Violator

A bit repetitive. There’s only so much of the Depeche Mode “sound” I can take in one sitting, but this album has some classics like Enjoy the Silence and Personal Jesus.

Depeche mode is always a banger. Personal Jesus and halo are the top tracks

Mye bra, litt daukjøtt

Bit too 80s for what was coming out at the same time, seems like it wasn't keeping up with the impending rave styles

A really good album, UT I'm not a huge fan either Depeche Mode nor of 80s electronic music in general. But this is a good one. 3.5 🌟

3 for nostalgia

Depeche Mode. Ikkje feil, ikkje favoritt. Men enda bra. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cool

DM always seemed about making dance music that wanted to be taken seriously. It’s not a formula that has ever added up for me, save for the very occasional breakthrough exception (e.g. “People Are People”) that proves the rule. “Enjoy the Silence” and “Policy of Truth” are best songs. I’ve always found the unforgettable bounce and hook of “Personal Jesus” more annoying than anything, the lyrics just silly (and likely intentionally provocative). This might be as good a record as this genre can produce, and it’s interesting to me how big and popular DM got, but that just proves another rule: broad popular taste can’t be trusted. Thought I’d like this more after all these years, but, sadly, no.

Personal Jesus is a banger. Legitimate slaps. For me personally it brings back memories of being ~14 year old, playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, driving around the desert in a convertible, and blaring this song through the car speakers. Enjoy the Silence is also a genuine certified slapper. The ending is very weird. The rest of the album isn't as strong for me and doesn't offer anything in the same level of quality as Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence. Either way, the few tracks that stand out on this album warrant a 3/5 at the least as they are staples in this electronic genre.

OK. Much better than Music for the Masses.

All in a minor key

Not bad, kind of representative of the genre at the time.

Personal Jesus is great. The rest doesn't come close. All electronic riffs and beats, trying to write another Personal Jesus, but unfortunately, they only managed it once.

Personal Jesus & Enjoy the Silence are bangers, but the rest didn't do much for me at all 2.5

I dont love or hate any of the songs I just wasn’t interested the whole album so a bit meh for me

Not fan of Depeche Mode but if you have to listen to one of their albums this is the one. Has a lot of their hits.

Depeche Mode was an MTV staple back in its heyday, and since I was basically raised on MTV, the band figures prominently in my memory, especially the singles, "Personal Jesus", "Enjoy the Silence", and "Policy of Truth". I'm not actually a big fan of synthpop as a genre, but this album is just brilliant. It's not "dark synthpop", but the atmosphere evoked by the music--and even more by the vocals--is dark, not in the macabre sense but in the sense of it being urban and night.

Had a few songs I recognized. Not bad. Not my favorite genre but they do it well.

Thought this was a pretty good album. Very 80s synth electronic feel to it but also had some good rock elements. Some of the songs I’ve heard before. This album is pretty complete as it’s not too long unless you add the bonus tracks. Would listen again. 6.9/10

The 90s trying to shed the last of the 80s.

Policy of truth, personal jesus. Industrial pop, some is kinda techno

Good album. Classic.

first listen great sound, ultimately a little sleepy

lots to listen to on this with interest.

Let me start off by saying: I do not like Depeche Mode. A comedian once said the lead singer is getting to the point where his skin was almost transluscent. Dude, go outside once in a while. So I was probably prejudiced to this album. The electronic percussion was particularly grating. Having said that... Personal Jesus is just a damn good song. It is undeniable. I have listened to that one song over and over again. It just runs over you like a freight train. The rest is decent, but that one song almost redeems the album for me. Almost.

I liked this album, but I was a *bit* underwhelmed by the end of it. Don't get me wrong: I found quite a bit very enjoyable, but I don't think I enjoyed it AS much as 'Music for the Masses' when all is said and done. While the production was cleaner and the album had a couple of songs I had heard in the past ('Enjoy the Silence' is fantastic, but I am not a fan of 'Personal Jesus'), it just felt lacking in something that I can't quite put my finger on. I personally feel like there were more highs and a greater amount of variety in MftM which kept me interested throughout the entire listen. That album felt like peak 1980's synth pop; maybe this record just didn't grab me as much because it was now the 1990's which has a very different sound for the decade? I'm not entirely sure. While I don't have a ton to say, I did have a good time listening to this one. I wouldn't necessarily come back to it at the moment, but it could be a grower with time. 3/5.

Enjoy the silence was good. The rest of the album wasn't bad, and I can see how people like it. I didn't mind it but also wasn't particularly drawn by this album, I found it a bit boring. I guess it's not really my style.

There were a few good hits to hear but overall not my favorite style of music.

Kolejne Depeche na liscie, ale tym razem bardziej kojarze album, ktory jest siodmym w ich studyjnej dyskografii, wydany w 1990, wiec troche minelo od muzyki dla mass i czuc wyrazna zmiane w stylistyce bandy, nadal popowo, bardziej rokowo i mocno elektronicznie, slychac takze influencje z muzyki muzyki klasycznej, jak kompozycja na traku clean, cos jak pimpf na poprzednim piku od nich, najbardziej jednak zaskoczyly mnie wokale pana Gore, tym razem o wiele bardziej pasujace do tonu krazka, ktory melodycznie celuje w spokojne uptempo, a lirycznie opowiada o hedonistyczym stylu bycia zycia, od dobrych dziewczym, po ladne narkotyki, wiec pasuje do podejscia bandy do nagran w tamtym okresie, work hard and party hard, a jednoczesnie lubic to co sie robi i sprzedac jako komercyjny sukces jest sztuka, ktora sie tutaj udala, hajlajtami jak dla mnie beda traki ktore gdzies juz mialem osluchane, wiec personal jesus czy enjoy the silence, ale na plejce ich nie bylo jeszcze, bo jednak dosc elektroniczne traki jak na moja liste

"Enjoy the silence" deserves its own place on this list. One of those songs that are so recognizable that is tough to forget. Maybe it's overused and that is the reason it is a classic, but listening to it in the context of the album makes much sense. It's an extremely nice song. The rest of the album? Well, it's nice. Sounds fresh even after more than 30 years and this is a nice thing, but it could be better if it had fewer songs. After all songs, it starts to sound repetitive.

Fun stuff but I find with Depeche Mode it really depends on how I am feeling that day and today I wasn't really feeling it. Loved the production on it. 3.5/5

I mean, Personal Jesus deserves 5 stars itself and Enjoy the Silence is one of the greatest songs ever recorded but, the rest of the record is a bit boring.

Die Singles sind geil, der Rest geht so bis ok. DM fand ich ja damals gar nicht so gut, weiß sie erst mit zeitlichem Abstand mehr zu schätzen.

Very smooth baby yea, moderate 3

A few great songs on here but Depeche Mode never really did anything for me. This album is the same. Mostly forgettable with a few gems thrown in for good measure.

Exactly what I expect from Depeche Mode tbh. Only a 3.5 for me though.

It's good pop. I'd heard the hits, hadn't heard the filler tracks; really awkwardly written lyrics but they get the point across. I want to listen a bit more, I think. It didn't do much for me.

The instrumental wizardry on this project would make the 80s club movement proud. However, my ears weren’t entirely satisfied. It seems Depeche spent so long fine tuning violator for electronic ears that it lost touch with its pop potential in such a way that makes it not quite worth revisiting.

Initial thoughts: this album is what seeing neon colors at midnight sounds like Fav from album: enjoy the silence or personal jesus 3

Moody funk

Tikje overschat. Twee geniale nummers, de rest is mediocre.

Beter als verwacht, was opzich wel chill

Vibey Edge Lorde vibes To electronic for me 7/10

much darker and weirder and deeper than I remembered it being - some great sounds and hooks and songs, but it fades towards the end

Rather boring, other than the 2 hit songs. It was only when Songs of Faith and Devotion came out that I started genuinely gravitating towards Depeche Mode.

It's good, there's no doubt about that, it's just not my jam

I remember when this album by was new and when "Personal Jesus" was causing a fuss. (And the American entertainment television reporter, did she still think Depeche Mode were "America's favourite rock 'n' roll band?") This is exactly the kind of goth rock the world needed to ease the way from the 80s into the 90s. Time to say goodbye to the rough and into the smooth disguised as the rough. There's also the irony of Dave Gahan singing about being "clean" but maybe he meant it in a spiritual rather than chemical way.

Personal Jesus was the best song in the album

Varmasti ko. orkesterin ainoa levy jonka jaksaa kuunnella mielenkiinnolla alusta loppuun asti. Ei silti mikään mestariteos ja voisin kuolla kuulematta tätä(kin) levyä.

Came into this without having listened to much Depeche Mode before. I'm generally not into 80s synth music. I think the only Depeche Mode connection I have is the Johnny Cash cover of Personal Jesus for this record. In general I enjoyed listening to this. I liked the first half better than the second half. Enjoy the Silence in particular was tough to get through for me for some reason. But the first few songs were pretty good. Probably not something I'll revisit too much if ever but interesting and enjoyable generally.

Weak start, but strong finish. Two major hits. Surprised I enjoyed it so much?

No soy fan de Depeche Mode, los he escuchado a menudo, reconozco su valía pero nunca compré sus discos ni fui a un concierto suyo. Este disco creo que es su mayor éxito comercial: Personal Jesus, Enjoy the silence y Policy of Truth. Se merece estar en esta lista.

Two good songs, the rest of the album not for me.

Very classic Depeche Mode. A very modern and polished sound, the quality of the production is excellent. I know many of the songs very well, and a few I know I've heard before but seemed new to me. Overall, I definitely enjoyed revisiting this one. 3/5

The sweetest perfection To some listeners The slightest correction Not really my bag But some nice stuff going on

Prefer the earlier albums when they weren’t so po-faced and pretentious

Electronic ain't really my bag, so doesn't really do it for me. Don't feel very well qualified to critique it. Personal Jesus is one cut I'm familiar with and I can get into.

Li will need to listen to this again. Only personal Jesus and clean caught my ear.

It’s Depeche Mode. I took some time while listening to look into where and what this album meant in the grand scheme of things for the band and it states that is a “more stripped down” sound/production for the band but I do t hear it. It is solid, entertaining, rhythmic yet frightful at times yet at the end of the day it is what I expected it to be.

Well, it's definitely a Depeche Mode album. Nice 80s vibe there. Very listenable. Personal Jesus noteworthy track.

I have a British mate who lists DM as his fav band of all time. I completely appreciate the high production standard of this album, but it's not for me. I just can't plug into it. Even fan favourite 'Personal Jesus' doesn't do a lot for me. Can hear where Trent Reznor got a lot of his inspiration from though.

Decent album. Personal Jesus is the obvious standout, though there is a similar vibe to several of the songs.

Often, based on the band name I have avoided listening to them because I have a preconceived idea what the music will sound like. Depeche Mode, a perfect example! They sound just as I imagined, end of review...actually, I understand why they are popular. The music is infectious and quite dance-able and I don't hate the music, but I will probably avoid it in the future.

Aside from the 2 lead singles it’s all a big droning and monotonous. Nearly tempted to push it to a 4 on the strength of Enjoy the Silence.

Cool vibe but fairly dull for a sizeable chunk of it.

In what is one of their most impactful works, Depeche Mode helps innovate a darker side of Electronic Music. The lyrics are haunting while the melodies push the genre into new areas, but the length of several tracks and grooves leave something to be desired though.

I understand why people enjoy Depeche Mode, and I am one of those people. Not my favorite album though

I liked the hit songs that I recognized, the rest didn’t really do too much for me

Cool synth sounds and an iconic voice. I didn't realize this record didn't release in the 80s. Definitely, some tracks that are part of my musical consciousness, but I doubt I would get super into the rest of the catalog.

I enjoyed this album. My favorite songs were mostly ones I already knew, but I enjoyed a few others as well. I added Blue Dress to my current playlist.

Some great songs, along with some duds that make the album a lot less enjoyable.

Very retro vibe with video like synths and instrumentation. Vocals deeper and songs slow.

A decent, clean, and consistent piece of synth pop, although a bit too breathy and gothic for my taste. When Depeche Mode uses more creative instrumentals, a slightly funkier sound such as on Personal Jesus and a stronger disco sound such as on Enjoy the Silence, they are excellent. The rest of the record sounds mostly the same, with lyrics that are unengaging to me personally and sometimes repetitive. A 3/5 is a good score.

I've never heard this album as a whole before, but I've heard a few of the tracks many times. This album was so big when it came out, it was hard to avoid. Violator is a darker version of Depeche Mode than their earliest work. Their debut album "Speak & Spell" almost has a pop music sound compared to the somber and sometimes creepy tones of "Violator". The opening track, "World in My Eyes", is dark musically and lyrically. This song gives me the creeps. There are some tracks that I would listen to again (4 stars). "Enjoy the Silence" is my favorite track on the album. "Personal Jesus", and "Policy of Truth" round out a trio of tracks that I would repeat. On a side note, Johnny Cash's cover of "Personal Jesus" is worth checking out. His cover carries a portion of the same somber mood as this album. Even if I didn't find "World in My Eyes" so creepy (2 stars), this album would get the same score from me overall (3 stars, but solidly in the 3s).

V enjoyable actually. Particularly liked Kaleid.

Ok. Very 80’s.

Not much to say other than great album and great band. Much more my kind of thing than a few of the previous albums. Enjoy the Silence and Personal Jesus the obvious standouts but even the album tracks make me want to dance around the kitchen annoying the shit out of Kajsa.

If the members of Kraftwerk went through a goth phase they would make this album. Very unique sound.

Its unique enough, but across the album it all sounds pretty much the same.

It has a cool sound, I like the production style. The tracks were often a little hit and miss for me though

3/5 naaah, a couple of memorable songs, but nothing much

This teetered on a 2* for me but I think there was just about enough enjoyable on there plus personal jesus and enjoy the silence I really like to make it worth a listen. 3*

A bit too samey on the whole to be more than a 3. At least 4 quality tracks though.

I quite liked this. 2 or 3 good songs, mainly the singles. The rest of the album is good.

Fine, but a bit boring. Hardly a jamboree of joy. I used to always turn over when they came up on the music channels in the early 00s.

Not usually my bag, but not bad for something different.

enjoyed but a bit too dark for relistening

Depeche Mode sind eine Singles-Band, das wird immer klarer. Und Martin Gore steht aus schwülstigen SM-Kram, der mir persönlich nix ist - no kink shaming! - und dem er gern zwischen den Singles den Sountrack aufs Band dudelt. Diesmal für meinen Begriff sogar etwas gekonnter/progressiver als bei MFTM, aber trotzdem. Puh. Aber auch hier natürlich wieder super Hits drauf, und so steht am Ende eine 3,4.

Some huge songs. Great vocals

They def got a certain vibe in this record. You can certainly hear its influence in many songs over the years. I feel like i need to be in a bar to listen to it.... is that weird.

A very iconic album - definitely didn't realize I had heard some of these songs before. Not my preferred style, but I see it s appeal

some really good songs on this one but it felt a bit long.

A little long but had some great songs I didn’t realize were their hits

Little slow for my tastes. Last half of the album was better than the first.

Dnf

Overall album is ok, it's Depeche Mode so it ain't bad. Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence and Policy of Truth are definitively the best songs here, standing out from the rest which are just ok.

Bändejä joita en ole ikinä ihan osannut. Liian synkkää menoa omaan makuuni. Ennakkoasenteista huolimatta tämä oli ihan mukavaa kuunneltavaa. Hyvin vahvat kasarisoundit bassoissa ja syntikoissa vaikkei ihan kasarilevy olekaan. Hittibiisien lisäksi myös pari muuta ihan toimivaa rallia löytyi.

Solid middle of the road album- Personal Jesus is obviously great, but I really dig the earlier Depeche Mode stuff where it was a little lighter! "Policy of Truth" and "Enjoy the Silence" are good tracks, I def have listened to this album frequently before, prob from my Dad!

Half listened, good but not my thing overall.

Pretty good electronica album, includes the hit personal Jesus.

Not bad, not great

Two recognizable songs and some of the rest have very good tunes, but the lyrics are hard to swallow if you are not connected to the BDSM scene and sound like they came off the mouth of a creep.

singles are good, the rest is way too edgy

Some great but some weird stuff as well

Key songs: Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, Blue Dress, Memphisto

Buh

Electronic taken too seriously is a joke. I am not wasting any more time on this crap. Halo and Enjoy the Silence are just good enough to raise the album out of the crap pile. Still, 2 "is the best I could do with this shite" stars.

なんか退屈だった。1、2曲良いと思う曲もあった。

Just a very boring album I didn’t really enjoy the listen

내취향아님..

Easy to listen to but fairly monotone, quiet and boring.

I miss real instruments :'( The synths sound so shitty and outdated. Some of the orchestral touches are quite nice, as are some chord progressions. "Enjoy the Silence" is great. But in the end it all feels too artificial, cold, dead. This isn't for me. 2/5 - weak

Coherent, but not interesting. Enjoy the Silence is just good! Disappointing that the rest of the album isn't on that same level of captivation.

Good music, but do not love the instrumental. Feels super overdosed for casual listening

Personally Jesus is a banger but I can’t get into his voice on anything else.

Not my style

Personal jesus är så klart en i grunden bra låt. Men efter Cashs version bleknar originalet. Enjoy the silence håller däremot rätt igenom. Skivans klart bästa spår. I övrigt en hel del rätt lama låtar. Med t ex sweetest perfection och Halo kan man tro att det snarare är Eurovisionsfinalen man fått på. Tycker inte heller Gahans röst håller särskilt bra. Det blir en tvåa. Varken mer eller mindre.

Bit boring. A couple tunes stand out but the rest is dull. Break the silence is an absolute TUNE

didn’t do anything for me

gibt mir irgendwie nichts. also is nicht schlecht aber halt irgendwie.. ohne depth

2/5

i gave this a couple of listens but electronic music is difficult for me to connect with

Nada del otro mundo hasta ahora

Was not happy to pull this one--on a Friday no less. Credit where due, it is definitely among the more palatable of its ilk. Couple tunes even saved to the random-mix-mega-playlist (TM). But this whole branch of... synth-y, drone-y, new wave-y, electro-pop (?) of the 80s & 90s... I'm out. Maybe someday. But that day ain't TOday, two stars

Not all albums with a popular song deserve to be on this list. 2/5

Jesus this is boring. I thought so when it was new and I still think so now. I've never understood the appeal.

i couldn't quite resonate with it. the production didn't quite age well, the electronic elements sound like a bad attempt at disco music. also, the songs felt dragged out.

Se me complica evaluar este album debido a que no son de mi gusto particular, es mas bien solo algunas canciones, estan en mi radar.

idk always thought they are ok and policy of truth is probably their best song (at least what I've heard. I think these beats are mostly pretty boring and really soulless, and he seems to just dawdle over them. some are ok though. I feel like this is 80s music in not the 90s. Favourite songs: halo, personal jesus, policy of truth. Overall around 4/10

Um eine Idee von Klaas aufzunehmen: Bei dem Produktionsmeeting wäre ich auch gerne dabei gewesen. "Lass uns die Banger ans Ende packen! Und an Anfang richtig mit arschlahmen Nummern starten." "Ja man! Und kannst du n bisschen mehr hauchen statt singen?" "Oh ja!" Bezeichnend das viele Cover der Hits auf diesem Album den Originalen überlegen sind.

Liked the song Enjoy the Silence (recognized it). The other stuff I’d have enjoyed more in my emo phase in high school.

Sonidos muy innovadores, escuchas el álbum o un tema y sabes que es Depeche Mode. Es un sonido metálico. Tiene algunos himnos como Personal Jesus, sin embargo me pasó que me terminó aburriendo el disco. Algunos temas son muy de relleno. Por eso el puntaje

I just personally can't enjoy this album. It is well composed and written, especially for it's era, but my taste has been warped and spoiled. I hope to eventually see what others see in this album. But, right now, it is not for me.

The two hits are great, the rest feel a bit like filler.

Meh

Every song is the same, you can't convince me otherwise.

I really don't get Depeche Mode...

Yet another dark and gloomy synth pop album, doesn’t do it for me. Just puts me in a depressing mood.

..

Fine

Nja, nog inget för mig. Lyssnade en gång, kändes som gränslandet mellan 2 och 3. Började lyssna en andra men bytte ganska för att jag inte ville höra det igen. Kändes som en bra indikation på att det nog bara är en tvåa för mig.

Enjoy the silence är otrolig. Personaljesus och policy of truth bra. Resten får inte in mig i synthhumlen direkt. Skulle man vara taskig kan man säga att det är musik för kalla boomers som inte kan vänta på att nedmontera välfärdssamhället

“Personal Jesus” and “Enjoy the Silence” are classics. This album is quirky and weird and reminds me a lot of The Cure. Not a bad listen by any means, but just not an album I am eager to listen to again.

The hits were great. Did not enjoy the other songs and had to turn it off as it was the background to my morning and was making me feel off.

Not my fave... the first half lowkey gave me a headache and the second half wasn't much of a redemption. All just felt a bit dark and depressing, sometimes I need a few moments of reprieve.

The vocals are great and the lyrics have meaning but almost every song felt the same.

Fav: policy of truth 2/5

Many very known samples come from this album, which is amazing! Even more so considering not a single one captivated me. Favorite Track: Waiting for the Night Honorable Mention to the last minute of Blue Dress, which may be the best musical composition of the entire album (while not a song by itself)

★★☆☆☆

Not keen on electronic music, I have to say... but I could tell the first song was objectively good. I didn't get past that though

Highlights: Waiting for the Night, Enjoy the Silence. Takes some time getting used to, gets good from Personal Jesus onward.

Only song I liked: sweetest perfection

I used to be reflexively anti- British goth pop or whatever you would call this. I hated the concept of music that was almost entirely synth and drum machine. Lately, I have been listening to more with an open mind, and while I am still not an fan of the production, I can recognize the pop songwriting chops at play.

The highs were high but not high enough. Lots of long stretches and stuff that were not that interesting.

All around meh

I still don’t get depeche mode

I'm not a Depeche Mode fan and the vocals are an immediate disqualifier for me. Album grew on me a bit as it went on (Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence), but still, meh. 4.5/10 (2.25/5)

Found this all a bit overblown and melodramatic. Not particularly interesting to my ears but there was the occasional song I liked. Felt like the scope to be more interesting. 2.5

I can see why people would like this album, but I'm finding it a little boring. I'm not a huge fan of the singer for some reason.

Synthesiser goth-pop.

Didn’t get through the whole thing, not a bad album by any means, but just not really for me.

Decent 5.1/10 Nothing necessarily outstanding Production is brilliant Voice is too much of the same throughout Not really the album for me, maybe 1 or 2 replayable songs

This is an album I have never even heard of before. Favorites: - Policy of Truth - Sibeling - Kaleid Thoughts: This is not really my jam, but probably needs a few more listens for me to really "get it". At first I liked the techno/synth sound, but personally found it repetitive. Near the end of the album with songs like Memphisto and Sibeling, the piano is featured more heavily and those songs remind me of the BoTW soundtrack. Overall, not the sound I was looking for, but I think I should re-listen when I'm in a different mood.

For some reason, depeche mode has never sat with me. I just don't enjoy the album. It's creative but I can't find that resonance that I feel with other records. Personal Jesus is a great track and a few of the other ones are catchy but they're probably just not my style.

May be a good album, but not really my style.

Overrated

This was alright. Not my vibe, but more enjoyable than most 80’s music.

I am not a big fan of Depeche mode unfortunately and this album confirmed it. In no way is this album bad it's just not my cup of tea. Enjoy the silence is great tho

Not my thing but still enjoyedle

4/10 - Favorite song: Policy of truth

sweetest perfection is odd! funny tho ig? i like the calmness of waiting for the night policy of truth kinda fun was happy that this album eventually ended. im sure it was great for its time, however not great for me.

Not a fan.

2/5 not my fav type of music very vampiric vibes

Not for me:(

It is better than the other projects from them I heard, and they are very talented at making singles. There are 3 very good songs in there, but much like a U2 album, the rest is slop that sound the same. It would be a bit unfair to enjoy the silence, which is an all time great, to give the album a one, but man was I bored and did not need to discover this ..

Pretty boring. One decently good song. The rest are not good minus a couple of sound effects buried within a few that I liked.

Not my kind of thing

i listened to their most popular on Apple Music, their 3, 6, and 7th song, pretty mid, probably wouldn’t listen to again, not terrible, but not good, boring, just definitely not my taste, really happy i listened to something different tho

One of my wife's favorite. More of a Cure guy myself.

hindi siya yung album na papakinggan ko daily

Hm not a fan of the vocals tbh i don’t really like the whole dark vibe. The synths are fun but not enough to carry the album😭

Two tracks I knew of and enjoyed but overall I’m not sure the music style is for me.

alas, it's a classic case of "yeah I get why it's beloved but I don't love it." i can appreciate depeche mode and wowee the production value on this record is incredible! but it's not for me, unfortunately* *this may be somewhat colored by my initial exposure to this album, which came from a coworker when I lived in chicago who introduced depeche mode (and this album) to me. i later discovered she was really into overwatch futa porn, and i could not "separate the art from the artist", as it were

Not for me, but shocking I knew multiple songs? I didn't know I knew anything about Depeche Mode.

Feel like this would make a great movie soundtrack or jukebox musical. This was not for me personally though. Fav: Personal Jesus

First two songs were very samey and blended into one - zoned out while listening. Personal Jesus is famous for a reason; it is a great song. Halo was a bit back to the first two. Waiting for the night is a change of pace - definitely for the better. Enjoy the Silence is the best song on the album. I was not captured by this album at all and won't be listening again.

meh

Not the biggest fan of this album. Just not to my taste, but can see why people like it.

1. UUORLD -1.5 2. zuueetez - 1.5 3. jezuz - 1.5 4. Halo - 1 5. Night -1.5 6. Silence -2.5 7. Truth - 1.5 8. Blue -1.5 9. Clean - 1.5

2.5

not my vibe, but the songs are good for the score in a movie such as clean and blue dress.

May have been great in the 80s but sounds very dated now

Not a bad album. I like Depeche Mode. It’s not ever my “go-to” music, but when it comes on it’s a good listen.

not my vibe.

2/5

Enjoyable, dark synths, solid album with good variety. But not really my genre and wouldn’t listen to it again

I wasn’t a fan of Depeche Mode first time round. Time hasn’t changed that. The songs are simplistic, the tunes aren’t memorable, the voice is plain. Sorry.

Am I eating my time with this?

Ok, I liked personal Jesus obviously but not really my type of band

This is much better compared to the album yesterday. The instrumental of World in my eyes, Sweetest perfection, and Waiting for the night were giving a thriller/horror vibe. Enjoy the silence was kind of creepy if you listen to it when you're alone. It was a retro-sounding and then bam towards the outro, silence, and then enjoy the silence, and creepy sounds. If you don't know what is playing, you'll be spooked.

Badgers are few and far between

I remember when this album came out I was never a big Depeche Mode fan. I will say listening to it now, it’s not as bad as I thought before. 2.5 stars

better than I expected

The positives of this album are entirely buoyed by Enjoy the Silence and Policy of Truth. For the rest, I know I should grade them on a curve because this was as advanced as techno music could get at the time, the same way you grade old movie special effects when comparing to today's VFX. However, then I think about how well the Thing and LOTR trilogy hold up, and you know what, this just isn't that good. 2.5 (Also realizing I hate a lot of British pop outside the 60's-70's)

It's fine - not my favorite genre of music (Euro synth pop!) but Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence and Policy of Truth were all great.

bad

Never liked them though their sound was astonishing at the time. The rhythm could just catch you for a moment.

I played poker with this guy in Shanghai. He had full body tattoos, thick spirals that made him look like a soft-serve ice cream. He had an iguana that he kept losing throughout the game. It would just roam his apartment, then he’d find it on the coat rack or on the microwave or somewhere. He’d pick it up, it would scratch his arms, blood dripping over the tattoos, and he’d mention something about iguana claw bacteria and nasty infections. Then he’d sit down and play more cards. Anyway, the point of this story is the whole time this was happening, KMFDM was blasting from huge speakers. “You guys like this? It’s real industrial. KMFDM. Stands for kill mother fucker depeche mode.” I had never listened to Depeche Mode before, but did they deserve killing? Sure, why not. A relentless German beat can convince a man of anything. This KMFDM ethos stuck with me for nearly 15 years. Now, finally, I get my chance to KMFDM, through a totally undeserved two-star rating on this website.

Incredibly dull. Personal Jesus is good. Most of the rest of it is just... drab. I can tell it's objectively good, but it's not something I can ever imagine being in the mood to listen to.

2.75

All a bit unnecessary. DM really is an overrated band.

Personal Jesus is an amazing song, but the rest of the album didn’t stand up, and it sounds dated instead of classic or modern like other albums. Respect its inclusion but nothing else stood out to me

The exceptionally high rating (3.69) tells me a lot about the age and location of many 1001’ers. We gotta have 40 year old Brit’s crawling all over this site. Did not like this one bit. A couple moments saved it from a 1, but barely made it. Out on Depeche.

There’s something about this specific vocal style of British new wave singers like this dude, morrisey and others. It’s like a melodramatic fancy boy baritone? Is there any American rock singer who sings in this style? Closest I can think of is Roy Orbison. Anyway, other than personal Jesus this all sound tacky and dated and terrible.

I forced myself to listen to this and surprisingly, I left with 1 new song I liked - Policy Of Truth I can see why people like this stuff, but my brain runs away from this dark synth pop genre.

I was wondering why this album made the list as it was some fairly mediocre early era electronic pop, certainly not as good as the giants like Tears for Fears. Then Personal Jesus came on and memories of San Andreas instantly came to mind. Still not a great album.

Kommer nog aldrig spela den igen.

I don't care for Depeche Mode. I find their melodies, and synth pop in general, irritating.

Great singles. Otherwise, not interesting.

I remember jolly depeche mode. Not sure what happened, height of the start of EDM and you get EM no D unless I’m missing something.

Remember thinking the tracks are catchy and liked the production. Lyrics can be hit or miss- especially that blue dress song eh. I think the fact i havent really returned to it too much since i listened to it a few years ago means wasnt really stand out album for me. Still do like personal jesus and enjoy the silence (i chose to interupt that as drugs lol cause i never like songs that tell a romantic partner to be quiet), but havent felt the need to return to it much and still dont

Personal Jesus and Enjoy the silence is okay songs, but the rest, not so much.

This one didn't really do it for me. This was kind of like a more drab Tears for Fears.

Couple bangers but the album is so 80s it hurts

Depeche Mid

Some hits. If I were driving and this came on, I’d listen. But in the end it’s Depeche Mode. Two stars.

I get this was some peoples adolescence and they love this album. But I gotta be honest that would be a shitty coming of age.

Growing up it felt like “Personal Jesus” & “Enjoy the Silence” were on constant hourly rotation for MTV. Alright album I guess 2.5 stars

personal jesus and enjoy the silence

Brings back memories of yellow headphones on my Sony Walkman, a neon-flashed one piece ski suit and 207 Salomon’s. I’m sorry, but this music hasn’t aged well.

Horrible album. 1.5/5

Hittar inte riktigt in i deras vibe så blir mest sömnigt utöver ett par höjdpunkter. Kanske känner annorlunda om jag ger dem fler chanser i framtiden.

the album objectively is good. i’ve known a song from the album already. but it’s not the type of music that appeals to me, though the music it self is great.

2 of the most popular song were the only ones I liked.

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Enjoy The Silence I guess I liked this more than "Music For The Masses". The synths were better sounding. That's probably about it. This is my second Depeche Mode album on the list. I am going to be pretty pissed off when these guys got (at least) two albums on the List and some bands I actually like only got one. (I don't know which bands those might be though; Not peeking at the list). Anyways. I would give this a 2.5, but I can't, so rounding down it is.

Two is the new three moving forward with rating

Watered down NIN…. 😬 Crazy this really aint my thing, gotta love Personal Jesus tho

it's kind of like watching a harmless hognose snake flatten to mimic a cobra.

# 511 : Violator So many 5 star reviews I don't understand, but it Sounded very 80's to me. Slow and dreamy in my opinion, nothing stood out and I found it rather meh. Listened : 26/06/2025

Not all that great of an album. The music feels meh, with no real omph or anything to stand out. I had to keep myself from switching to just about anything else as I was getting quite bored.

Some decent production in parts, but really nothing else good to say about this.

More synth pop…a little bit on the darker side while still being poppy and accessible. Wel arranged with some good atmospherics, but overall pretty straightforward and didn’t really inspire much feeling for me. Not unpleasant, but not memorable.

Never been a fan of Depeche mode.

Two stars. Kinda like the Cat Stevens of 80s/90s synth pop. It’s such a sleepy album to me.

Repetitive sound

An album that is neither good nor bad, a bit boring. Within the same musical genre I prefer Kraftwerk.

I enjoyed the hits, the lesser material did not speak to me

sunntigsputz chuchi und bad mit depeche mode ganz okay gsi, natürlich ein banger vorprogrammiert gsi aber de rest het nöd so em mood entsproche bruche meh energy wenni am schrubbe bin drum leider nume zwei code of conduct violations vo de numba one violators

Aargh, a poor man's Human League. I can't see the point but I see the attraction.

Not really my style of music. I made it through though.

Sounds super dated

It was ok. Enjoy the Silence is a great song, but everything else is just Meh.

liked 2 or 3 songs, I appreciate the production has cool elements, but I find it a bit boring. His voice is nice, overall not my music

It's good.

Great lyrics, not My kind of music

I wasn’t as big of a fan of this one, it sort of felt like someone was trying to recreate the Smiths but worse. Some of the more electronic influenced tracks were interesting, but I guess just not my thing.

Couple of memorable songs, but in all just sounds like 80s music

yep that's depeche mode

p640. 1990. 2 stars. Dated synths, two decent songs and a LOT of filler do not make essential listening.

Meh. It's a 2.

I don’t think it transcends the 80s. Meaning it has value as a relic but not as good music.

Somewhat funky electronic grooves that are slightly worsened by their repetetiveness, thinness of texture, and singer that feels unsupported. Best song: World in My Eyes.

Moody and dark, very monotone singer. I enjoy songs with energy or at least that can convey emotion, however, most songs on here were so flat and went nowhere.

was just not in the mood

Depeche no? Never been a fan but I listened through Personal Jesus cause I kinda like that one

Nope. 2/5

Second half is better then the first half, not much of a fan of this type of music, so I’m bias.

I'm just not quite enough of a poseur to truly enjoy, I think.

Not a fan. Too 80s sounding. It was bearable though. 3.5/10

I just don’t get the 80s.

I hate you synths I hate you electronic music I hate you Depeche Mode I hate you Waiting for the Night

Neeee - keine Lust das fertig zu hören.

DNF not my vibe. Heard a few off this album before and I like those bc they are well known, but I couldn’t get with the vibe of the lesser known songs.

This was mid. While listening to this album I went on a walk in the cold and it gave me a headache. Almost all goth music gives me an under-stimulated long drawn out feeling, similar to feeling passively sick. Luel used to play this album when we made out, that definitely didn't improve my enjoyment. Everything reminds me of him 😢.

I’ve wanted to like Depeche Mode for decades. There’s a real gift for melody, and they occasionally write absolute gems (Personal Jesus). But the beauty is buried in these tiresome recordings. The backing tracks are lifeless and bland; like robo-musak built of cliched elements. And the vocals too often make me giggle with their sophomoric rhyming schemes and weird affectations that somehow manage to sound both hammy and unemotional.

An overrated record. Bland, boring and unninovative. One of the bands whose songs' covers and remixes are much more better than the originals - some of the examples including Johnny Cash's cover and Eric Prydz' remix of "Personal Jesus".

Though I recognize their accomplishments, I still wish I’d never heard them.

Three hits and that’s about it. I don’t think it’s worthy of a greatest album list.

Better than some of their stuff but it still gets boring and sounds incredibly dated. Seriously, Led Zep did albums 2 decades earlier that sounds more recent.

det är inte rikitgt min påse trallskruv men inte heller heeeelt värdelöst

Not for me. I only gave it a 2 due to one good song. Otherwise, it was a dud.

Depeche Mode…More like Depress Mode, am I right? Good lord, this album was one giant fucking bummer. I like 80’s synth pop and sad songs as much as the next guy, but man there was just not much here for me. Even The Cure toss in an upbeat sad song on their albums every once in awhile. Not unlistenable or anything, but too much of a downer for my tastes.

Not my style

Didn't connect with the majority of the album. Like the 2 songs I know, was quite bored with the ones I didn't.

I like enjoy silence and the opening track. The production is flawless but the vocals idk :/ maybe it adds some emotion by being awful but I can’t stand it

Fine. I find these songs kind of tuneless and flat. No strong opinion here. Blue Dress and Enjoy the Silence both have long and unnecessary outros which seem to have been tracked on.

Альбом держится на двух китах: Enjoy the silence и Personal Jesus. И оба мне не нравятся

Never been a fan and after listening to this I remember why.

"The exact date and location for the moment that Depeche Mode morphed from cult British band to million-selling mainstream success would be March 20, 1990 at Los Angeles music emporium Wherehouse Records. It was here that the then-quartet turned up for an in-store performance to celebrate the release of their seventh record Violator. The shop could hold 150 people. An estimated 17,000 fans turned up. With the numbers swelling, police evacuated the band from the store and shut the place down, prompting disgruntled members of the waiting crowd to start rioting." I was not part of that swelling crowd.

I was in a bad mood when I listened to this. It didn't help. I'll try again in a better frame of mind.

Baustellenrock, SynthyPop, 1990 -> 2

weird ass music that i’m not rlly enjoying tbh and the lyrics aren’t much better. maybe i wasn’t listening well enough but the only song i rlly got into was enjoy the silence.

This feels dated for it’s time. A bit old fashioned - early 80s vibe. Perhaps that’s what they were after, but it doesn’t really make me want to listen to it again - and the early 80s are totally my era. You’d think that they’d have moved on a bit by 1990, but I guess that this was a US hit so that’ll be why it’s on the list I guess. I won’t be listening again

Never cared for DM, and after this, my view is further solidified.

point8.

Album felt experimental and a bit too repetitive, the changes in instrumentals over the repetitive vocals gave a new light to each of the verses. This was not enough to overcome an almost winding feeling of 'when will this song be over'. Policy of Truth and Enjoy the Silence helped give the album an 80s night synth vibe helping it recover a bit. Would not go out of my way to listen to it again but can enjoy certain songs in moderation. Favourite song: Policy of Truth Rating: 5/10

It sounds like period Electronic synthesize pop from the 80s. Some of it probably influence current artists but it all sounds very computerized to me not a lot of great songwriting singing or playing that my cup of tea.

very spooky

90er Elektro. Bisschen pathetisch wie der Bro singt. Die edmigen beats sind nicht so meins, wirkt eher wie aus nem alten sci fi movie