Kollaps

Wow. There was literally nothing about this I enjoyed. Worst album I've listened to so far, hands down.

a very interesting mixture of sounds. not for me though

Strong argument to be made that this is the worst music I've ever heard.

Tough one. These Germans need to chill. I don’t understand how a mind creates or enjoys this.

Absolutely horrible. Made it through one song. Why would anyone sign them to a record contract. Deserves a zero.

could not get through this one. sorry. Made sure to ask Apple not to play more "music" like this.

I have 4 of their other albums, but not heard this one. It is mercifully shorter at 34 minutes, but I seem to remember some of the other albums have a bit more melody, or less visceral unpleasantness. This one is largely rhythmic, metallic banging with Germanic shouting. I've listened to a lot of experimental, industrial, and avant-garde music over the years, and I've gradually reached the opinion that most of it is unlistenable: more interesting to make or talk about than actually listen to. However, this record breaks down your willpower so much with the abrasive clanging and yelling, you end up being receptive to the slightest bit of rhythm and structure (like on the title track), and there *may* even be a well-conceived album structure here. It's also nice to hear an industrial album that truly sounds industrial, and doesn't appear to have any pseudo-fascist undercurrents like most of the genre. I'm feeling a respectable 3*.

That was excruciating. Second lowest rated album on this entire list….? There’s something WORSE?!

🤷🏻‍♀️

Yeah, no.

Not for me at all. Hectic and random sounds paired with shouting in German.

Listening to this was torture. You could not pay to hear this again. I can’t even classify this as music. At least Scum by Napalm Death had the decency to sound remotely like music. This was just noise. For almost an hour. I’d give this 0 stars if I could.

This is a tricky one to rank. Music like this is good to listen to when you’re active doing something, anything, on a walk, workout, driving, cooking etc. But at rest it just feels like noise. Ideally you’d want to hear this in concert in a loud setting, and that definitely hurts the experience too, but you’ve got to at least be doing something active to enjoy it. I started off just listening at rest to this, laying down as I do most music, and I wasn’t feeling it, but for the other half I decided to test my usual above theory, listen while active, and it resonates a little stronger as a result. If you’re going to listen, do it while doing something productive.

Like actual trash. This is not music. It's noise pollution.

👷‍♂️

I did not enjoy this

Yea. This sucks.

This is the worst thing I have ever heard. It causes almost an immediate panic attack.

It's not horrible, but it did give my girlfriend a headache after 6 minutes.

wow this is the worst one 1/5

Absolutely excruciating

Esto no es para mí. Parece un conjunto de sonidos aleatorios con gritos. Además, el alemán no ayuda a que las canciones suenen amigables. De los peores discos hasta ahora. 1/5

Not as bad as the later "industrial rock" garbage like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry.

Hmm. Is this better than country, the worst type of music to exist on this list? I’m not too sure whether it’s better. At least with country I don’t relate to anything they’re on about, but at least I can appreciate the music to an extent. This, however, was just noise and a shouting German. I like industrial music and have appreciated the other industrial bands that have been on the list so far, but I won’t be listening to this again.

39 minutes have never felt longer. I will say this, the instrumentation is certainly unique here. It's rough, abrasive, and utilizes items you wouldn't even think of in order to create these sounds. Add in the shouting of German lead man Blixa Bargeld to really complete the unsettling and confusing sonic landscape here. (Side note: I've learned that Bargeld co-founded Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, which explains a LOT) A record like this really makes you question what "music" really is. I'll definitely acknowledge the impact this record may have had on the industrial music genre as a whole, but golly that was difficult to listen to. Only a small handful of albums among the 500+ I've already listened to here can make that claim. I rate based on my own merits and overall listening experience, but I can't help but go with the masses here.

I've had 2 horrible Adele album recently, and it's good to have something like Kollaps to balance the world. This isn't an album to file under easy listening. Best bits were the 'dub' sections where the band played around with polyrhythms and bleep bleeps. Yes, there is a lot of noise but I don't mind that at all.

Must have been a heavy one last night, it felt like a bit of a blur. I came to with the taste of rust in my mouth and the throb of metal on metal rattling through my ribs. The morning sky was the colour of wet cement, and when I rolled over, I realised I was lying on a pile of bent rebar. A crane swung overhead like a lazy predator, its hook creaking in rhythm with the pounding somewhere deep in the construction site. Berlin. Or at least a version of Berlin where buildings are born screaming. I stumbled between stacks of sheet metal, every step setting off an accidental percussion section — clanks, scrapes, and the hiss of steam that might have been a warning or just the city breathing. Somewhere in the scaffolding above me, a man in black was bashing a steel plate with a hammer, his movements slow and deliberate, like he was tuning the air itself. Then it hit me: this wasn’t just a construction site. This was Kollaps. Not a recording, not a performance, but a living, shuddering organism. The bass wasn’t coming from a speaker — it was the ground itself groaning. Voices echoed from tunnels, not sung so much as chiseled out of the concrete. Every sound was sharp enough to cut the skin, yet arranged with a precision that made it feel… inevitable. A rusted shopping cart rolled past on its own, rattling like a snare drum. Somewhere beyond a wall of corrugated steel, someone was sawing through metal piping, the shriek blending perfectly into the next “track.” I had no idea where the musicians were — maybe they were the cranes, the bulldozers, the pipes. Maybe they were the wind between half-finished walls. When I finally found an exit, I realised there wasn’t one. The fence was just another loop in the sound. Berlin had swallowed me whole, and I was trapped inside the album — a place where collapse wasn’t an accident but an art form. If Kollaps is music, it’s music that doesn’t need you to listen. It will keep happening, hammering and grinding, long after you’ve left. That is, if you ever do.

I listened to two songs for about 7 seconds each and realized this is pure nonsense and if I told them that it was nonsense they would give me a "you just dürnt get ish maan" how do I let this suggest a record program know to never send me "industrial rock" ever again.

I really liked this one. A little anxiety inducing, but not a bad one to listen to when you're doing work or walking.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG

If you like that one episode of Spaced where the guy from Little Britain says “Rabbits, rabbits, rabbits, rabbits, rabbits” then you’ll love this album.

JES. Tuo ensimmäisen kappaleen, Tanz Debilin, ja Steh auf Berlinin välinen siirtymä ennakoi, että tästä albumista tulee erityinen. Kuultuani niin monia eri genrejä, jotka seurasivat tätä 80- ja 90-luvuilla, kuten birthpop, punk, world-musiikki ja avantgarde, tämä albumi ei ehkä kuulosta kovin innovatiiviselta, mutta kun pysähdyn ajattelemaan, että tämä on se alkuperäinen albumi, josta kaikki alkoi, sen vaikutus ja merkitys tulevat perspektiiviin. Albumilla on 23 kappaletta, joista 22 on upeita ja ansaitsee 5 tähteä, ja vain Draussenin Friendlich jää paitsi. Albumi kuitenkin päättyy Rivieradubiin, joka on jälleen loistava siirtymä heidän parhaaseen kappaleeseensa ikinä, mielestäni, Lünebest. Ja kaiken kukkuraksi tämä mestariteos päättyy kenties uskomattomimpiin loppunuotiin kaikista kappaleista ikinä. Joten se korvaa Draussenin, ja miten vain! Joten olen iloinen voidessani antaa tälle albumille viimeisen 5 tähden arvosanani. tanz debil

8/11/25 - listening at work. industrial, experimental, noise. challenging listen, did not finish 1/5 stars

At this stage of my life, I can’t say I find much meaning in this music.

German Nine Inch Nails... If Trent Reznor couldn't actually play music.

This is merely noise, of the pretentious kind. 1/5

2.2 1x experimental back half seems like it would be up my alley, but i didn't really enjoy it. catch up 8/11/2025

Round of applause for Dimery for putting this on the list. Well done mate you are so clever.

That was certainly an experience. Not my cup of tea though. I thought it sounded like having a bad trip and ending up in a construction site in Berlin in the 80s. They're certainly bold, angry and uncompromising. There's an argument to be made about the cultural significance of this record, what it represents given it's place and time, and how it upsets certain expectations we've come to develop around what modern music should sound like. Beyond that, though, there must be something of substance. It might be the language barrier (even though I gave it a quick read to see what the songs were about). But musically this was rough and an almost punishing listen. A lot of it is on purpose, they sound deliberately transgressive. But as a listener, what do you get out of it? The vocal quality is very lacking, melodically it's very poor (given it's minimalist approach) and even though it's heavily percussive and noise-based, it didn't feel as inventive or clever as it could have, particularly for such an experimental record. I'll give experimental art a try simply to see what it brings to the table, but with this one I don't feel like there's any sort of pay-off at the end of the album. Maybe there's one after successive listens, maybe the lyrics hold deeper meanings that I missed, maybe I'm not such a big fan of industrial/noise and this isn't for me. Or maybe this is just a bunch of distorted construction noise with someone screaming on top of it. Maybe all of that is true. But in the end, I just didn't like it enough to give it another go.

Meh, don't understand the appeal. I guess there's some historical signifigance, (Nine inch Nails), but not for me. 2 stars

Interesting rhythms in here--almost went 2 as I wouldn't pick up again. But the effort is pretty cool.

Certainly sounds like collapse, I’m reading a lot that this band belongs here but should have included a later, more accessible album of theirs instead, and that sounds pretty exciting to me. EDIT yeah coming back they have better stuff and I must bump down

Super interessant

This is the kind of noise nightmares are made from. Fucking hell! I get what it is they're trying to do with the experimentation, but there's nothing truly redeemable about this "album". No real musicality to be found, just yelling over over whatever they could find to bang on at the hardware store. Screeching high end that pierces your eardrums. I'd be interested in hearing what, if anything, people find enjoyable about this record.

It gets a 1 as it is. It gets a -1 for making me think my headphones weren't working on the last track. Thanks for the Home Depot ambience guys.

I just didn’t like it. Not my type of music. What was the language?

Want a headache?

Until recently, "Kollaps" had the dubious distinction of being the worst rated album in this generator. As of this writing, it's been inched up to number 1088, narrowly getting past Throbbing Gristle. I hate that Neubauten is rated so low, but I honestly can't say that I am surprised. I love this band and their entire discography. Those of you who have only been exposed to them through this generator may be surprised to hear how different their music becomes later on. Try listening to their album "Silence is Sexy" and consider that it's the same band. Aside from the continued use of industrial percussion, their evolution is part of what makes Neubauten among my favorite bands. But we're here to talk about their debut, the grating, experimental, and very non-commercial, "Kollaps". It is easily the least accessible album they ever produced. It's also the most significant. A decade earlier, bands like Can were rejecting Germany's past that had led to fascism, war, and a divided nation. Can embraced the future, taking rock music into unique new places that would influence much of Western music. Neubauten rejected that optimism for the future, but rather than hoping for a return to the ugly past, they embraced pure nihilism. Their name loosely translates to "Collapsing new buildings", a reference to shoddy post-war architecture that was meant to represent a bright future. They took the ethos of punk into a very strange new place, discarding anything fun, and playing with whatever they could find, including metal objects and the undersides of bridges. In doing so, they single-handedly invented Industrial music. Neubauten's fanbase was very niche but extremely excited by what they were doing. Bands like Skinny Puppy and Nine Inch Nails own a huge debt to them. Trent Reznor would later try to repay that by releasing their album "Ende Neu" on his Nothing Records imprint. Henry Rollins loves them so much that he got a tattoo of their stick figure cyclops symbol. Cave was so astounded by Neubauten's terrifying live performance that he would invite lead singer Blixa Bargeld to moonlight as a member of the Bad Seeds for several decades. Neubauten's live shows in the early days were sometimes shut down, often for causing riots. In one infamous example, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London had to stop Neubauten's performance as they were literally destroying the stage they were standing on (rumors circulated that they were trying to dig a hole to Buckingham Palace). "Kollaps" is possibly the "purest" example of industrial music ever made, but even Neubauten themselves would slowly start to mellow out over time. Their later work became more structured, with proper rhythms and melodies. Bargeld would one day be softly crooning more than screaming. But through this, they also expanded their industrial techniques, incorporating new unusual instruments such as amplified springs, taboo whip, metal trash cans attached to wires, and a sculpture of trash "played" by blasting its various contours with air. Bargeld's own singing style would also incorporate his own brand of throat singing, which would appear on later albums. I understand that most people will hate this album and many won't last until the end. It's by far their most challenging album and it's definitely not their best. But purely for its significance, it absolutely deserves its place on this list. 5 points may seem overly generous, but I really love this band. They put on one of the best live shows I've ever seen. Thankfully there were no riots.

I tried. I tried really hard. Even read the background notes. Just…no. No thank you.

Can I givethis a -10 perchance? What is this doing here?

Wow. Maybe the worst album I’ve listened to. Had to turn it off half way through. Made me feel yucky. Wouldn’t consider it music. Some may consider it art. I consider it trash.

I got through two and a half songs and had to quit…life’s too short.

lasted till the second track 0/5

Listened to before: No How do you even approach this album? I find it fascinating, but I don't enjoy it. Is enjoyment even what this album is about? Probably not. Do I get most of it by listening to it from start to finish? Now, that's a tiring experience. But taking songs out of it would tear it apart. Kollaps has a flow, a structure - even bringing in slight elements of melody towards the second half. Seeing EN live around that time must have been an exciting experience. My thoughts are unstructured. I don't think, I will listen to Kollaps a lot, mainly because I don't know how. But it is well worth beeing on this list, and I am glad that I gave it a try.

Unfortunately I could not listen to the whole thing. From what I heard, it has some occasional musical moments I like and I find it interesting that the band used found objects to create the sounds in the album, however I personally cannot get past the extreme industrial nature of it. I can still understand why people would find this album cool, but it's just not for me.

the AUDACITY to say someone NEEDS to listen to this. 1 star because I can’t go lower.

No

Have you ever tasted flavor extract? It is really strong and tastes terrible. That is how I feel about this album. It is too industrial to the point it almost doesn't sound like anything. But there is a lot in there that would be awesome if incorporated into other songs, but to the extreme it is, is not good. It almost seems like an experiment of saying "hey look what is possible in music"

Ouch! That was physically painful. Pneumatic blasts, screeching grinders, loud drilling, and banging is more noise than music and not at all enjoyable to me. Vorm Kreig was the least horrible noise. I’d like my hour back on Kollaps. (0.3*s) Please don’t make the List again.

Great...let's use poor radio reception, power tools, and sheet metal to make music (now I know where Jesus and the Mary Chain got it from). Sounds like they may have actually been trying to collapse some buildings so the band name is fitting. Only some angry Germans would come up with this. Lands a list spot for being original but who the hell would put this record on for fun? Not sure dub step has gotten that much better from these roots but it doesn't hurt my ears as much...0.73 stars for causing Blut in my Schiess.

Nope. Hard to call this music most of the time. Not interested in listening to a couple Germans yell and bang pots and pans for the most part. Thankfully a good portion of it is minimal enough you can tune it out but what a waste of an entry. Definitely didn't need to hear this before I died. .53 stars

This one’s not for me. I actually like Einstürzende Neubauten in general, but Kollaps is just too much. Too raw, too chaotic, too little actual music. I respect the idea and the experiment, but I don’t want to listen to it again. 1/5

Poor. Just noise.

Nope

It took a couple of tracks to get over the shock and confusion, but I really appreciate what they did here. Idk if I could listen to this front to back in one sitting, but what I *do* want is to make techno music and sample this.

Nope

weird and experimental

Certainly something

Getting this album combined with Ozzy Osbourne dying might be the worst day of my life.

While I might not give this album a full five stars in general, I'll be doing it here not only as a counter for this being (currently) second to lowest rated album on the whole site, but also because I think this is the kind of album that truly defines what SHOULD be on a "1001 albums you must hear before you die" type of a playlist. It might not be – in a big picture – commercially relevant, but it's a albums like these that truly define a marginal but overly passionate genre of music and is culturally far more relevant than any random mainstream one-hit-wonder or otherwise meaningless trendy thing from a short period of time in the past this list also has. It's albums like these you SHOULD hear at least once in your life to know just what kind of music people in the underground, in the shadows of the mainstream are overly passionate about. I completely understand why people might not like this, as it's clearly not for everyone (and then again what even is?) but I hope it makes at least a couple of people think what might be the idea and inspiration behind something like this. Oh, and it's still a great and pioneering record in its genre regardless, don't forget that.

Nope.

Have you lost your God Damn mind? This is like putting a Taylor Swift, a Cat and nails in the dryer and calling it music. What the actual fuck? This list is going way way off the rails.

Seems like a record can be either unlistenable or something to hear before one dies, but not both.

Not for me

No thank you

First album, and I could barely make it through the first song. At least I know where every punk’s favorite tattoo come from now.

i had a very strong feeling i wasn't gonna care for this just by the cover alone. my intuition is yet again proven right this is experimental, that much i can say. it's pretty much just a german guy screaming and shouting over power tools, clanking metal and some drums. a few of the tracks are interesting, but most were too abrasive for my taste i can't find much good to say about this album unfortunately. i don't think this was necessarily "shit" or "just a bunch of noise" or anything. this just ain't for me

Impressively awful. People banging on sheets of metal and making weird noises. If that's music, I'm going to set up my own band with that sheet of corrugated iron in my back yard.

Definitely an album to be experienced once. I wouldn’t say I didn’t like this album. It never bored me too much and even the more ambient songs kept me interested, like I was stepping into some dystopian fascist industrial city. I can see that its value mostly lies in its influence on other bands but, saying that, I still liked some of the tracks on Kollaps. A couple times there were bits that kinda sounded like an actual song! Overall I think it’s something you listen to once but to say it’s bad is to completely disregard it as a mistake. It was all made intentionally and it succeeded in creating a certain mood, which I count as a good album. Now if you don’t mind I have some NIN to listen to and clean my audio-palette

German Stomp. Wasn't really sure what to expect but as a band nerd I really appreciate the way they played with rhythm.

Oh, man. I know nothing about this aside from (maybe?) being one of the lowest rated albums on the list. Well, I liked Throbbing Gristle, so let’s see —- (Speak of the devil - a Throbbing Gristle song came on as the first autoplay at the end. I preferred it to this - it was actually really pleasant.) Because I was expecting the worst, this really wasn’t as unpleasant as I was fearing. Although it’s undeniably abrasive, I can usually find something interesting and atmospheric in this sort of industrial/noise music, and that holds true here. I was in a bad mood to start and I don’t think it improved upon finishing, so I can’t exactly give it a glowing review; still, I’m glad to have heard it once. I’m not trying to be contrarian when I say that something like this has a more justifiable position on the list than some generic psych rock or anything more than a single Elvis Costello album. Favorites: Kollaps, Abstieg and Zerfall

pass

WTAF

Infamously second lowest rated album on the list, but I don’t know if it’s deserving of that spot. The first half is obviously grating, chaotic, and abrasive, but the second half of industrial beats is actually really good and feels like a precursor to Aphex Twin. I’m sure in the “industrial” or “noise” genres there are certainly much much worse albums. I value novelty above most else when it comes to music, and honestly it’s impressive for an album to make me feel like I just got a root canal in an active construction site. Overall a 2.5 but bumping to 3 for giggles.

You know that pattern in my reviews where sometimes when this site gives me a really awful album, it follows it up with a really good album? Well, with Kollaps, this site did the exact opposite by being the follow up to Rocks. And yeah, It is a terrible album. It tried to be unique by incorporating various found items into it's sound like metal plates which basically means that this album was recorded with literal garbage. This of course, was not executed well as this feels like some music that a little child would make with a lot of toys at their disposal rather than by actual professionals. This album still is incredibly annoying too with bad vocals and constant irritating sounds making this one of the worst albums on this site. Best Song: Tanz Debil Worst Song: Lunebest

Total crap.

Doesn't make for easy listening but does not mean it shouldn't be listened to. I've listened to Lou Reeds metal music which is much more challenging. Yes, there are parts of this that involve workshop/drilling noises but there is a discernable melody and can see how this can influence further musical innovations. I must admit found this more enjoyable than limp bizkit.

I don't know what this was

Truly industrial music - sounds like an evil factory at times. Grinding, thumping and abrasive. Experimental and harsh. A unique listening experience, almost like a malevolent production of STOMP. Truly wild and would only listen again if I had to give a WWII soldier PTSD.

I am glad that is over.

I feel like I need to rate this higher than I otherwise would because of all the ridiculous low ratings here. It's not something I'd want to listen to often, but its good, interesting, definitely something to hear before you die. Which I thought was the point. The noise aspect isn't even ugly? It mostly sounds good. What's wrong with you people.

Not really something I want to listen to again but great production.

Awful

Interesting noises. Not something I need to listen to all the time. But some type of rhythmic background noises, that they made work. Impressive more for what they worked with than for the "music" this created.

Life is too short 1

Seriously. I’m here to discover different music. This doesn’t qualify. Sure, so nice percussion patterns here and there, but it’s just not for me. Well, at least I can say I have experienced something different.

It is not often one finds the perfect album to fit ones' current mood quite as well as this. I just wish their had been a few more angsty screams. Just when you think you've hit rock bottom, this comes along to make the day oppressive as fuck. I am one with the music. The sound of the pneumatic drill actually cheered me up for a fraction of a second. German Industrial music at its finest and most raw. Now what to score it? Normally something like this would be 3 or maybe a 3. But today its the perfect soundtrack to my life.

I just had the most nerve racking 1 hour stroll around a quiet park in full sunshine and high temperatures. Definitely THE feel good summer album of 1981, inspiring countless generations to come that YOU TOO can become a musician - you just have to scrap some industrial tools and find remote metropolitan areas to smash things in.

For the first half of Kollaps it seems as if Blixa Bargeld is in a mission to actively destroy my speakers. There’s a clear vision but it’s almost unlistenable. Then something magical happens as the title track starts. It’s as if the group find some compassion and the compositions (let’s not kid ourselves and call them songs) begin to find some structure and purpose. It continues for the rest of the record, which doesn’t make it a pleasant listen but makes it absolutely deserving of a spot on this list. Also, all you guys calling Rammstein German industrial should probably try this.

this shit sucks

Its frustrating cuz this album touches the edges of greatness but does everything wrong by it. If there was just a little more musicality and direction it could be so good

Sucked

maybe i didn't understand it, but it was as if i grabbed all of my pots and pans, and threw them down the stairs and screamed bloody murder at the sight

I like the cover art.

Easily the worst album on the list.

It truly makes me so upset to think of this being the lowest rated album on here. To me this sounds like a group of weirdos doing something interesting, and that alone clears so many less worthwhile albums I’ve come across so far. This is awesome! It’s demented and strange. Sometimes it sounds like NIN in a good way. Sometimes buddy is yellin out German words and you’re like “I don’t speak German” and then he yells “CHINGGIS KHAN!” and you’re like “I know that one!” It’s fun and wild! Anyone who contributed, or contributes, to this being the lowest album on the list is a huge baby.

Blew my mind then; rattles my brain today.

Wow!

My tenth grade self would've listened to this all the time. I also would've convinced myself it was great. Is it important? Absolutely. The bones of industrial are all there. Is it fun to listen to while I do lesson plans? Nope.

Why is this on the list??

mucho ruido, muy primitivo

such a perfect combination of the most pleasant sounds! in fact I just want this album to make up the first place everywhere

Phew, that was unbearable. I tried. And I would have liked to like it. But I just can't. This cacophonous noise may be groundbreaking, but I don't want to follow that path. I'm sure there are some great ideas behind it. And if the goal of the album was to cause general disturbance, it certainly achieved that. Nevertheless, I don't like it and won't listen to it again. 1/5

It’s like early Nine Inch Nails but really raw. A bit edgy but a bit too eccentric.

Another testament to this website's affinity for hating anything unique. Pretty fine industrial stuff, they just seem to rely on the same sounds too much

First (and only?) club show I ever played in Germany was opening for some Neubauten acolytes. Entirely found percussion, mic’d up with lavalier mics connected, wires strewn everywhere, total chaos. We were paid an absurd amount (plus a Kiste of bier, very important) and ducked out maybe a song into their set (not very punk rock of us). This was in 1995, so the idea of nontrad percussion and industrial melodic sensibilities was on the wane, but still maybe presented an idea of what the future could look like for live music. Ha, sure thing kid. Despite having more than an average familiarity with German, I never spent much time with Neubaten. Their logo seemed like a badge for badasses and I figured I would have my time with them at some point, but it never came to pass. Einfach zu hässlich für mich.

Wtf?

If you ever see that guy on your Instagram Reels with the pickles slapping his face? This is the musical equivalent.

Nicht fur mich, ich hasse diese album gern

I mean it's not good but I'm confident I've heard worse on this list

I went in knowing this was the lowest-rated album on the list, and after a couple songs, I determined this was actual music (if extremely avant-garde music), not as bad as I was anticipating, and legitimately interesting in a few ways. So what the hell, 2. I got more out of it than hearing Dinosaur Jr shriek “WHY DON’T YOU LIKE MEEEE?!?!” for five minutes straight.

ofc, almost nothing else on this list could beat this record in raw Cool Factor. but that does kind of illustrate the limits of this list in some ways, as despite all the crazy "sound design" (smashing metal objects together) replacing all conventional instrumentation, this still holds on very tightly and recognizably to Song Ideas, even if in a minimalist punky sorta way. its a lil disappointing to realize this is probably the most abstract this list gets yk yk. not an actual problem with the record tho! its hard to deny the music is awesome..masochistic yes ofc, but i dont experience it as necessarily Dark yk (maybe if i knew the lyrics this would change). its just kind of inherently playful and even fun, in the way only this kind of noisemaking can be, esp since its all so physical...i generally prefer my industrial and industrial flavored music being for cool explorations of Synthesized Sounds, but the fact that there is just no ephemerality to this whatsoever is also super interesting. its all very mundane, which is a fun word to be able to use ab a record like this. really the most normal album ever made when u think about it!

Certainly interesting. Those Germans can make some weird stuff! That said, I wasn't really digging into this at any point except maybe the last few 'dub' tracks. I would be curious to hear more from them, but I don't think I'll be coming back for more of this particular flavor.

1/5

Points for absurd creativity but it's almost impossible.

It's very weird everything is just not together at all it just feels like they put a bunch of people in a room told the singer to sing in German and the rest to do whatever they want it's just not together at all I'm having a very hard time listening to just one song

Too experimental

I guess you can hear this once...

Cacophony of hard sounds, too experimental. 1

If you want to listen to random noises with a German sentiment I highly recommend Houmous & Chutneys 89th studio album. Das Bin Lids (It’s Not As Bad As You Think) 1.8 8/23 …Kollaps

Aj mina öron!

Its quite uncomfortable in a way which I think is quite intentional. I think I could probably get more enjoyment if I understood what the dude was yelling, as it kind of adds a layer of further gibberish alongside the random noises and stuff. I do HIGHLY admire the total commitment to making a very interesting pallet of instrumentation. I think I hold this in the same regard as that Birthday Party album, where I totally see the vision, but it is just too abrasive (for the Birthday Party) and just too strange for this one. The use of delays on here is very interesting, and also seemingly some sampling. The industrial thing is quite interesting, seemingly quite a lot of these sounds were made weirdly, using sheets of metal or something. Arguably some of this is less technically 'music' than it is 'Art' as a whole, I suppose. All the ones which have 'dub' in them are my favourites, as they all have more coherent drum beats which I like. The dubs are incredibly ahead of their time, they sound like some IDM stuff which are still in pregnancy or something. Favourite songs: Tanz debil, Draussen ist feindlich, Kollaps, Abstieg & Zerfall, Sado-Masodub, Liebesdub, Spionagedub, Gastarbeiterdub, Rivieradub, Lünebest. Overall around 5/10

Yikes. I know I'm in trouble when the album has a track with so few listens it's not even listed. Construction noises? Boy is this not for me. I'm not sure I'm making it through. It is soooo long and nothing has been good. An assault on my ears.

I imagine that in 1981 this would have been revolutionary and new. In the 2020s, it was tiresome for me. Some of it is humorous, but mostly tiresome. 3 out of 5 for being revolutionary and influential on later industrial artists.

I listened to the whole album. Like a train wreck, I just couldn’t look away. It was certainly different and unique. It is interesting to see how people play around with music and sound to create something new. And I honestly didn’t hate it. 3

It's not an album I would recommend as such. It's an experience, though, and as such highly recommended and something this list needs more of.

This some industrial noise that I almost like, but those grating unmelodic yelling that I don't understand, pulls it down. This is live music for sure. I really wished I liked it more, but it's random noise more than the complex syncopation and melody I like out of music like this. I do not appreciate the beauty in texture and timbre in discordant instruments like these artists do. Gonna have to give it a 1 cause just I don't know what they're going for, and don't think I'll enjoy the process to figure that out.

trash

q cojones

Definitely on the outer edge of the listenable. +1 for actual industrial noises. +1 for making their own instruments and incorporating found sounds. -1 for just yelling. +1 for offending people through destruction of property.

Wow. Grating, loud, brash, literally made my skin crawl at times. Well done. Industrial music at its purest, though I still think there are people who listen to this just to annoy others and drive them away. It's interesting and innovative, but not for me.

This album doesn’t deserve the basement ranking it has. It is not softly melodic, nor something I would reach for on my own, but it is unique and creative. One can hear how it influenced later artists of the industrial genre. I wouldn’t pass this off as entirely noise, and honestly it had a lot more to contribute than some of the trivial garbage I’ve gotten on this list.

I can hear how it influenced Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead. But this also isn't very good. Still better than Kid Rock or Ryan Adams.

I couldn't get passed the power tools song. Either should you.

Favoriten

I tried. I really did. It is just noise.

I appreciate it as sound art, but it's not particularly musical. They certainly had a profound influence on industrial music. 3/5 #89

I don't think this so my style if my first artist is Conan Gray

Ongeïnspireerde geluiden

Not sure why this record is getting so much hate. It's not that bad. Avant-garde and a product of the early 80s industrial music. Similar to Skinny Puppy and Ministry. While I would not listen to this regularly, I'm still glad I heard it. I have heard way worse on this list and I am only 1/3 of the way through.

oh come on... this is total shite... the aural equivalent of a waterboarding... two stars... for both balls it took to put this one out... all i can say is.. nein...

I didn’t enjoy listening to this album. 1/5

The hardest spot the difference test: power tools or German shouting? (Entschuldigung)

I knew this would be a 1-star about 4 seconds into listening. I'm happy for the people that are into this sort of thing that this exists. Maybe it's a good noise album? I am not qualified to judge. The real testament for me on this is that I listened to it to the end. Even if I found the experience deeply unpleasant, I let all of this pass into my brain for a time. For that, I consider myself a hero.

Did not like this at all. I don't like noise rock, made even more so in a language I don't understand.

I pressed play and immediately regretted all my life choices. This album gave my ears tetanus. It’s an hour of sentient metal pipes and malfunctioning appliances jamming while screaming German in a condemned warehouse. I get that it's supposed to be industrial, but so is asbestos. Just chaos cosplaying as creativity. The only Kollaps here was my will to live. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions: LOL

Honestly what in the world is this. Pushes the boundary of what you can call music. I'm glad I saved the 1 star rating for junk like this. I made it 3 songs and had to stop - Well... this one isn't going to rate well globally

I will not include the appended CD bonus tracks or 2002 re-release bonus tracks for this review. Ahh, yes, one of the "worst albums" according to the global stats for this generator, and had me genuinely curious. For those who are unfamiliar, Einstürzende Neubauten is a German experimental music group led by Blixa Bargeld, who would later become a founding member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. One of the trademarks of the group is that they utilize self-made or found objects as instrumentation, such as metal plates. While they will use these unorthodox instruments for more conventional sounds in later recordings, their early work is notably harsh as Bargeld would scream and shout over banging and scraping metal percussion. Case in point, their debut album, Kollaps, is defined by that style. This album can make or break people without more formal introductions to elements of industrial, experimental, and German music. Thankfully, I've taken multiple courses in music analysis back in college, and I got this record after over 300 albums into my journey, including records that would fit into the above categories. I can't imagine the poor soul who got this as their first album without any prior understanding or context of what the group is trying to accomplish here. With that in mind, I do enjoy this record to an extent. There's an almost primal feel in the abrasive nature of Blixa's harsh vocals over the obtuse percussive elements that weirdly maintain a good sense of rhythm. It must be cathartic for a German music group coming out of post-World War II Berlin, trying to make a living, and experiencing both the frustration and vulnerability of what it must have taken to reconstruct, represented by the use of noises that would be associated with construction equipment. It certainly made for a unique experience that doesn't immediately deter me away, especially with how creative they get, such as the pitter patter of water before the visceral screaming on "Negative Nein" or the literal drill beat that opens "Steh auf Berlin", and the twisted instrumental rendition of Serge Gainsbourg's "Je t'aime... moi non plus" that adds a bit of black humor. Yet, for as much as this album clicked for me, there are still issues I have with it. Besides the obvious lack of cohesion, which may be the point, some songs tend to make a more lasting impression than others. Given the multitude of short tracks that run under two minutes, there isn't as much room to allow the compositional identity to sink in before being launched into the next. This sentiment also extends to the closer "Helga", which felt abrupt as an ending with the ten seconds of radio transmission before cutting to silence. Still, I was intrigued by Kollaps in all its outlandish execution. It's not an album that would easily get made in today's world, with the way the music marketing landscape has shifted, which makes this record feel special.

Exactly as expected.

Can I also get paid for my morning poops? One track was just someone screaming while flushing their toilet. The rest of the album was similarly, them just recording some noise while screaming. Just take a microphone and a toddler down to a construction site, and you too can appear on a list of albums to hear before you die! Kollaps was a nice breakout, the beat goes really hard. Candidate for worst album. Best song: Kollaps

Assault! Assault!

Absolutely atrocious. I didn't think anything would be worse than Duck Stab, but this now holds the title of the worst album I've listened to.

Ah the subtle sonnets of Einstürzende Neubauten. Soothing, calming, dare we say sleepy? The perfect album to fall asleep to.

They have lost it. 1/5

noisy

I don't think I need an album's worth of music to get the concept. I think the people making this music were sincere but I think once you extract what you can from it, you'll be comfortable putting it aside forever. Kollaps was the best song by virtue of feeling cohesive and like something appearing from the chaos of the rest of the album, I 'get' it, but at what cost.

I probably won't listen to this again, but it was interesting and somewhat enjoyable

Very unique album, I'm glad it exists and is on this list. Maybe not an everyday listen though.

I really wanted to be wanky and pretentious and say that I loved this and it doesn't deserve to be the second worst rated album on the 1001 Albums site. Unfortunately the "music" didn't do much to convince me otherwise. That's if you can call it that. This album seriously pushes the boundaries of what you could classify as music. Let's list some positives. Firstly, it wasn't THAT bad in my opinion (yes, that is a positive). Secondly, I actually think the high pitched shouts screams are very impressive. Thirdly, at least it was different and somewhat interesting. I'd probably take this over some generic rock, a 75 minute long rap album, or boring soul. At times, I really do think you'd be hard pressed to call it actual music. Art? Maybe. Expressionism? Probably. Just noise? Most people would agree with that last one. It's very harsh, very abrasive, very industrial sounding. I'd probably come back to it, but only out of curiosity's sake more than anything. I was going to be a bit funny and give it a two but I'd just be lying to myself.

While this is not something I'd usually listen to, this was actually pretty unique and interesting. High 2/5

There is nothing more punk than this record. Normal punk band revolt against rock music but Einstürzende Neubaten revolt against music and our perception of harmonies. Hell yes!

bizarre and unique in a way that i can't help but find a little endearing, especially in the broader context of this list

Despite the reviews, I found this surprisingly musical. I’m not going to listen to it often but it’s pretty interesting.

If music is meant to comfort, Kollaps shatters that notion with a sledgehammer wrapped in steel wool and rebar. Einstürzende Neubauten’s debut is not just an album — it’s an act of sonic revolution, a declaration that sound doesn’t need melody to be musical, or harmony to be holy. Released in 1981, Kollaps is an apocalyptic birth cry from the ruins of post-war Berlin, fusing scrap metal, broken glass, power tools, and anguished vocals into a symphony of collapse. From the first strike of percussion that sounds more like a demolition site than a drum kit, you're not listening — you're immersed. Blixa Bargeld doesn’t sing so much as prophesy, his voice echoing like a mad preacher inside an abandoned factory. Tracks like “Tanz Debil” and the title track “Kollaps” reject structure, reject polish, reject anything resembling musical civility — and in doing so, find something deeply human beneath the wreckage. Each piece feels like a confrontation: with society, with conformity, with sound itself. This is not industrial music in the Nine Inch Nails sense — it’s industry itself turned into music. Yet for all its abrasion, there’s a strange beauty in Kollaps. It’s the beauty of entropy, of cities falling and being reborn, of the aesthetic potential of destruction. Neubauten takes the broken pieces of civilization and holds them up like artifacts, sacred and terrible. Essential listening for anyone interested in the outermost limits of what music can be. This is the soundtrack to a world unraveling — and maybe rebuilding, too. Then again, I'm giving this album 5 stars just to be contrary.

This is like when I watched Tetsuo: The Iron Man I don't really know what's going on, there's a lot of clanging, and everyone seems upset.

Not even music. Industrial noises and German screaming. Feel free to skip this one with extreme prejudice.

This whole album is just noise. I read the name of Einstürzende Neubauten a few times already and was actually curious what kind of music they make, but I was totally turned off when I listened to this album. Their other music is actually listenable.

Noisy, loud, chaotic, experimental, German. This is a wild one, but I appreciate music like this as it pushes the boundaries of what music can be defined as. I just came from listening to Captain Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica", so this record kind of fit nicely into the sequence of disturbing albums that this project has coincidentally presented to me.

Not super interested in the question "what IS music?"

It’s almost kismet that the generator gave me this album right after I heard The Downward Spiral for the first time. Not even realizing that industrial punk or the genre itself would be my cup of tea and this album definitely fortifies it for me. The textures of all the instruments, it was so interesting to listen to. Definitely a really weird album, yet I couldn’t stop. I was so intrigued and curious about it all. Released in 1981 in West Berlin 🇩🇪, this album emerged during a time when the city — and the country — were split by the Cold War and the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall was a symbol of political division but it also represented the cultural tension that existed within the city. This tension can be heard through the soundscapes in this album: harsh, alienated, industrial and aggressively anti-establishment. I also learned that the album name itself translates to “Collapsing New Buildings” which made it all the more meaningful in the listening experience. Made it feel like a rebellion against structure itself. Which also made me realize that not long after this album was created, the Berlin Wall was “kollapsed” in form of a riot against the communist divide in 1989. Also learning that the artists rejected many traditional instruments and used power tools, scrap metal and found objects to create these sounds. It makes for something anti-music, and more something like sound-as-art. Truly felt like rather than walking through an art gallery of images you were confronted by these abrasive, deconstructed, mechanized sounds instead. This album seemed like it was doing more than just textural experimentation. Though I don’t speak German, and couldn’t understand the lyrics, somehow the vocals gave the anger, angst, aggression that was needed to tie these soundscapes together. The amount of creative instrumentation used for this album reminds me why I was so enthralled by NIN’s The Downward Spiral. I feel that album was able to create a story or narrative surrounding the industrial texture, but Kollaps felt like you were going even further into the abyss without a guide. It’s chaotic, jagged, and uncomfortable to sit with in some moments. I respect the hell out of it for kicking the door open on industrial music. Rating: 3.5 – Growing On Me Standout Tracks: “U-Haft-Muzak”, “Abstieg and Zerfall”, “Futuristicher Dub”, “Sado-Masodub”, “Liebesdub”, “Spionagedub”, “Mikrobendub”, “Gastarbeiterdub”, “Rivieradub”, “Lünebest”

This is worse than all the hip hops in the world, combined together.

I respect what it's doing, but I can't say I would gladly listen to it again. The odd track worked ok for me, less so the ones which were just power drills and screaming. Still, better than Justin Timberlake.

Just crazy sound effects. Was that a jackhammer? A tub of water?

Listening to this very quietly in the background at work and am totally loving it. It’s what I need right now. Hope I never forget you, band whose name I won’t possibly remember!! (ntm. This cover reminds me of a Yaga shirt.)

Why?

Demonic album that obliterated my eardrums. "Kollaps" must've set a record. I had to stop listening around the 0:34 mark.

2/10 I want a survivors T-shirt for this album. It's comical really, banging and drilling and shouting. Being in German, the lyrics are obviously pointless to me as a non-speaker, so there is nothing to gain from it there. Why not 1/10? Well, there is some rhythm to it and it is certainly challenging. Kind of made me think about what is the point of music - is it to only be beautiful or meaningful? How wide is that bracket, and isn't it boring if nothing else is worthy? I don't think I know, but ultimately this didn't bring me any joy or touch me in any way other than the satisfaction of making it through.

2nd worst album on the list and for good reason, to be assigned this the day after Captain Beefheart is tortuous, I am almost afraid to see what today might offer up zero stars

So not my thing just noise

This made me anxious so I stopped listening.

Because I’m a weirdo

Noise, but still pretty cool

Instortende Nieuwbouw. Het momenteel op één na laagst scorende album op deze site. Ik keek er al een tijdje naar uit, want ik wist dat deze nog ging komen en ik ben dan toch altijd benieuwd wat ik aan ga treffen als iets zo ontzettend laag scoort. Ik vind de extreme 1 sterren toch ook altijd wel iets leuks hebben. Ik heb toch een klein beetje de neiging om te gaan luisteren of dit echt zo erg is en als het dan enigszins meevalt heb ik de neiging om wat vergeeflijker te zijn in m'n oordeel. Onzinnig gedrag, maar ik merk het nu ook weer bij mezelf op. Het tweede nummer, om maar even een voorbeeld te nemen, begint met 32 seconden lang stenen slopen met een soort boorhamer. Vast een soort referentie naar 'die Mauer'. Op 2 minuut 40 springt het glazuur van je tanden als er een soort remmende treingeluid wordt gemaakt door, ik neem aan, een stuk ijzer te slijpen o.i.d. Dat soort tyfusgeluiden zijn in principe voor niemand prettig neem ik aan. In die zin snap ik de extreem lage score volledig. Maar het album heeft wel sfeer. Meer industrieel dan dit gaat het niet worden. Wat het album voor mij enigszins redt is dat het los van de soms intense geluiden eigenlijk een vrij rustig album is, met name de tweede helft. Er is veel lege ruimte met alleen wat gegons, gemompel en wat gerikketik en daardoor word ik er lang niet zo moe van als bijvoorbeeld een 'Bitches Brew' van Miles David. En zo zijn er in deze lijst meer albums waarbij ik het een stuk zwaarder had dan bij deze, zoals 'Locust Abortian Technician', 'Duck Stab nogiets', 'Scum' en zelfs dat schelle kutkerstalbum van de moordlustige ome Phil. Ik ga hier een 2 van maken omdat dit voor mij niet per se een absoluut dieptepunt is in deze lijst. Ik had zelfs een 3 kunnen geven, maar dan zou ik de contact met de realiteit wel heel erg uit het oog verloren zijn. Mooi om gehad te hebben.

When I first heard this band almost 30 years ago, I thought I was the only one who had ideas that music could be expressed as much more than it currently had been. This band, and other artists who make challenging art, opened up my mind to the understanding that there were others out there who also believed that music did not have to follow a strict protocol. While I had not heard this particular album before it was fascinating to hear the album and band that inspired Al Jourgensen of Ministry, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and bands like Rammstein to marry industrial to more accessible forms. This list needs more albums and artists that inspired whole new sonic and thematic sub-genres and less of the endless singer/songwriter albums that litter list. No one needs 6 Nick Cave albums, when you could put 2 or 3 more albums that actually break new ground by a variety of artists. I think people that rate this album low are being narrow minded and judgmental.

non so se dare 1 o 2... questi hanno preso ispirazione dai lavori di carpenteria che avevano sotto casa... sicuramente originali.. poco orecchiabili.. musica non elettronica, proprio industriale

Fuck the haters

1 out of 5. I wanted to like this one, I really did.

no thanks!!!!

Sure I know people say this is “innovative” and “influential” for industrial music, but honestly this is just noise to me. I’m not seeing what fans of this album are.

This one... Power tools, kids playing drums on dishes, a German screaming nonsensical words... As a German myself, I sadly understand what he is saying and it does not make it better... However, there where moments, brief ones, that I liked or that made me laugh... I did not hate it but man, this is work and I do not want to listen to it again (unless maybe I do)

Absolute rubbish like the things he was banging !

It is more important than it is enjoyable. And yet, Kollaps is still better than 33% of the albums on this list. Respect the racket.

Una bestialidad tan difícil de escuchar como necesaria. Experimental concreta industrial electrónica lo que sea que fuera Anarco art rock único e influyente, que se lo digan a Swans , Depeche Mode , Nick Cave o Nine Inch Nails.... Yo los descubrí con Silence is sexy pero esto es otra cosa Vanguardia Destrucción Autogestion De todo el lote me quedo con Steh auf Berlín

The punk music hiding behind the seemingly random noises doesn't come close to saving this for me. If I could give it a lower score I would.

An album engineered to make you feel uncomfortable. Seems fitting for 2025.

Probably one of the most ambitious album on this list. What may have started as a joke at a pub, turned into a real conversation, leading to one of the greatest experimentations on this list. Is it pretentious? Possibly, but the fact that it works on a musical level *at all* is impressive. The fact that enough people enjoyed it that they created a genre from this is mystifying. Honestly, I shouldn't be so surprised; there are flashes of Swans, Throbbing Gristle (of course), and Merzbow, all of whom started started performing in the late 70's. Whether they inspired or informed each other or not (I imagine TG inspired all of them), isn't as interesting as the timing. Extreme music wanted to be born in the 80's. EN's industrial sounds almost electronic at times through rhythm and beats; the second half of the album sounds like it could have been a Warp Records release (prior to the literal power tools). The sounds are blunt force, the rawness of the sounds are not always welcome, but most of the compositions here did something interesting. It is without a doubt a challenging album, perhaps the most challenging album on this list, but I assure interested listeners that they will find something to sink their teeth into here.

Of all days to get this album, of course I have a headache! Seriously though, this is a really cool addition to this list, even if at the end of the day I didn't really love listening to it. It's nice to get an album here to really take you out of the mainstream rock/pop world, and really challenge your ears. I could make an argument that a list like this should consist ONLY of albums in this kind of category; not well known, something you'd never hear on the radio or walking through the supermarket, really challenging the traditional notion of what "music" is. It's been years since I first was exposed to more experimental and avant-garde stuff like this, and I've since grown to truly love music with a similar approach, so this left turn doesn't come as a massive shock to me. Here is an artist I was not familiar with before, so I definitely didn't know what to expect, but I had a feeling we were going to be venturing more into the "weird" territory. Lots of metal clanging here, that's for sure! Overall a bit less musical to my ears than a lot of other avant garde kind of stuff, but I ended up enjoying it a bit more than I initially expected. If nothing else, I really do appreciate music like this that really sticks its middle finger out to the status quo/mainstream/what people expect from music, and it is truly refreshing to hear something different from this list. I wouldn't say I'm chomping at the bit to explore more or revisit, but I wouldn't be opposed to more exploration. I think overall I'd really like to give this a 2.5, but since I've gotta stick to the scale, I'm going to round down to a 2. Despite enjoying listening to it, I think its easy to say a lot of the enjoyment was just in the fact that this was something drastically different thrown at me. So it's less of a hateful 2, and more of a 'that's neat' 2...if that makes any fuckin' sense.

This is you: “I really enjoyed all 36 of the British alt-rock albums released between 1995 and 2005 that are on the list. Even though they all sound the same, I rated them all 4’s and 5’s.” This is me: “Shut up, nerd. We bang wrenches and hammers on scrap metal to make music now.”

It's not for me.

hmmm I thought I'd like this but I really *really* don't

tja, hvað skal segja? mjög hrátt iðnaðarrokk, með verkfærum og ég veit ekki hverju. en mér fannst samt gaman að þessu. veit ekki hvort ég leggi í fleiri umferðir, en ...

When this came up I braced myself since it’s frequently in the pariah bottom 5 records of the list - but it was surprisingly a strong record. Certainly not for everybody but dark and moody and angry and at times I felt even witty. I couldn’t stop laughing at the sound of jackhammers blasting through my headphones while running past a construction site - and still enjoying it. I think it gets too much flak - it was so much better than most dad rock here.

At least I had fun.

пас)) звуки электродрели и немецкий текст это то чем я в аду буду развлекаться

kinda bizarre so I appreciate that but didnt finish

I didn't have to wade through the full 56 minutes of this album because I read the Wikipedia page and realised that this album is bogged down by 20 minutes of bonus tracks added to later reissues 😏🧐 I definitely need to check the book on this entry. I respect the decision of the editors to keep this album in every edition of the book, even if I do think they pussied out by removing the equally esoteric "They Were Wrong, So We Drowned". Let's see. The songs are built around a theme of destruction and the album was intended to be as "unlistenable" as possible. They failed pretty disastrously on that second front, as I do dig this. The songs that are above two minutes in length are generally quite good. The problem I have with them is that I have absolutely no idea how to articulate what works about them. These sounds are well beyond my comprehension. The completely exploded percussion on "Tanz Debil" works really well and effectively introduces the "dark" atmosphere of the album. I enjoy the ominous ambience on "U-Haft-Muzak" along with what sounds to be the rattling of prison bars. "Kollaps" is surprisingly quite good for an eight focking minute track. The "percussive sound" in the background pleases my ADHD brain and manages to hold my attention for the entire runtime. "Abstieg and Zerfall" is also a good cut - probably my favourite on the album. Those electronic tones in the background are genuinely really good. It truly reminds me of the apocalypse. There are some misses, admittedly. Steh auf Berlin does not do much to win over the people who are skeptical of this album and is admittedly a little to much for me. The aforementioned <2 minute tracks during the latter half of the album also fail to leave an impression, even if they are pleasing. Fuck it, 4/5. I liked this album quite a bit and do feel compelled to give it a relisten. I have to check out Kollaps sometime in the future.

I’m proud of myself for listening to the entire album, which I described as “if you gave a bunch of elementary school kids with no musical talent random instruments and told them to make noise, along with some grunting.”

Beyond awful. Made it through about half the tracks.

Five days after seeing a standup comedian reference this band in her set, we are blessed with this: the least liked or second-least liked album in the collection. Certainly not my favorite album so far, but far from my least favorite. At least it’s not fucking Peter Frampton. Oh hey, I actually liked the title track! What a fun surprise. I was totally expecting a “I respect this but I don’t like it” album and I maybe like it ever so slightly more than that. Not going to get a lot of airplay in the house, though. I’m actually torn between a 1 and a 2. I was never bored! That’s good! But I only liked the one song. I’ve given 1s to albums with songs I liked before. Much to consider. You know, I think I’m going 2 for the simple reason that I do think this is worth listening to once, which sets it apart from much of the 1s I’ve awarded. This is very much in the spirit of the project and I appreciate that.

Dang loving this. Partly familiar ground with the added twist of German krautrocktechindustenz. I totally get (for some reason) the hand-made metallic noise vibe. I mean who doesn't like whacking on shit to a rhythm track? While screeching.

In my house we use the word Kollaps (sounds like college) when cats do that thing of stretching their neck out to be tickled and then kind of fall into a lying-down position, still with their head up to be tickled. I don’t know when we came up with that term but we’ve used it for years. It’s very sweet as opposed to this cacophony of industrial sound and squawking which makes me feel like I’m in the middle of a construction site. There were a couple of moments when I could hear sounds akin to Spear of Destiny or Bauhaus. And then - horror - there was the trashing of Serge Gainsbourg! Unbearable!

Experimental industrial punk... I love it. I have their second album which is very similar but not as raw. It has the beginning of song structure. This is still great. Trying anything and everything to see works.

I'm practicing self-love and bailed after three songs. Just because you can make "songs" from the sounds of a car mechanic's shop doesn't mean it's a good idea.

What a debut. Harrowing, uncompromising, and fully formed. How do you start a band like this? (Guitarist seeking sheet-metal banger. Influences: power tools, Nietzsche, early Fleetwood Mac.) I owned a compilation of theirs, but this was my first time hearing this album. Now I understand where early Sonic Youth came from. I really loved the textures and the atmosphere. Would be nice to know what he was singing. OK, maybe not "nice," but interesting. Dinging it one star because the second side wasn't quite as tight. I need to listen to more of their music. The Serge Gainsbourg cover cracked me up.

I tried. But honestly, I only kept listening to hear German words, thinking that would provide enjoyment. By the time i got to Hirnsäge (brain saw) I was done, angry, and annoyed.

28/100. Industrial in its rawest, most abrasive form. The harsh, clanging noise and relentless intensity in the early tracks honestly gave me a headache. It’s a tough, unforgiving listen. While the sound became a bit more tolerable toward the end, I found very little enjoyment overall.

I've been looking forward to this! I don't understand why this album iis so unpopular, great industrial noise. Enjoyed it a lot

It's like stomp before there was stomp. It was weird and not enjoyable, though I am sure it means something important in some corner of music.

What's the difference between music and noise? Is it melody? Is it rhythm? Do you need to have both or is one enough? You should listen to this album, but you don't need to. As someone else on here said, one star means you didn't get it. I definitely get it, but I still don't really like it. Two stars.

Not my vibe

This is actually pretty good. It’s not for everyone but its bracing like a gale force Arctic wind, and you will definitely know you’re alive after listening to it. It’s hard and raw, and noisy and an assault on your ear drums, but I quite like these experimental kinds of albums that push boundaries and make you question everything you ever thought you knew about music and what it could be. More please.

As a monolingual English speaking American I just don’t feel like I can speak on much in this album. Except maybe the album cover: I’m a fan. It did feel pretty dang long and I personally didn’t really jam to the drums falling off a cliff noise.

You know, I didn’t really expect to spend 56 minutes of my day today listening to a German screaming over power tools. But that is what I ended up doing. And I loved it. Did I understand anything they were angrily and passionately yelling in German while beating pots with wooden spoons? Nein. But that’s precisely what makes this album great. The complete and utter disorder and chaos that is such a completely new and otherworldly musical experience to me. I mean that’s why I started this whole project in the first place. And Einstürzende Neubauten absolutely delivered.

I have to rate this 1/5 (and 1/10 if we used 10 stars) but I must say that this kind of experimental music takes courage as it in fact explores the limits of what music is. Most of the album is not, but my favourite track on it, "Kollaps", not only isn't bad. In fact, I enjoyed it. This is more of a performance than a musical album, and given the tragedies of the 20th century, the German history in particular, this effort makes sense. It's bad, but I do not hate it.

Haven't been able to make it through. There's a time and place

Noise

I was gonna say something funny, but I don't want to get cancelled.

Nope! Gave up after three tracks. Decided to try a Childish Gambino record in its place. Childish ***** Earsarehurtin Neuheadache ** Future Kid Rock rotation *

Too harsh for me, did't like the vibe of the album, too industrial for my taste 1/5

not the worst album on the list by far, very creative and interesting

The sounds of a construction site accident..could be use as a mode of torture

This music could only come from West Germany in the early 80s. This was a blast, it really shows the connection between early noise rock and what would become the sound that Ministry and NIN would popularize. 4/5

I honestly oddly hated and liked it. No clue what to say

After reading some of the reviews, I thought, "It couldn't possibly be that bad." Well, it is. There are some stretches of interesting parts/sounds, but, by and large, it is just noise and not even pleasant noise. As far as I can tell, it hasn't really inspired any notable artists/works so why it's on this 1001 list is truly a mystery to me.

I listen to a fair amount of experimental, noisy music. This is not music

i remember being absolutely blown away the first time i heard this album. lovely stuff

Gar nicht so schlimm wie die Rezensionen ausmachen. Es fängt mit den schwersten Lieder an, aber die zweite Häfte ist eigentlich geil. Die Songtexte geht hart und es gibt viele coole Ideen da. 6/10

Rating: 1/10 Had a few moments that was actually decent, those few moments actually had some melody to them. The rest of this is truly heinous and unlistenable. I respect experimentation but this is a German guy screaming with repetitive and annoying percussion over it.

WHY IS THIS ON THIS LIST this is not music

probably my first ever listen to an album not in english…very percussive… screaming!

I can see why it was listed, it seems revolutionary for the time, but at the end of the day it mostly sounded like a guy in a warehouse banging an anvil and using a chainsaw.

Cool that I knew nothing about this. Missing enough basic context to even begin to find my way into this, let alone enjoy it.

it was about time this generator spit out something i can put on during a dinner party. it’s fun to imagine what they’re playing. crescent wrench hitting airplane engine turbine. disc grinder on volkswagen chassis. clawfoot bathtub full of black water. music for steampunk orcs. the post-ww2/cold war years did wild things for german music. actually puts me in a contemplative mood. or anxious at times. so far outside normal popular musical structures that it renders you completely passive. you don’t know what comes next and you can’t sing along, so there’s no point but to sit and wait and think. it’s also undated. this kind of thing can’t really sound “old.” i won’t pretend i was sitting there begging for more, but it’s definitely remarkable for its effect on the listener and its commitment to deconstruction. it prompted genuine thought from me about what makes music good and even what makes music, period. and im curious to come back to it again. for all that, 4.

Wow, didn’t expect this, completely unknown to me, german, scary but fun and beaming with influence, sonic-ly…on all of all my favorite bands. Lairs, Xui Xui, Pharkmon, Idles, Dan Friel, the list goes on. They are capturing an attitude and texture that I see strive for in my own music. It’s the challenged rethinking of “what is music”, collection of sounds? If so why can’t my collection be personal and different from your collection. The beginning of the album hits strong but my only issue is the blown out speaker thrill ride is cut short with a number similar audio stretches that seem to lack depth and are almost meaningless… but is that the point, I don’t know. Was prepared for a 5 but it slumped down to a 4 by the end. Kollaps is a banger Listen to The Screamers, they pre-date this band and were on the same Nihilistic journey but used distorted synths instead of guitar. https://open.spotify.com/album/4ekEa3ozC8xQU8qmudlZqn?si=2bLAtQKTTVKr3gLR2Jaz2A

Finally something fucking weird. Incase you didn't know that I'm basically a child, all I can think about is South Park's impression of a German person engagin in shit sex. Shizer? Ya. sehr gut leicht 5.

Noped out pretty quick on this one. Way harsher than my ears can take today. Gonna listen to Writing On Airplanes by Neil Drumming instead.

genuinely one of the best horrible albums ive ever listened to. certain tracks are absolutely unlistenable. sounds like the haunting dreams of a german cocaine addict conked out on a piss soaked floor in a berlin club after being awake for 129 hours straight. ive recommended this album to multiple close personal friends.

The root of Industrial music. While I won't be coming back to this album, it is key to understanding where bands like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry came from. Never did I think I'd enjoy listening to German men scream at me while somewhat rhythmically beating on trashcans. It's not the WORST album on the list, in spite of everyone's hatred of the album. It's definitely not the best either. I don't think there's a traditional instrument played on the entire album. My Rating: 5/5. Only so I can help put Kid Rock where he needs to be. Actually it's a 3. Save the turtles!

Actually can't believe this goes on for an hour... and that I continued to listen for an hour. Giving it two stars because I can appreciate a good bit.

YAY!!! The supposed worst album on here!!! I’ve been looking forward to this day! This is one of those times where I think an album that sounds bad to me personally but at least was made with vision and heart is WAAAY better than some generic shitty soft rock stuff. There’s actually some good stuff on here if you can get past it. It’s anxiety inducing and fuck man, I might get laid off from my job at any point and honestly this has been a better reflection of my feelings than any other music I’ve heard in a while.

01) Tanz Debil - 2,0 02) Steh auf Berlin - 1,0 03) Negativ Nein - 1,0 04) U-Haft-Muzak - 1,0 05) Draußen ist Feindlich - 1,0 06) Schmerzen Hören (Hören mit Schmerzen) - 1,0 07) Jet'm - 3,0 08) Kollaps - 1,0 09) Sehnsucht - 2,0 10) Vorm Krieg - 1,0 11) Hirnsäge - 1,0 12) Abstieg & Zerfall - 1,0 13) Helga - 1,0 14) Schieß Euch Ins Blut - 1,0 TOTAL: 1,29 (13/100) Current ranking: 517/517 This would be a good way to torture the prisoners at Guantanamo. I don't know why, but while listening to it I felt more than once like it was 1939 and I was at a Nazi party rally. "Scum" by Napalm Death is my lowest rated album so far, let's see if this one beats it! I refuse to listen to the extended version of the album, these 14 "songs" will be enough.

Very good

I was expecting something else. Not really my cuppa

Meu ouvido não é penico pra escutar uma merda dessas. My ear is not a chamber pot to listen to shit like that.

shockingly bad

The best industrial band after Throbbing Gristle. Kollaps is unremittingly harsh, with vocals shouted and screamed above a din of banging and scraping metal percussion. E.N. uses found sounds and often use homemade instruments made of scrap metal & God knows what else in their sonic attack. Many would consider their sound to be little more than noise & I get that. This isn't 'Pet Sounds' a record that anyone with working ears should/would love. The 23 songs on Kollaps are all different but to many they will all sound the same & I get that too. I would not casually recommend this album to anyone unless I knew them well & knew their music tastes even better. I really like it and it works for me on all levels but that means nothing with this kind of music/noise. There is a good chance you will despise this album, and I'm surprised that I don't and a small chance that you will like it maybe even love it but don't count on it. Stream it first before spending money on a costly import.

Es bien rarito pero me gusta que sea alemán

just irritating noise

🤷‍♂️

a refreshing, invigorating, difficult listen, designed to generate the response "what the HELL is this? - is it even MUSIC?" I would love it if the list had more albums like this, that challenge preconceptions, rather than so many comfortable, homogenised, mainstream pop / rock / indie / whatever.

love these fellas

Not really my thing, but mad respect to a band that is willing to go as far as to create their own instruments for their art.

None for me, thanks.

I don’t even have the words to describe what I felt

Wtf...I can get down with avante garde but this sounded like a burger stumbling through trash cans in 1981. Idk maybe it got better I didn't get past track 2

Fascinating and somewhat entertaining. Great to hear some of the history of industrial rock, which I have long been a fan of. Not such a fan that I feel I need to hear the album again. 3/5

What the hell was that

No no no no no!!!!!!

This should have been album #1002 so I wouldn't have to hear this while I'm alive. Take the German yelling of Rammstein and add the absolute worst parts of Kraftwerk and mix someone tossing aluminum garbage cans into each other and this is what you get.

Awful. Like putting a bunch of toddlers in a room with a bunch of pots and pans.

Nah.

Challenging. Industrial. Experimental. Not an easy listen.

Not my thing

I hate everything about this, but not as much as I logically should.

no thank you

I appreciate the artistic licence but really struggling to appreciate this one, the first half dozen 'arrangements' could use a bit of foreplay & lube, but gets mildly interesting in the middle, don't mind the albums name sake Kollaps (I think being a Swans fan helps), I'll give it a 2.5⭐⭐ (as an album) for the experience, a lot of it (for all it's wild artistic enthusias) is rather boring or painful, probably wouldn't willingly listen to again or seek physical copies, but you never know, sometimes these things grow on you

Noise

2,5

This sounds like sort of stuff that would accompany experimental performative art. Which I like, but listening to this is annoying.

Would give it zero if I could.

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

I understand the other reviews.

Tää on kyllä kokeellista ja ärhäkkää kolistelua! Näin livenä pari vuotta sitten, eikä ollut yhtään näin outo. 4/5

No niin, kerrankin jotain kiinnostavaa tällä listalla! Poikkeava kokemus, ja hieman epämiellyttävä kuunnella, mutta ei tämä mitään satunnaista sekoilua ole. Arvostan! 4/5

Lot of noise, pretty bad

2/10 - It was just noise. Not great for pre-tournament music. Best album with a jackhammer tho

Jesus christ

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.

This is the second album like this on the list? Laibach wasn't a good enough representation of this garbage, we had to have two? Just baffling decision after baffling decision. I'm really dreading hitting submit every morning. Being at least halfway through now, I'm too stubborn to give up, but my average rating is steadily sinking below 2.9

I always like to look on the bright side: It can't get any worse than this. I've reached the bottom of the list (and almost certainly of any album ever recorded). There's nowhere to go but up now.