesdub

Everyone who voted this 2 or lower is a coward. This album rules, absolutely unlistenable stuff double thumbs up 👍 👍

Hello, welcome to the reviews page for the lowest-rated album on this website! Take a seat, dive into the horror of Industrial music. Pure industrial music (none of this industrial metal or industrial techno stuff) is content exploring dark, noisy soundscapes that sound, well, industrial. More metal than metal, more raw than punk. There's a specific fascination with the mechanical, rhythmic chaos of the factories. It aims to capture the bleak nature of the artist's realities, the world around them. Kollaps is a true, German reflection of the industrial genre. It is a monstrous experience and one that is delightfully disturbing. Wails from vocalist Blixa Bargeld, as if crying out for release. Unrelenting noise from things that simply cannot be instruments. Kollaps is, for lack of a better term, wrong, but it's execution is oh so right. What a messed up and uncomfortable album this is. Einstürzende Neubauten must have known the power of something like this, and how goddamn unpleasant it was. It's beautiful.

I've known about this band for a while thanks to Henry Rollins' tattoo, but had never really given them a listen. I really enjoyed the industrial chaos sound.

Wow, impressive industrial and Experimental. It toes the line without falling into a trap of being unlistenable.

Weird

If we examine the zeitgeist and malaise of cold-war West Berlin and the overarching fears of nuclear annihilation, we see the origins of...nah just bullshitting, this album is crazy. "Everything's a Drum" taken to the extreme. Power tools, banging metal, screaming, and the occasional real musical instrument thrown in. Chaos, but interesting to listen to once. As far as this being the lowest rated album on the list at the time of writing this, I honestly would rather listen to this again than the 3rd album from some derivative 80's synth pop group. Save me. As some famous musicians once said, "It’s such a fine line between stupid, and uh…clever". This group is stomping all over that line and just could not care less.

Yesterday I gave an album 3 stars because it was too repetitive and the singing was bad. This album has that as well, but here it's obviously on purpose. I generally agree with the low rating of the lowest rated albums on this site. It's easy to understand the issues that people have with this album, but I don't hate it. It makes sense to me. Favorite song: Steh auf Berlin

fascinating album. it is genuinely so cool to listen to. it's really hard to listen to. it is about as industrial sounding as you can get. literally. a lot of this album sounds like it was recorded in a manufacturing plant or something. i don't know that i ever would have sought out this album or will ever seek it out again, but i do think it's cool and fascinating. how do you rate something like this? one of the most interesting sounding albums you've ever heard, but also one you never want to listen to again? i don't think i properly can but the closest approximation i can give it is a 3.

"If you're fond of sand dunes, and salty air; quaint little villages, here and there..." GTFO All I got for you is an angle grinder and a lump hammer, in the cavernous blackness of an abandoned German factory, under the tortured howls of a maniac. A European take on the birth of industrial techno? I kind of wanted to like this but it certainly ain't a relaxing listen. 5 for integrity, 2 for actual listenability 🫠

I admire the all in commitment to this and can see how it fills a spot and then influences other music but it’s not for me… a later song by the band came on afterwards and it was much more listenable than anything on here.

This is interesting! I was really into Ministry and Skinny Puppy back in the day, but never listened to this band. Can definitely see how powerfully they influenced a lot of the industrial music I liked as a teenager. I don’t really want to revisit those days, but this was a fun journey.

This record being on this list is iconic.

Industrial noise? First 3/5 Again? 3/5

I must give it credit, maybe for the punkiness and energy or at least for the courage and shamelessness of releasing this album in 1981. I'm pretty sure it sticks with Gen Z without problems but in the 80s? Good move, guys!

If you wanted a post-kroutrock, not quite industrial avante garde german album - this is for you! Otherwise, it sounds like someone's art project in sound. It was interesting enough, but I can't imagine someone saying oh I need to add this to my regular music rotation.

I lived in Berlin as the Neubauten emerged. One of the places they played was the SO36 in Kreuzberg, where the newly formed Punk and New Wave bands performed. DAF, Fehlfarben, Die Toten Hosen, Die Ärzte, Slime, Neonbabies, but also Dead Kennedys, The Cure, Adam and the Ants, The Fall, and Joy Division/New Order, to name a few. Kreuzberg was a quarter of the Anarcho culture, Hausbesetzer (squatters), violent demonstrations, and clashes with the police where places were completely wrecked. But Kreuzberg was also the biggest Turkish settlement outside Turkey, called Klein-Istambul (little Istambul). In this strange and crazy mixture, Neubauten was formed nearly by accident. Their unconventional approach, breaking rules and norms was like a trailblazer for many emerging artists. Don't get me wrong: I don't "like" the Neubauten. But I lived in West Berlin during that time and it was a very intense atmosphere in the city. This is reflected in their music.

This was cool - a lot of it is more like motifs or experiments than what a typical listener would call a song but the sounds and energy are visceral to say the least. I read a bit about Einstürzende Neubauten (Collapsing New Buildings) - seems like their later work is less abrasive, I'm curious to check it out sometime.

I wondered to myself what album I was going to get while I was doing my prep for my colonoscopy and was hoping it would be something fun and distracting. Then I thought to myself "lol watch I'll get that weird German album that is sitting at lowest rated". Imagine my shocked pikachu face when I rated my album for the previous day and low and behold... there it was. Since I'm only 20 albums in the odds on that are pretty low, but here we are! The first track in I was instantly thinking about NIN (which I do like at least some of). A quick google search confirmed for me this is one of the influences for their music. I can definitely see how this had an influence on other bands and because of that I think it's worthwhile to listen to at least once in your life. It's not really "enjoyable" but it is "interesting". A lot of disjointed screaming/yelling and discordant noises. Also including banging sounds, sudden distorted instruments that fade in and out, and power tools. Maybe it's the lack of solid food, maybe it's Stockholm syndrome, but by the end of the album I was kinda digging it? I'm not sure if/when I will ever relisten to it but it made me feel a way I don't really know how to describe, and I can't say anything else I have listened to has given me the same feeling. I was left questioning how to rate this. Based on how I have rated my other albums, it should probably be a 2 but I think I kind of want to bump it up to a 3 just to counterbalance the lower score a little. I do think it's worthwhile to listen to. Even if it's just to widen your music knowledge, and know stuff like this exists out there and there are people who enjoy it.

Grew on me. Not sure I'd listen again though.

They're so angry and disorganized. In a nutshell, this is why Germany keeps starting (and losing) wars.

Well, here it is. The lowest rated album on the site, next to Throbbing Gristle. I don’t know if I was mentally prepared for this one. Experimental music always felt like the “we make some random shit, let’s see how it make you feel” genre. It’s not made to be consumed like regular music. It’s made to provoke a reaction. In this particular case, I was willing to give the album a chance and sort of grade it on a curve. With that said, here’s my take. It’s mostly a bunch of noise being made from banging various things along side some angry German screaming. It is mostly not very pleasant, and some of it made me physically wince. Honestly, some of the screaming acted as audio jumpscares, which probably makes this a terrible album to play while driving. The fact alone that this album makes me actually cringe should warrant this album into getting one star. However, there are some things going for this album. 1. It’s experimental, so that’s kind of the point. 2. I actually liked a song (god forbid), the title track. Yes, the longest track on the album. The rhythm was good and it wasn’t a complete tirade on my ears. And 3. This album provoked more reaction from me than some of the hour long snooze fests I had generated prior, particular some of the electronic ones. Would I listen to this again? Hell no. Do I think it’s the worst album I had generated? Also no. But I completely understand why it is rated like this. And honestly, I don’t even really like it. Being experimental doesn’t mean being immune to being called shit just because it’s weird. But I feel there’s worse than this, so I’m giving it an extra star. Most tolerable track: Kollops Other tracks I didn’t hate: Jet’m, Sehnsucht

I'm going to give this 2 stars for the sheer audacity of releasing this for public consumption. It normally would be an easy 1 star, but it made me laugh a few times so I got some enjoyment out of it.

Um. Okay. I had no idea what I was getting into and when I put it on my head I almost immediately removed it. Then I read just a little. Early industrial music, using actual industrial machinery and garbage for percussion, along with ear-challenging synths and processed vocals. I went back in. I'm glad I did, but I don't think I'll ever need a full re-listen. It is an auditory assault. But again, it's apparently one of several seminal albums defining and initiating what we call "Industrial Music." (I'd actually give this a 2.5)

As an album filled with the sound of a German fella shouting while banging about in the garage goes, this one is right up there. The fact that I would rather listen to that german fella over some of the more crappy albums on here (I'm looking at you Kid Rock) is the reason I'm not going with a 1*

this is frustrating stuff. they've got the sounds, they've clearly got some sort of ethos/attitude, but they don't have anything close to a song. a bit of a hook or something resembling a purpose for each track is completely missing. so it ends up sounding like something you'd stumble across in an art gallery or museum that you just clearly aren't arty enough to understand.

I didn’t listen to this album because I’m not into German music.

Sounds like Hitler frustratedly trying to put up a shed for half an hour

This just felt like noise.

Strange

I like the concept of noise music, but I've found that bare-bones noise/industrial records like this one tend to be rather boring and not really appealing to me. I like when noise is used as an extension of other genres, to add more weight, texture, accetuate certain parts of the record. Kollaps, however, doesn’t do that and is mostly a sound collage of different noises without a concrete structure. Look, I don’t hate noise. The genre that got me into music was metal, which tends to be pretty noisy. Noise rock and shoegaze are some of my favorite genres. And my favorite band, Swans, used to be a noise rock band and still frequently incorporates elements of noise into their music. I understand that all I’ve listed here is basically "child's first exposure to noisy music," but I'm totally fine with liking it. Kollaps is a lot more sonically offensive than most of the noise music I like. This is not a problem on its own. What I don't like here is that there's not a lot structure or musicality, which is also not necessarily wrong, but I think there's only so many of music conventions you can sacrifice before it becomes completely unengaging. I'm not saying "This is literally not music!" and I actually find that kind of attitude to be incredibly annoying and unfair. Who is to decide what counts as music and what doesn't? This kind of discussions are stupid and pointless. People come up with all kinds of arbitrary boundaries, but always fail to explain why would any of that matter. Jazz is not music because "it's just improvisation"; hip hop is not music because "they're just reading words" (also, the ones who think that tend to be not the biggest fans of black people, but that's a different story); metal is not music because "it's just random noises and screaming," etc. You know, vocals didn't used to be a part of the classical musicians' (who’ve invented music theory) repertoire originally. Does that mean every song that has vocals is not music? People need to come to terms with the fact that music, just like any other art form, constantly expands it's bounties and evolves. Whether you like these evolutions or not is irrelevant and doesn't make them any less “music.” Experimentation and diversions from popular norms lies at the core of art and is what makes it so exciting. I think noise music is totally valid, and you're allowed to dislike it, but "this is not music" is not legitimate criticism. This is also not what I dislike about this record. I don’t like when artists use the whole dynamic range their recording equipment allows as I have to lower the gain and make the quiter sounds way too quiet just so the louder ones don’t obliterate my eardrums. I like music to feel actually mixed. I like music to have structure. A typical framework of buildups and crescendos is far more satisfying to me because of the way it balances anticipation and relief. In place of that, Kollaps has quiet, droney backdrops occasionally interrupted my loud metallic noises or screaming vocals, which are not pleasant to the ear (and yes, you can make noise and screms pleasant). The title track is good, though, but it is also the one which the furthest removed from the rest of the album’s soundscape. I wouldn’t call Kollaps completely unlistenable or a total disaster, but I can’t say I enjoyed it. It’s not for me. If you’re a big fan of noise, you may like this, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it. 3/10

Yes, industrial experimental music can be too experimental.

This music is the equivalent of the scene in every horror movie where the killer is right behind them and you’re saying NO NO NO NO. This is the music waiting for you at the bottom of the sewer. This music is the symbol on the album cover made manifest, at the end of a dimly lit tunnel 100 yards away running towards you at full sprint. It’s the sort of stuff that’s in the basement of the doctor who made the Human Centipede. This shit had to have been created in the aftermath of Chernobyl down in the bowels of the facility. I can feel the radiation on some of these songs and it’s going to linger longer than I’d like. This kind of album has a half-life. And that doesn’t even begin to describe the horror I felt when I saw their album cover of Haus der Luge (spoiler, it’s a wide eyed horse shooting goo into a puddle) another album no doubt cursed by some ancient German demon. Pretty wild I had to hear this the same day I watched Zone of Interest. Maybe this was their punishment for the sins of the third reich. Forced to live in an abandoned concentration camp and record in the bowels of some crematorium. I do believe this album should be on this list, it’s an Art Most Fowl. Abandon all hope, ye who press play, you’re entering the lair in Poughkeepsie Tapes.

Lord have mercy on us all, this sounds like WWII the Musical

From Wikipedia: One of their trademarks is the use of custom-built instruments, predominantly made out of scrap metal and building tools, and noises, in addition to standard musical instruments. Their early albums were unremittingly harsh, with Bargeld's vocals shouted and screamed above a din of banging and scraping metal percussion. Need I say more? This album is a cruel joke to see how horrifically bad these noises can get for people to consider it as music. This is beyond torture music, this is the music that greets you at the gates of hell, clicking 1 star pains me as this is a complete 0/10.