If you’re into stereotype (who isn’t?), Einstürzende Neubauten offers all that you could hope for from a German band - and more. The name consists of two fairly long words that are both entirely unpronouncable, one even having an umlaut. The singer has a horrific German accent, and it seems like he has no sense of humour whatsoever. And large parts of the music are people banging on all kinds of metal like those teutonic knights that, we’re all sure, still lurk in every good German’s cupboard.

Thing is, though, that lately (where lately means something like over the past decade or so), Einstürzende Neubauten have been working on something entirely different. I personally find those early industrial noise orgies a bit straining and tiring; but there’s very little of that left now. Instead, despite of their continued use of all things metalic everything is very restrained, very atmosheric, and quite fascinating.