If you are new to the old-school industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten this album might be a good start. Not very extreme but still with some of that desperate feeling that their music has. The first track is a nice monotone thingy with a choir talk-singing german lyrics and the second track, Yü-Gung (Fütter Mein Ego), is definitively a party tune suitable for any dance floor. Track 7 includes the lovely line 'This was made to end all parties' in a comforting noisy surrounding and it could very well turn out to serve as a party killer, even though
EN lovers seem to interpret the line in absolutely the opposite way.

Some of the tunes are dominated up front by the german lyrics well worth reading and accompanied by noise and rhytmics made up by samples from all sorts of metal stuff and machines for drilling, cutting and you name it. It should be mentioned that the album is rhythmically a bit square and less experimental than their earlier albums.

Halber Mench is not by far the most industrial, harsh, controversial (lyrics) or chaotic album by EN. However, the album may serve as good start for the beginner and it was very popular when released in 1985.

the first completely 'professional' produced and arranged work of Einstürzende Neubauten and the beginning of their decay. only the track "Halber Mensch" can convince, the rest is rather sterile and dead.