Violator

ШЕДЕВР. Готова слушать хоть каждый день. Честно до этого прослушивания относилась странно к этому альбом, но будто переосмыслила его и полюбила заново)

Yo this is peak. The beat is crazyyyyy show me your world dude! This is such an interesting song (Personal Jesus) The instrumentals are just crazy in this album All I ever wanteddd all I ever neeeeded is hereeee This is crazy Maybe I’m glazing after a long drought of albums that I’ve recognized by name but this shit is peak Blue dress to clean transition was clean. You know I’m a sucker for a clean transition 😛😛

MASTERPIECE The pinnacle of synthpop brilliance. Dramatic and chic but timeless and accessible in equal measure. These songs have been mainstays in my musical canon for a long time (since high school even when I would never admit I liked them) and will remain. One of the greatest bands of all time and certainly their top dog record (though they have other really great ones too!)

Excellent!

Exceptional album.

Alters your brain chemistry. One of the corners stones electronic music; a synth pop masterpiece topped with its dark sound and gothic influences. Favorites: Enjoy The Silence, Personal Jesus,

Over 30 years old now and you could’ve convinced me some of these tracks came out today. An incredible record and understandably influential for music with synthesizers.

phew, no brainer

Good

Excellent album. Probably not quite as good as music for the masses. The production is clean and clinical and Enjoy the silence and personal jesus are two of their best. Unfortunately the quality tailed off after this

one of my top albums of all time by one of my top artists

Synth Electronica-Rock legends. Music you can dance to in masoleums. But while they are known for their talents with a mixing board, their guitar riffs add an extra layer. And even if their lyrics sound a lot like English bands who are sad for no reason, they have some classic songs. Every electronic act post 1990s owes a debt to this album.

Love Depeche Mode

Fantastic album

Tiene canciones muy buenas con energía

A dark and atmospheric piece of beauty. Engaging and haunting lyrics with some excellent production.

After being thoroughly surprised by Music for the Masses earlier in this project, I decided to listen to more of their music. Violator was the next album of theirs I listened to in full and I was immediately hooked. It's dark and brooding, but doesn't feel quite as depressing as some of the music from their peers. The production is impeccable; I feel like the synth pop of today all leans really hard into the dreamy and ethereal, but this is incredibly clean and precise, and the songs are catchy and full of hooks.

I was a electronica skeptic in the 80s (still am, probably), and so I was put off Depeche Mode's mopey dramatic version of it. I could recognize their solid songs and give them their due, and it was easy to recognize that they were great dancefloor draws, but it didn't really enjoy their music until the undeniable Violator. Years later, I can see why: the drums feel natural and not programmed, the extensive use of guitars (and the really great guitar sounds they're inventing) add dynamics that don't feel gimmicky. Overall, it's got a more rock & roll feel that I love. There are a few songs that I didn't remember ('Sweetest Perfection,' 'Halo'), and they seem like the weakest on the tracklist, the ones that retain their earlier 80s electronica sound. The rest, they're all truly great songs. Not my usual taste, but I have to acknowledge this as a great album, one people should hear. 4.5/5

One of the best

Incredible album. The songwriting and production are top tier, and I love the moody vibes.

It is possible that I (or anyone) have never been more wrong about a band than I was about these guys when I was in college. This album is incredible - 4 all timers (World in My Eyes and Policy of Truth are, I think, even better than Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence) and everything else is great.

after their big 101 tour, these men only wanted to make spectacular and spontaneous soundscapes. this album is favored highly on plenty of websites, and it doesn't take much at all to guess why. depeche mode... oh, how can i describe how these guys sound? these guys have always been synthheads, from their beginnings to the present day, but i feel like compared to all the other musicians with crusty cheesy zips and zaps, dx7 patches and synth drums, these guys compose at a calculated manner. many european synth music is often industrial-sounding, and depeche mode is no different, however compared to the other big gray concrete jungles from other groups, depeche mode's musical structures sound less like big rectangular buildings and more like intricate, horrifying gothic castles. gahan almost swoops right in front of your face like a vampire, his hands cold and straight up just saying the lyrics right to your face. "nothing more you can touch now... let me show you the world in my eyes." you don't know if you're inside or outside, you're just constantly moving and there's so much shit surrounding you, objects moving up and down like you're in a factory. violator is haunting. sexy. artificial. unlike a lot of music you'll ever listen to.

Any half decent album that includes Personal Jesus would get five stars. To be honest I don't love everything else here but that song is pretty undeniable

No private session used for Spotify. I got my first CD player in 1990. I did not have a lot of money, but I went out and bought two CD's. This was one of them. Even back then I wasn't really a fan of electronic music, but that didn't stop me from loving this album. This album definitely holds up, lots of classics, nothing bad.

Несмотря на то, что я всегда хорошо и с уважением относился к "Ди пи Шмот" я никогда не слушал ничего кроме "Personal Jesus". Поэтому я даже не знал, понравится ли мне весь альбом. И что-ж, это было увлекательное путешествие. Помимо очевидных бэнгеров уже вышеупомянутой песни, и конечно же, Enjoy the silence, здесь есть приятные и атмосферные композиции навроде Waiting for the night или Blue Dress, которые оттеняются такими большими хитами, но тоже заслуживают похвалы. Не буду кривить душой, я вряд-ли буду также полностью переслушивать этот альбом в дальнейшем, это немного не та музыка которую я слушаю на дейли базисе, но это очень хороший, атмосферный альбом и прекрасно репрезентует группу. Ну и да, многие электронно-ориентированные штучки из восьмидесятых и девяностых нормально так стареют по прошествию времени, но этот альбом полностью выдерживает проверку временем. Как и вся хорошая музыка, впрочем.

masterpiece record

Depeche Moden Violator onkin aika hiton hyvä levy. Gootahtavaa synth poppia, jota ajan hammas ei ole juurikaan puraissut. Violatorilta löytyy kolme jättihittiä, Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence ja Policy of Truth, mutta kappalemateriaali on vahvaa kautta linjan. Ehkä pidän Depeche Moden seuraavasta levystä Songs of Faith and Devotionista (joka ei ole mukana tällä listalla) himpun verran enemmän, mutta eiköhän Violatorille silti uskalla lätkäistä täydet viisi tähteä.

Like hanging out with an old friend

This album found me at the height of raging hormones as a teen. It watches while patiently waiting. Building tension. Building desire. Methodical.

One of the greatest albums of its time in its genre.

So damn good!

Мой любимый их альбом)

Very 80's and very good. Holds up well over time.

Very good, very thematic electronic album that is peak Depeche Mode.

Banger beep books very cool

I relistened to this because the first time was ruined by work, and I was glad I did because it slaps. Enjoy The Silence is such a banger

What can I even say about my favourite band's most classic album? These songs I basically know by heart, and they still sound amazing.

WOW!! This is a big one. So, what I can gather from this album is that it's kind of like a dark, immersive experience. "World In My Eyes" is evidence enough of that, with its dark synths, and its invitational mantra of "let me show you the world in my eyes." It's a really good song. I don't love how "The Sweetest Perfection" opens, but it builds really nicely into a great song, and the way it progresses in like a vaguely, almost through-composed way, while still being super repetitive is really interesting. The general vibe I get from this album, weirdly, is like some sort of like futuristic upper-class society or something. Idk if that makes any sense. At the very least it feels like a very polished and pristine, yet very, very dark world. Ya know. Anyway "Personal Jesus" is an obvious home run. Incredible, iconic, and catchy. "Halo" is next, and I really love how the synths begin to build throughout the song, eventually enveloping you in this darkness. It's wonderful. The refrain at the end, "when our worlds, they fall apart, when the walls come tumbling in, though we may deserve it, it will be worth it" is beautiful and insane. "Waiting For The Night," though minimal, is really great, especially for building and furthering the atmosphere of the album. "Enjoy the Silence" is the supposed apex of the album, and I like it. I prefer a lot of the other songs on here, but it's a really great, really interesting song, especially with its strange outro. I adore this album so far. "Policy of Truth" is just a good old, catchy, easy to listen to "you lied to me" anthem. Incredible, impeccable production and vocals, and a really enjoyable chord progression. "Blue Dress" is basically a ballad, but like dark and weird. It's alright. I don't like how much it talks about happiness, a lot of this album feels too apathetic or emotionless to be talking about happiness. It's great though. "Clean" is just short of incredible, but is still a nice song, and a somewhat appropriate closer. Overall a really impressive album that I'll probably return to a lot. 9.8/10

I’ve been waiting for the night to share my review of this, the sweetest perfection that Depeche Mode ever recorded. The world, in my eyes, that they have created is so beautiful and clean that there’s a halo effect around the entire album. It’s epic yet very personal. Jesus, it’s gorgeous. Afterward, you can bathe in the afterglow and just enjoy the silence. I think it’s brilliant. That’s just my policy of truth. Blue dress.

Stately and gothic.

When like at least 4/9 of the tracks are ALL TIMERS, this record more than earns its place in this list.

Fantastic vibes.

Score perhaps warped by good memories of dancing to a Timo Maas remix of Enjoy the Silence at 5am but this is fantastic album. Could have been made yesterday

Depeche Mode's best album. Boldy and moody. I don't know, other people can write better about this album then I can

Everything a synthpop album can be.

10

Legendary…

Way to open the 1990s, with an album that sounds more violently 1980s that some actual albums from that decade. I'm a big fan of all things violently 80s, so it's a lot more than fine. This is one of my favorite pop albums out there. It's like everything I love about 80s pop mixed with some really interesting stuff from Gothic music. It's like the Pet Shop Boys if they got into their mom's makeup drawer and stole all of their eyeliner. It made some truly great songs as well. Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence are incredible hits and the other hits aren't very far behind, as goofy as the "when I need a drug in me / and it brings out the thug in me" couplet is from Sweetest Perfection.

The first notes of Policy of Truth WILL make me jump and dance on tables

🖤

SWEETEST PERFECTION

Synth-pop at its finest. Some iconic songs that stand the test of time on here but the whole album works together as one unit as well.

Wow, i don't even know where to put them on the map of music landscape in my mind. Such a unique sound, so much fun to listen to. Instantly recognized theme, even tho I only know Enjoy the Silence from the car-radio back when I was a kid, when you wete forced to.

Mon préféré de Depeche Mode.

Quel album. J’adore les 3 principaux singles (Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence et Policy of Truth) mais j’ai aussi beaucoup aimé Halo et Clean (ça fait changement de never let me down again sur l’autre album, alors que ça parlait clairement de sa consommation) Dave Gahan, quelle voix par ailleurs! Wow!

One of the best albums i’ve had the pleasure of listening to. no notes

Ya lo había escuchado

Favorites: - Personal Jesus - Halo - Enjoy the Silence - Clean

fuck yesssss..... not my favourite depeche mode album (why isn't black celebration on here??) but it's a close second. i listened to this a lot as a sad gay goth teen and coming back to it as a less sad, more gay, still goth adult? yea its pretty fuckin good. my favourite track is "waiting for the night", it always has been and probably always will be. the minimalist composition, the delicate vocals from both gahan and gore, the key change on the verses, it's beautiful. i love it. and of course, "personal jesus" and "enjoy the silence" are bangers too. i'll concede that the back half is marginally weaker than the front but it's still solid throughout. another easy 5. hopefully this run of high quality albums keeps up.....

It's just so damn sexy

5/5 i loved every minute

sometimes i question whether i'm being too harsh when i hold back on giving other albums a 5, but then an album like this comes along and reminds me why my standards are so high. this is fucking stunning from start to finish. Enjoy The Silence is such a masterpiece of a song that you might expect the other tracks to pale in comparison, but they really don't.

Classic

OMG DEPECHE MODE!! had this on my list of albums 2 listen 2 already, but the deluxe version.. so im gonna listen 2 the deluxe version now yippie! very very nice, i like depeche modes style alot! nice vocals, nice instruments, nice.. uh.. idk im not good at giving compliments sry. definitely going on my playlist tho

1 - World in My Eyes (the crystalline, echoey synths that ring throughout this song bring to mind this darkly gothic city landscape. Gahan's performance is commanding as always and really sells how over the top this whole thing really is. Love how this one builds so seamlessly and how the lower synth chords ring out in the "that's all there is" bits. Excellent opener, easily the best of their career) 5/5 2 - Sweetest Perfection (very gothic and very dark for this era of Depeche Mode. In hindsight, this song was a preview of what would come later in the decade for this band. Dated synths aside, this song is practically ageless; impressive for a band so bent on using contemporary tech, which has a tendency to age...differently) 4/5 3 - Personal Jesus (one of the highest watermarks of their career and a pillar of their catalogue. Depeche Mode was never quite so biting lyrically as they are on this one, and the earthen, blues rock stomp really compliments the cavernous production on Gahan's voice. A perfect blend of electronics and grounded rock with a sneering righteous message to boot) 5/5 4 - Halo (this song is pretty well carried by Gahan's performance cutting through all the synths swirling around him. There's a great variety of them here and they begin circling Gahan; this song gets quite a few points for conjuring that image for me) 4/5 5 - Waiting for the Night (the sparsest and most morose song on this album. There's hardly any movement musically but the atmosphere is palpable. It's a very tense affair that reminds me of a comedown and all the horrid feelings that fill the body. There's a lot of odd key changes here and there (maybe Depeche Mode was synth jazz all along...?) Very subdued but very poignant way to end the album, as every party has the day after; honestly, some sections, especially the looped voices near the end and the beeping "beat" could fit on a Coil song and go unrecognized) 4.5/5 6 - Enjoy the Silence (we're back at it with another absolute pillar of the synthpop canon. Lots of fascinating modulations that really underlines Martin Gore's incredible songwriting; there's like 5 key changes in the verse and chorus, and that's before you get into the instant earworm that it is. The album version ends with a slightly sinister ambient section but it takes absolutely nothing away from this banger. Incredible song all around and rightfully considered among their best; this is the last gasp of the 80s as the world entered the 90s) 5/5 7 - Policy of Truth (I've always found this one to be sadly overlooked. It exists in a weird middle ground where it's too rock to be a proper synthpop song but it's also too synth heavy to be a serious rock song. I maintain that it has one of the catchiest hooks on this album and should really be considered among their top songs. Even the hilariously dated horn synths fit perfectly on this! I just love how so many of the songs here introduce elements, take them out and bring them back, and there's about 5 unique sounds in every song on this thing) 5/5 8 - Blue Dress (very dream pop sounding, if only there was more reverb on everything. It slowly swings about like it's being played in a ballroom. I think of this as one of Gahan's more unique performances as he really has this catlike elegance on this song. It doesn't appear very often in their catalogue, so it's a welcome addition to this album. The final minute offers a sort of resolution to this whole song despite the rickety noises that slowly fade out, bringing an end to the oddly tense but very elegant dance) 4/5 9 - Clean (the creeping sounds of the previous track transition into this one, which is another favourite production trick of mine. The bassline and synths ape One of These Days by Pink Floyd though they change keys before giving way to another swinging ballroom rhythm. Gahan gives an impassioned performance here, blaming only himself for his well-publicized issues. The whistling notes that come to dominate the high end of this song is one of my favourite sounds in the entire Depeche Mode catalogue. No better way to close this all-timer of an album than this song) 4.5/5 OVERALL - 9.1/10

Love this blend of electro synth and gothic. It was such a surprise to me when I first listened as a teenager.

One of my favourite albums of all time. Perfect blend of electronic and rock.

I’ve been listening to Violater all week and i’m happy to say i’m going low 5, i love this record and can’t believe i’d never heard it before - so many of my favourite elements from New Order, Roxy Music, Bowie, and a lot all of their own. Enjoy the Silence might be a perfect pop song, Waiting for the Night is stunningly beautiful, Personal Jesus is obnoxious in the best way

World in my eyes - 5/5 Sweetest perfection - 5/5 Personal Jesus - 5/5 Halo - 5/5 Waiting for the night - 4/5 Enjoy the silence - 5/5 Policy of truth - 4/5 Blue dress - 3/5 Clean - 4/5

Very electronic, hint of bowie, gorillaz, a-ha. Reminds me of a 80s-90s horror or halloween movie. Personal Jesus my fav

In my opinion their best album album. Hands down.

Enjoy the Silence is one of the best songs of all time. Album somewhere between a 4.5/5.

personal jesus and enjoy the silence are enough to give this album 5 stars

I guess I’m a big fan of Depeche Mode? This was awesome.

What a joy for a Sunday listen. I went to high school from 1987-1990 and to be clear I was a Smiths, Cure and Oingo Boingo fan above all else and depending on the day, in that order. I liked Music for the Masses (the song Somebody to this day carries deep meaning) and the whole 101 Live thing (except Drive which was overplayed) but DM was always one level down from the big 3 for me. They were in good company: Echo and the Bunnymen, the Church, REM, U2, INXS, and so many unbelievable acts at the time. (Best 10 years in Music history.) This album came out spring of 1990 just before graduation and it was immediate love from the get-go. I recall the first time hearing World in My Eyes on CD through Lisa's dad's stereo and being completely blown away. Of course Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, and Policy of Truth eventually saw heavy airplay but for me never tired. Lisa and I saw them on this tour and I bought long-sleeve black shirt displaying the album cover rose...pretty sure I wore it 2-3x's per week my first semester at SDSU. THIS ALBUM SOUNDS AS FRESH TODAY AS IT DID 35+ YEARS AGO and immediately transported me back to lying on the carpet in the entryway of Lisa's house playing it over and over again - I'm a sucker for nostalgia and the warm feelings and sense of endless opportunity that lied ahead. Blue Dress and especially Clean remain quiet favorites. This album was a 5 for me back then and remains a 5 today. 5/5

Favourite Songs: World In My Eyes Halo Waiting For The Night Enjoy The Silence Policy Of Truth

It’s real good

Great listen to be my first times with these guys. Personal Jesus is kind of a low point, but that's just me burnt out of the radio listens

Des très bons morceaux

"Violator" is truly a magnificent album. Dark, danceable, perfect for singing along, dreaming, living, and dying to. Depeche Mode at an absolute peak.

This was released the same year as Pet Shop Boys' Behaviour album, which has some incredibly dated-sounding keys, synths and effects. Violator, though, from a band that is also considered electronic, does not sound dated at all. Purely in terms of sounds used and song arrangements, Depeche Mode consistently made choices here that still stand up today, over 35 years later. Also, this is a collection of simply great songs. Not a dud to be found, even outside the rather big singles this album produced.

Great album favorite one so far

Solid album, no skips.

Amazing. This is electro music done right. Of course has the two singles which are great, but a lot of great and interesting stuff in between. A really together album.

Yeah this is the stuff

TUFFFF

wild that some of the songs i thought were by new order...definitely going to return to this one

All I ever wanted All I ever needed Is here in my arms Words are very unnecessary They can only do harm

An album that sounds remarkably futuristic and retro at the same time. The Disintegration of the electronic genre. Moody, dark, perfect sound.

The sequence of albums this few days is crazy. Beck, Stevie, Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, now this 90's masterpiece. A timeless synthpop record, incredible dark songwriting, beautiful (one of depeche mode's biggest strengths) vocals from Dave, but also as usual from Martin Gore. What can I say, it's a classic and I love it. 5. (Tomorrow I allow you to send something terrible)

I can’t believe I’d never listened to Violator all the way through before today. I’ve played “Enjoy the Silence” countless times, but hearing the full album finally clicked everything into place. The whole thing feels sleek, dark, and effortlessly cool — every track feeding into the next with this smooth electronic pulse. “World in My Eyes,” “Halo,” “Policy of Truth”… it’s just hit after hit. I realised pretty quickly that I’ve genuinely been missing out. Two full playthroughs this morning and I’m already wondering why it took me so long. It’s an outstanding album.

Really good album, I’m stuck between a four and a five. Every track hits really well, I’m surprised because I’m not huge into the Gothic rock vibe. But the electronic, the heads and everything on this album are great, Lowe’s all the way through.

Depeche Mode é um grupo especial. Existem outros grupos eletrônicos, mas a forma com que eles funcionam é diferente e única, e o segredo do porquê o som deles ser tão fantástico e emblemático. É simples, por mais que eles usem instrumentos eletrônicos, eles ainda compõem e tocam como uma banda tradicional. Depois que você percebe isso, a música deles clica de uma maneira impressionante. Tudo que você espera de uma banda tradicional está aqui, mas com os adornos e a capacidade infinita do arsenal elétrico. Ótima idéia e brilhante execução. Violator é de certo seu disco mais consistente. Consistentemente espetacular. Há nas canções aqui uma melancolia palpável, adornadas de ritmos incessantes e dançantes. A voz de Dave Gahan seduz e intriga, certamente é a primeira coisa que todo mundo pensa quando o nome do grupo aparece. Poucos artistas conseguem tecer atmosferas tão intrincadas e belas. É um álbum expansivo e o supra sumo do que foi o Synth Pop, a evolução natural das sementes plantadas uma década antes pelos pioneiros dos sintetizadores. Você sente aqui o DNA de nomes como Jarré e Kraftwerk. Voltando no que mencionei anteriormente, sobre Depeche Mode ser um grupo eletrônico que ainda toca e compõe como uma banda tradicional, tratando os sintetizadores como instrumentos típicos, isso permite que cada canção tenha um espaçamento ideal. Há espaço, há silêncio (Enjoy it! ba-dum-tss) e há progressão. Nenhuma faixa é estática ou previsível. A fórmula funciona, e funciona muito bem. 5/5

Me ha encantado! Super disfruton, inmersivo

Excellent.personal Jesus a popular fav but filled with haunting 80’s alt we all know and enjoy.

On my list

Their seventh album. New Wave / Synth Pop. Firstly the production on this is pretty much perfect, flawless. Perosnal Jesus is a high point. Enjoy The Silence is an all time banger ! What a track, a timeless classic ! Policy Of Truth is also very good. The ominous overtones throughout are just right without being overbearing. What an album !

Masterpiece

ovaj album je u svom žanru jednostavno savršen. ali i šire, izvrstan je. svaka se stvar nakon prvog slušanja pamti, izrazito jako keči a istodobno sofisticirano. za ponovno i ponovno slušanje. naprosto divno

defining album of electropop in the 90s , some slow irrelevant songs , the singles are danced to 36 yrs later

Amazing record! A spectacular blend of sounds that brings you into another world. Sounds super fresh even though it was released in 1990.

legendary

Album No. 0192 on my list. I had never been that much into Depeche Mode before, in the sense that I’d known a couple of songs, some of which are even among my all time favorites, but I think I had never listened to an album in its entirety. And what can I say - “Violator” is great! Not that I’d have expected anything less though. This is Depeche Mode at their peak. Great blend of electronic and rock music, great songs, great lyrics, great singing, great instrumentation. “Violator” certainly works great as an album, but it also includes iconic songs that work great on their own. This specifically refers to “World On My Eyes”, “Personal Jesus”, “Enjoy The Silence”, and “Policy Of Truth”, although the other songs are great, too. To me, there are no bad songs on this. This album is a timeless classic, and it became an instant favorite of mine as well. I’ll listen to this thing very often in the future I suppose. In the meantime, I’ll add the four aforementioned songs to my playlist. 5/5 stars!

Lush, dark, and very well produced. Vocals are full of emotion and evocative and this whole thing is just moody in a great way. Not something I want to hear all the time but I think this deserves 5 stars because it is just so well done.

Loved it. Felt like spy musc

Some of Depeche modes best songs on on this album.

i liked when he went puh puh puh puh puh

I haven’t put a ton of time into Depeche Mode but maybe I should invest more time in them. This is a fantastic release with fantastic production quality. It’s got the great synth pop notes that you’d expect from them but I appreciate all the weird quirks they pepper in throughout the record, be it the odd blurps and bloops coming in off key, the strange breathy almost tribal vocal thing they do on the excellent Personal Jesus. Enjoy The Silence… they make it weird again and I fucking love it. This album is the best 80’s record released in the 90’s fuck is this awesome and fuck you if you disagree. 5 stars

This is a fully formed mature exercise in total mastery of craft. It also dominated the airwaves and the clubs in a way that very few albums have. I came of age during "Some Great Reward" and "Black Celebration" and have a very big soft spot for "Construction Time Again" but "Violator" is very much a logical evolution from what they were into what they became.

Beautifully smooth with high Gothic influence.

I understand where KMFDM is coming from, but this was awesome

MUTHIS BABBA

Unequivocally and unreservedly a great album - Depeche Mode’s best and one of the highlights in the history of electronic music. Combining incredible hooks with a brooding melodicism, this record delivers banger after banger. Electronic doesn’t rate high on my preferred genre list, but this is brilliance that transcends the genre.

Loved this. A bit later than I thought it was (1990, not the 80s). Perhaps not quite five stars as it was not perfect, but more than four for me so here we are.

I picked the Deluxe version instead of the original - which has 6 bonus tracks. My second 5-star out of the 8 albums I've been given so far! I love the eerie yet intense electronic soundscapes, and much of the lyrics seem to be about obsessive love, in my interpretation at least. I love a good character study of a weird and fucked up person with a crush. My favourites: "World In My Eyes", "Policy Of Truth", "Dangerous", "Kaleid (7" Version)", & "Sea Of Sin (Tonal Mix)". "World In My Eyes" & "Enjoy The Silence" sounded familiar to me immediately upon listening, I must have heard them when I was very young and just forgot about them lol. Great songs tho! I'm happy that I'll remember them now. "Memphisto" is terrifyingly beautiful masterpiece that deserves to be in a film score. Same goes for "Sibeling". Apparently, from the comments of YT Music, "Memphisto" was used in SKIBIDI TOILET????!!!!! "Kaleid (7" Version)" is a certified banger, it really reminds me of the Bad Future tracks from Sonic CD (very good video game ost you should listen to! there's a US version and a JP version, go hear them both :^]). The instrumental of "Happiest Girl (Jack Mix)" also has the same vibe.

лет 9 назад послушала депеш мод и решила, что это не мое. как здорово было узнать, что теперь это не так! супер вайбовый + супер секси альбом, хочется украсть дизайнерские решения. буду переслушивать

9/10

Des gros tubes dans cet album (personal jesus, enjoy the silence), franchement banger c'est varié et on s'ennuie pas

Enjoy the Silence est vraiment un banger. Le reste de l'album est très quali aussi!

One of my favorite albums of all time

woke

I love this album

I thought this was gonna be the "Just Can't Get Enough" guys squeezing another pop hit or two at the tail end of their prime, instead I got a whole album of industrial romance. Every track is art. I've never heard this before. I've listened to it three times in the last day. This is going to be one of my favourite albums.

So fucking good

Bias forecast is maximum here: this album songs just as good if not better than when I used to sit outside my sister’s room listening because she wouldn’t let me listen with her. I mean, she was graduating high school; I was a junior higher with boundary issue: I get it. From the get-go this album brings you into a dark and mysterious world intended for shadowy liaisons and vampiric tristes. If you had ever been to the basement at The Church on Broadway in the early 2000s you know exactly what I’m talking about ‘cause this was playing there. David Gahan’s voice is both haunting and beautiful, which makes me glad he is still going strong today (check of Humanist’s Shock Collar). Enjoy the Silence and Personal Jesus have historically been favorite tracks, but this time Waiting for the Night takes the win. Policy of Truth is a close runner up. …and Blue Dress. Though let’s be honest: there is not a bad song in this album. As my daughter’s would say: if you don’t like this album someone should pee in your pants!

Random thoughts: * This is peak Depeche Mode and the one that got me into Depeche Mode overall. * I love this album and it is definitely a worthy addition to 1001. * I don't remember when I actually got into Depeche Mode but this was the gateway. I remember Personal Jesus playing at a homecoming dance when I was a freshman or sophomore. I wasn't yet a fan but I dod remember thinking that it was a cool song and weird to be playing at a dance. * I realized after getting into Depeche Mode and getting this album that I actually did know Depeche Mode before because I remember People Are People playing on the regular at the skating rink. * Anyway, there are at least 4 all-time tracks on this one and in my opinion is the trimmed down necessary sounds to make a good album. * I feel like Depeche Mode isn't really talked about enough in the alternative scene and influence. * I'm bummed I didn't go see them in 2024 when they came on tour. I really should have gone to see them as I've never seen them live. * Anyway, this is a classic that I'm always happy to play.

I love this shit.

Kenn ich, lieb ich, eigentlich so ne 95/100, aber hier würd ich eher aufrunden. 5/5 Eins der am Besten klingenden Alben aller Zeiten.

Um so I have tried and failed to be unbiased when rating this... Although this is most definitely not my favourite album of theirs, every single song on here is great and its just such a good listening experience. You can tell they were in the throes of some pretty bad stuff when making this (the frontman had a heroine addiction amongst other things...) but I think the darkness of this album gives it a depth that was lacking in some of their previous albums. Personally I just think all of these songs are great and I love all the elements of their composition. In particular I think 'waiting for the night' works amazingly as an interlude, and ending with 'clean' wraps the album up whilst also epitomising its themes and sounds. Shame it took them a few more years to actually get 'clean' though...

With deeply moving electronic compositions, Depeche Mode cement themselves as some of the best electronic musicians out there. The introspective and sometimes disturbing lyrics elevate this album to one with classic status. It might've just hit me at the right moment in life, but I love what they did here. Best songs are Personal Jesus and Policy Of Truth. 10/10, be your own personal Jesus and listen to this album.

Nigdy wcześniej nie słuchałam tego albumu w całości. Cieszę się, że to się dziś zmieni.

9/10 – Great

Track for track classic. Incredible.

Dark, moody, atmospheric. I love it. I knew the hits, but had never listened to the album. This was so good for me. 5/5

декілька пісень були знайомі. - і я щиро їх гейтила... бо неподобалися та чомусь здавалося, що цей альбом попсовий з проміжку 2013-2016тих років. Зараз я його послухала вже декілька разів, і хоча деякі пісні все ще не мої, проте більшість з них припали до душі. Загалом вау, дуже сучасний, як на те що проминуло вже десь 36 років від часу його виходу, та й я реально думала шо йому тих років лише 10.......

My dad had this on CD and he let me play it as an edgy teenager. Loved it then and love it now.

mhmm mhmm, yeah

Surprising myself here since I absolutely hated the last Depeche Mode I rated. It was an earlier album, so I'm glad for the sequencing because it shows a clear evolution of the band's formula. Yes, it's more pop, but apparently that was the missing component. "Personal Jesus" was my least favorite song by far, not because I've overheard it (I actually heard it only a few times before), but because it's highly repetitive made-for-radio slog, and ironically the least personal song in the album, considering that its topic is personal faith. "Enjoy the silence" that I did hear many times before is still a masterpiece.

muy gotico, amé

2/21 Only heard Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence before. Whole album is full of bangers! Masterpiece!

Unless I find something that totally blows me away, this will probably be my favorite album when I’m done with this journey. None of the other albums in my top five are on this list. There something magical about this album and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I first listened to it.

Favorite Track: Policy of Truth

Track 1 - cool dance track. can see myself having a blast at a club in the 80s to this. Track 2 - Track 3- Track 4- Track 5- Track 6- Track 7- Track 8- Track 9-

When to listen: feeling dark, spooky, edgy. I loved that this album's music is super diverse but always has the style of Depeche Mode coming through. Such a unique and unmistakable sound.

Relisten Wonderfully dark and sensual. Still blows my mind this came out in 1990. Fav track: Halo, World in My eyes, Policy of Truth Least fav: Waiting for the Night

Very cool

This album does such incredible things with sound, apparently I'd listened to it a few months ago which I refuse to believe because it stands out SO much in the mind. Not exactly perfect but darn close

VIOLATORS!!!! Mount up. Just kidding. So, four of the nine tracks here are solid gold classics. They still hold up. My only gripe with any of them is that Dave Gahan sings "Enjoy the silence" at the very end of "Enjoy the Silence." Kind of on-the-nose. But what about the deep cuts? "Sweetest Perfection" is an excellently seductive song about heroin, so - fantastic. "Halo" has some hilariously dated synth sounds but once the drums kick in you completely forget. "Waiting for the Night" is an incredible cut. Really glad I found this song. "Blue Dress" is so dark and slinky - very on-brand. And then the heavy, suffocating drums on "Clean" are an amazing way to end the record.. I was debating whether to go all the way with this one but I can't help it - FIVE STARS

This is sick

Ghost was great at covering "Waiting for the Night", showing reverence as well as creating the same ethereal feeling while adding their flavor to it.

Perfection. Enjoy the Silence is one of my all‑time favourites, the music video is absolutely mesmerizing. World in My Eyes was Fletch’s favourite, and I love the tribute the band made to him on the last tour. Waiting for the Night gives me pure goosebumps; I felt like I was on a different planet when they played it at the 2023 concert. And doing the waves to Enjoy the Silence with my mom in Amsterdam that same year was just magical. Honestly, the whole album is pure fire.

Really atmospheric and moody. One of my favorite albums of its era.

might be the perfect album

There are few albums as concise and purposeful in their execution as Violator. Every element feels deliberate, every note placed with a sense of architectural precision. From its provocative title, Violator, to its stark cover depicting a single, vivid red rose set against a pitch-black void, the album establishes a tension between beauty and menace. That duality permeates the music itself. Lyrically, it moves through themes of addiction, devotion, and the quiet violence of toxic relationships. At the center is the vocal interplay. Dave Gahan delivers performances that are deep, controlled, and almost devotional in tone, while the higher, more ethereal backing vocals from Martin Gore introduce a sense of fragility. The contrast between the two creates a dynamic tension, as if the songs themselves are caught between surrender and resistance. The album invites comparison to Pornography by The Cure. But where Pornography revels in a kind of raw, primitive despair, Violator refines and industrializes that darkness. It packages existential dread within sleek, accessible synth-pop structures, making its bleakness not just palatable, but seductive. The track“Personal Jesus” is a muscular, blues-inflected stomp, its minimalism amplifying its critique of dependency and exploitation, the ways in which people become commodities in moments of vulnerability. In contrast, “Enjoy the Silence” offers a kind of absolution. It reads as a breakup song, but one suffused with acceptance rather than bitterness. Across its nine tracks, Violator maintains a remarkable consistency of tone and quality. There is no filler here, no moment that feels extraneous. A solid 5/5.

Depeche Mode i deres mest gloomy humør. Dejlig mørkt og kantet, men stadig melodiøst.

1: Personal Jesus 2: Enjoy the Silence 3: Clean

In the humble words of Matt Stone's character within the cinematic masterpiece known as 'Orgazmo': -"I don't mean to sound like a... or nothin, but I think Depeche Mode is a sweet band".

This is a masterfully produced album! Everything felt intentional and smooth all the way through. No filler and the songs are not afraid to sit in a longer run time to keep the mood and ambience going. 5/5 stars.

Near perfect pop album. Feels like Depeche Mode finally found the perfect balance of pop hooks and driving instrumentation this time to create something for the electro pop fans and the hard rockers. Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence alone would make this a recommendation, but it's all good. I think the follow-up might be my personal favourite.

Goddamn, atmosphere for daysss. Easily one of the best-sounding albums I have ever put in my ears from the New Wave/Synth Pop genre. It captures that late-night energy better than almost anything else from the era. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions - World in My Eyes - Personal Jesus - Halo - Enjoy the Silence - Policy of Truth

Hooray! 57 albums in, and this is only the 2nd one that really falls into the electronic pop category. Truly my genre. Of course I've heard this album already. Of course it gets 5 stars! A slight change in sound for the Mode and we get an album full of killer tracks. Personal Jesus is the lead single, but from a pure pop point of view, Enjoy The Silence is the standout track. Outside of the 4 released singles, Halo and Sweetest Perfection stand out and even the slightly unsettling Blue Dress doesn't allow the standards to drop. I loved it back in 1990, it's aged well and it was great to be reacquainted.

Heard this many times before, fantastic album. Every song on this is great, and there's a few absolute classics on it as well (Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth). Easy 5*

Depeche Mode at the peak of their considerable powers. I have friends who love this band with all their heart. While I like them, they were never *that* band for me. But this one is undeniable.

A fantastic album from start to finish. I have listened to this album many times but never had it in my collection. 5 stars. Fave track - enjoy the silence.

A magnificent album, nothing to fault on it.

This is such a great album, there are so many bangers. World In My Eyes, Sweetest Perfection, Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, and Policy of Truth are all stone cold classic. All the songs on this album have amazing melodies, and great synth parts. High 5!!!

Where has this album been all my life? I knew a couple tracks on here, but front to back I don't think there's a bad song on it. That moody synth is really addicting. Some synthpop is garbage, this is a delight.

Iconic album. Fully deserves to be on this list.

Love love love this album. The writing, the songs, the feel of these songs are such a strong pull to this time of music.

I LOVE depeche

I'm such a simple gal, give me some synths and I'll be a very happy listener.

This album feels very fresh, weird thing for Depeche Mode but its amazing

Нельзя просто так взять и не поставить этому альбому максимальную оценку по любой шкале. Абсолютная классика. Есть альбомы, в которых особняком стоит пара синглов, но остальные треки скорее призваны заполнить пространство. Есть альбомы, которые отлично и ровно слушаются от первой до последней песни, там нет откровенно слабых произведений, но и нет выделяющихся хитов. Этот альбом - самый редкий тип. Здесь и завидная стабильность качественного материала от начала до конца, и мегахиты, определяющие эпоху. Если б я мог охарактеризовать альбом одним словом, я бы выбрал "баланс". Он не такой наивно-веселый, как их ранние записи, но и не такой декадансно-мрачный, как последущие в 90-х. Не такой синти-поповский или индустриально-электронный, но и не такой альтернативно-роковый. Достаточно инновационный и изобретательный, но не излишне экспериментальный. Довольно короткий, но очень емкий. Здесь нет ничего лишнего, и всего достаточно. Идеальная смесь электроники и рока, повлиявшая на несчетное количество групп и исполнителей. Для меня лично Enjoy the Silence вообще одна из любимых песен ever. Ну и культовая обложка от культового Корбейна эффектно дополняет и без того запоминающийся облик альбома. Эпохально.

Это база

Великое! Sweetest Perfection и Blue Dress очень недохайплены на мой взгляд. Вот тут повторное прослушивание только усилило любовь к альбому. Заодно впервые послушал делюкс версию - такое себе, до основных песен, конечно, не дотягивает.

Абсолютное величие, пик синтпопа. Один из лучших альбомов в истории. Enjoy the silence - бэнгер на все времена

Слушала отдельные хиты депешей в 2010-е,но никогда альбомами. Наконец попалась ЗЕ МЮЗИК для меня в этой активности. Жесткий хорни вайб от альбома - то, что нужно, когда добираешься 1 час до метро в жуткий снегопад. Середина альбома немного просела, но Kaleid разбудила.

Опять же повторюсь - жаль, что нет половинки баллов, ибо для меня альбом 4.5. Помимо двух самых популярных треков DM для меня бриллианты альбома - World In My Eyes и Policy of Truth. Остальное - просто хорошие треки, идеально подходящие к вайбу альбома. Но я слишком люблю DM и не могу отрицать культовость альбома, поэтому 5/5.

5. Duh.

This will be fairly obvious and easy 5 stars for me, not as hard choise as it was with Music for the Masses. Every single song on this album is very good, pretty much a perfect album for me and possibly the best Depeche album as well.

I think exactly two things with Depeche Mode: the song You'll Dance to Anything by The Dead Milkmen and the Venture Bros. That being said, I love this album so much. Even having listened to it so many times before it's still surprising how many bangers are on it.

Yes yes yes! Easiest 5 so far. Flawless album. Moody, dark, sensual, and so danceable, oh my!

I love this album so much

Personal Jesus isn't even the best song on here! Policy of Truth rules, and even Halo is sneaky good.

This is a perfect album. Every song blends and meshes so well. Halo and Blue Dress are the only songs I didn’t favorite but they are good songs. I truly believe I have a better understanding for music and how far we’ve come since hearing this album. The best song in this is Personal Jesus. They really nailed the electronic sound. Holy shit.

(100/100)

Midnight mass at a dark cathedral of love and longing. A definitive moment for goth music. Though grunge will make synths uncool for a while, when synthesizer music comes back it is rebuilt in the image of this album.

Molto esoteric brat

Very dark sexy sound

cndcjcoiajvfldo

love this album

Violator is a lean and mean synthpop powerhouse by a band reaching the height of their talent. There's no fat to trim here...this is a no skipper filled with emotive songs that hold up extremely well.

Pure dark synthpop with powerful melodic and bass synthesizers, a lot of effects in the guitars and a deep voice that lead you into a travel for the sound itself.

Incredible album. The b sides are equal to and sometimes better than the more well known tracks.

An all-time and well-worn favourite. Yes, 'Personal Jesus' and 'Enjoy the Silence' are the huge hits (bigger than anything else DM did since, and deservedly so), but the opener 'World In My Eyes' and 'Policy of Truth' are some of the album's most intrusive and impressive notes. Overall I prefer Dave Gahan's resonant vocals to Martin Gore's soft touch, but tracks like 'Blue Dress' give the album another layer. In context, this album is a triumph: proof that DM could outgrow glossy jangly synthpop, and perfect the darker tone they'd previously set with records like 'Black Celebration'. Best track: Enjoy the Silence Worst track: Waiting for the Night

Yes to all of this. 🌹

Makes sense that this came out in 1990. It feels like the perfect version of the 80’s synth music.

Haven’t listened to this in a couple of years and my god is it good. Won’t go that long before the next listen. Dark. In the absolute best way.

Perfect Album i‘d known it since childhood

Love it! 🌹

Classic

As a DM fan, it sure does feel as their milestone record where all their previous efforts were leading to. Dark, moody and seductive.

:0

How can an album from 1990 still sound futuristic. Amazing synths all over this album. Every song is catchy with Enjoy the silence being my favourite

Insane beats. At least 4 classics on this. I will be going back

A nearly perfect album in my eyes. This is the first album by Depeche Mode that I ever listened to all the way through and I struggle to say whether this is my favorite album by them or not. Either way, it's nearly impossible for me to say anything negative about Violator. It's mainstream without being a "sell out" record and (I think) helped set the template for modern synthpop artists who don't mind being a bit depressing while also not totally becoming a pop band. It's a hard needle to thread and I'm not sure they ever did it as well as they did here. I dislike gushing, but man, this is just a good album.

Magisterial - they never really bettered this but with a watermark this high you can't really be surprised. There are more DM songs that should be heard prior to death, but if you only listen to one album it should be this

Kojarzę Personal Jesus, jest na playliście Jeana, Come Back to ich piosenka Fajny, trochę mroczny, ale nie przygnębiający

Already knew some songs but it was the first time I've heard the full album. Pretty good, had fun, an interesting experience to listen to this. Every song felt different yet as if they're part of the same whole. Fave song would be Clean and Blue Dress

Instant 5 stars! Another album that gets better and better each time I listen to it. Zero skips, all bangers. Track ranking (These are all at least 8/10 songs): 1. Policy Of Truth 2. Sweetest Perfection 3. Enjoy The Silence 4. Halo 5. Blue Dress 6. World In My Eyes 7. Personal Jesus 8. Clean 9. Waiting For The Night

yeah i mean like its just so good man

One of my all time favourites.

I had acquired a copy of Depeche Mode's The Singles 81-85 from the cut-out bin at Central Station Records, so had a good working knowledge of their early singles output, and a fine body of work it is. Dark themes with light tunes, as Robert Christgau opined. But it is really just pop music for mopey teens (not that there is anything wrong with that). I remember when Violator was released, it was a big surprise. The inclusion of more rock sounds (guitars, real drum sounds even if still sampled and programmed to the grid) in conjunction with consistently strong song writing was quite to my taste. (Songs for Faith and Devotion which means even more heavily into that trend is a real favourite record of mine). The whole band is hitting their strengths - Martin Gore's songwriting is incredible, Gahan's voice is mature and confident and he sings with credibility and conviction, but the real strength is the production teamwork of Alan Wilder and Flood, who arrange and record the songs with power and atmosphere. Flood is a name that appears on a surprising number of albums on this list from the 90s, producing, engineering and/or mixing. He brings a tasteful noise to the records he works in, which really helped Depeche Mode add some grit to their sound. Listening to this again for the first time in a while reminded me of what a great album this is. I still prefer Faith and Devotion, but this is probably the better album. 4.5 stars, rounding up.

All I ever wanted All I ever needed Is here on my list Words are very unnecessary They can only do harm

Brilliant

Amazing!

What a discovery...

Well, sure I knew Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence, I have them in my playlist. But I had never listened to the whole album. And it’s stunning, astonishing, remarkable and so on. I added everything to my playlist except one song. It’s a perfect album for today, so I listened to this dark synth-pop three times hehehe. There will be only one more Depeche Mode album on the list and I definitely want to listen to more of their albums. 5/5 —————————————— Liked: — World In My Eyes — Sweetest Perfection — Personal Jesus — Halo — Waiting for the Night — Enjoy the Silence — Policy of Truth — Clean

Great listen

3.5/5. Love depeche mode.

один из любимейших альбомов моего бати. ну и мой тож.

BEST BESTE BEST

Great album, wonderful music

I'm into the second song and I'm gonna make a leap of faith: I love it.

I have always said and will continue to say Personal Jesus has one of the sickest riffs ever made. Very few songs compare to the main little lick they play. They're not even what I would consider a "guitar" band, which I think makes that all the more impressive. Depeche Mode as a band is one that I've always wanted to do a deep dive on. I've never really disliked a song of theirs that I've heard but I've also never gone out of my way to listen to them. This album was a great experience and I enjoyed it all the way through. I think this is the album in this challenge that I'd listened to the most for the sake of this challenge. Being a Friday album definitely helped, but I kept coming back to it, which is more than can be said for a majority of the list thus far. Banger.

This album has been in my rotation ever since I tried to do the miniature version of this list on Rate Your Music. Everything about it just clicks for me. It’s not one that I can listen to every day, but every now and then I’m feeling melodramatic enough to give it a spin.

A masterclass in synthpop, simple as. Solid 5 Stars.

Well, that’s obviously a 5, if not higher. See, THIS is the Depeche Mode I was expecting on “Music for the Masses”; still moody, still heavy on the synths, still rhythmically pleasing as hell, and vocally gliding on all of these electronica-influenced pop beats, but done so in a way that leans towards the UK house scene of the early ‘90s whilst blending in eerier & haunting tones reminiscent of the late 80s bands that laid the groundwork for the grunge to come. This album is a very last gasp of the Kate Bush style of ‘80s production, refined & blended to a point where it feels like the first true album of the 1990s. Hell, it came out in March, so it may as well be. If I’m struck by anything, it’s that the production work here, especially in the percussion, feels like it could be just as common in 2025, with a surprising amount of tracks feeling sort of Jack Antonoff-esque. A lot of my praise from “Music for the Masses” still applies here, in the sense that all of the instrumentals are still crafted like hip-hop beats with the ability to shift the momentum of a track on a dime. The vocals are still monotone yet great & that spatial awareness I praised is even better here, so maybe this isn’t the “Depeche Mode I was expecting”, as opposed to the version of Depeche Mode I’m most familiar with. It’s probably due to my adoration for “Enjoy the Silence” & “Policy of Truth” as examples of pure synthpop dopamine. Seriously, two of the best instrumentals of this style / era of music put to tape. I wasn’t as familiar with “Personal Jesus” until the Johnny Cash cover we got on “American IV”, but hearing the original here, I’m just stunned they were able to translate it so well for Johnny’s version. Of the other 6 tracks here, they all clicked REALLY well, with “World In My Eyes”, “Halo”, & “Waiting for the Night” as my favorites. “Blue Dress” stands out as the only one a little out of place, but it’s still well done in its own right. I’m a little bit pressed for time, so I can’t gush about these in the way I want to, but they’re all hypnotically good, & the ambiguously moody tones this album takes creates a great atmosphere that feels unique for its time – a darker version of Eurythmics would be the easiest way to describe it, but I pictured it like a noir movie in a dance club, and I just felt captivated by it the whole time. It’s a breezy 47 minutes that’s impossible to not find a groove in, and I think it makes for a great album. Hence, a very easy 5, if not higher. I really wish there were more Depeche Mode on the list, but I’m definitely gonna listen to more of them in my own time.

Overshadowed by Plastic Ono Band, this is Lennon and his poppiest, his most optimistic and his nastiest. An incredible statement.

Incrível!

This was a nice listen after the week of crap leading up to it. I had already peeled away from DM at this point, but with over half of it being top notch songs in heavy rotation at the time…and since, it deserves a full rating. Some nice flashback memory triggering too.

Sweet relief from a week of truly mind-numbing albums. The only decision here is do I go 4* or 5*? And you know what? Fuck it. I like three songs on here enough to round up. Not my cup of tea genre-wise, but this is clearly one of the best of the best of its ilk. 4.25/5

Perfect. Just perfect. If you were to have asked me at the start of this process what I thought the best album on the entire list was, based on those I would've been familiar with at that time, Violator would have been a firm contender if not the album I'd have suggested. That could well remain the case after I'm finished in two and a half years time. A masterful marriage of darkness, wistfulness and charm.

Enjoyed

Top album, lekkere nummers, dikke sound

PEAAAK PEAK ALBUM. Got so happy when this loaded up. Back to back BANGERS every album is a hit in my books. Personal Jesus is one of my favourite Depeche Mode songs of all time, but I really enjoyed Halo and Blue Dress which were first time listens for me today. Enjoy the Silence is obviously iconic, I will never get sick of that song.

Electronic new wave, synth pop peaked and ended all at once with this record

remember when you smeared honey all over joe's dorm room door because he fucked a hitchhiker even though you were fucking both Chris and Sean and finally when driving route 90 clean came on and you were crying so hard you had to pull over? good times

Depeche Mode fuckin rules, man

One of my top 5 albums of all time

Love it! Love it!

Luscious album. Loaded with bangers. Haven't heard it an album. Depeche from the 90s.

An absolute classic.

Very good album, some classic songs!

4.5 (47:02, 9 tracks 1990, 7th studio album), late generation Synth Pop I find it hard to believe that this was released in 1990 not because it seems newer but I could have sworn I listened to it in the late 80's, probably because Personal Jesus was released so long before the album. Contains so many hits - going to edge it to a 5 - may reflect later and downgrade to 4

The first album for me that I was even vaguely aware of beforehand. Some classic numbers. Listened while reading Dungeon Crawler Carl book 6, and it was surprisingly well suited.

This might be my favorite Depeche Mode album. So many of my favorite songs of theirs are on it.

Awesome!

Depeche Mode is one of those bands that I never actively listened to (despite knowing a few of their songs). It's solid music. Great sound, perfect ambiance. Very enjoyable. I'm debating whether it's a 4 or a 5.

I liked this a lot and not just the songs I knew. Slightly long, didn't really need the instrumental tracks, but fantastic.

this is a genuine no-skip, perfect, utterly original feeling album. wow

Hard to argue with Your Own Personal Cheeses

Just great, filthy synthpop. This album is so moody and feels so much better than other stuff coming out at the turn of the decade. And then on top of that, it's got some of their biggest hits on. Good shit.

Banger album. Favorite track: Enjoy the Silence

Words are very unnecessary so no review

Definitely on my top 5 albums of the 1990s. This is an album I'll listen to a few times a year. While the last two tracks may seem to drag, I still find the whole thing a blast.

Loved it

Для меня этот альбом был всегда переломным у Depeche Mode.

mesmerizing flowing goth'n'roll masterpiece

I have this one as well as the single.....5/5 naturally

"Violator" is the seventh studio album by English electronic band Depeche Mode. Synth-pop, electro pop, alternative rock, dance and gothic rock are the Wiki-listed genres. That about covers it. The album was produced by Flood and the band and resulted in a record, bigger, bolder and more anthemic than their previous releases. Depeche Mode is Alan Wilder, David Gahan, Andrew Fletcher and Martin Gore. The success of the preceding singles "Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence," had the band on the cusp of international superstar stardom which they would achieve after the lease of this album. Commercially, the album reached #2 in the UK and #7 on the US Billboard 200. Most of the initial reviews were positive although some say it catered to the fickle teenage demographics. Retrospectively, critics cite it as the band's most consistent effort. "World In My Eyes" opens the album with wobbling and echoing synth keys. An electronic dance beat. Gahan comes in with seductive vocals as he that stresses love, sex and pleasure are positive things. A very hypnotic melody. Speaking of hypnotic, bells and Gahan's call of "reach out and touch faith" introduces us to "Personal Jesus." The iconic Western-sounding synth/guitar melody and beat. Lots of details with the beats and sounds of breathing. About idolizing someone and how they can become a savior. The band throws in the dance house beats in "Enjoy the Silence." Another classic synth melody. Finding the satisfaction in a relationship where words are unnecessary. The highlights in "Policy of Truth" may just be all the tiny details: the reverbing, guitar-sounding overlayed synth with the underlying ringing synth. False synth horns. Exploring the painful consequences of honesty. Martin Gore takes over lead vocals in "Blue Dress." Echoing, eerie synths as Gore watches and serenades a woman putting on a dress. Creepy, sexy and lovely sounding...I don't know if I've said all that a bout a song before. Fantastic deep cut. Big, confident, hypnotic, anthemic. Mission accomplished indeed if that is what they were going for. The synths can be deep, dark, swirling, lush and echoing. And, one thing for sure, they still sound modern today. The synth riffs and melodies are at this point classic and iconic. The production is very detailed with the added noises, beats and sounds. Gahan's vocals are confident and commanding. The deep cuts especially the Matin Gore-sung ones are just as good as the hits. This is absolutely a band about to rule the world. This album sounded great today and is my favorite of theirs by a mile. Another very high recommendation this week.

Absolutely brilliant album - not a bad track - definitely 5 stars

Bought the cassette in Hong Kong 1990. Have always loved it.

I don't know how I missed Depeche Mode. I always knew their big songs, but never actually listened to their albums. This is really good. Beautifully crafted music. Excellent!

One of the best albums of the 90's if not all time. Halo is my favourite track though overshadowed by the amazing singles.

This is perfection.

Un disco intenso. Excepcionalmente producido. Histórico. Muy importante para mí.

I've never been a big Depeche Mode fan. But I've also never listened to any of their albums all the way through. I'm finishing a 2nd listen as I write this and more than anything I am struck by how this is, on the one hand, obviously early synth pop, but on the other hand there are a surprisingly large number of timeless songs--songs that to my ears at least still sound good 35 years later. And that's not easy to do. There are a lot of classic early albums that, while you can appreciate them now for what they represented then, fall flat so many years later, at the very least, or are even boring and bad, even comical. Not every song is solid here. At least a couple do fall prey to the trap of their time, sounding comically kind of dumb now. I think Mephisto is a great (bad) example in this vein. Their attempt at moody drama is laughably tame, like a toddler jammin' on a fisher price keyboard, compared to what musicians have been able to do since with better tech. So, if I could give this 4.5 stars, I think that's where it lands for me, but I'm going to round up, given how much its grown on me with only 2 listens.

Well, if this isn’t an album about addiction and drug use, I don’t know what it is. It’s spooky and has multiple, well placed bangers. It’s like if The Wall was super danceable.

No skips

I'm Sorry, WHAT!? It was only a week ago I was listening to Music for the Masses and just not getting it. It was fine, but it really didn't do it for me. Only yesterday I was lamenting that I had another Depeche Mode album to get through, and I really came into this one with such reluctance to even start it... ...and it's one of my favourite albums to date. I don't know why. By all rights there's no good reason why this album and the other one should be so wildly disparate in my assessment of them - they're two very similar, back-to-back albums by the same artist, with similar style and vibe, and yet for some unfathomable reason I had to press on through that one, but I absolutely adore this one. My shock is immeasurable and my day is made.

so fire i was like wow this is good but also i was like this feels cringey like NIN but at the end of the day it was so good i liked its weird dark romantic energy it was like the smiths but scarier

An all-time favorite. Violator is the DM zenith. Everything they’ve ever done well coalesces here. The production is pin perfect, sharp, and panned so wide you can hear and feel everything. A monumental record.

Synthpop meets goth and it’s really really good

I thought I was gonna hate this. It was actually fantastic. Pretty consistent and great for a long library session

Masterpiece

Depeche Mode didn’t fit in, but neither did the kids who loved them.

I was already a fan of this album, great stuff.

What a great record. I think it was the first CD I ever bought. Haven’t listened to it in probably 30 years. It was good to revisit an old favorite.

-such an incredible album. had such a chokehold on me during my Depeche Mode phase in 2023. so many consistently amazing songs, it feels like a great closer to to the 80s synth pop era and highlights the absolute best of the genre -Favorites: World In My Eyes, Sweetest Perfection, Personal Jesus, Enjoy The Silence, Policy Of Truth

Tunes from start to finish

The album that got me into Depeche Mode. Easy 5.

Need to get a vinyl

Brilliant

Amazing

First the gushing stuff. Violator is a perfect pop album. “Enjoy the silence” is so stupidly good a song on every level that to even attempt to articulate how brings tears to my eyes. “Personal Jesus” was handpicked by Johnny Cash for elevation into the canon of folkishly important works, and fair enough. Depeche Mode on Violator remind me as much of Joy Division as they do New Order, stirring in me inspiration for some dreadful, fanfic fantasies. Ok, enough gushing. Really, the only thing that dates Violator is its Anton Corbijn (director of Ian Curtis biopic Control) designed front cover, and only then because its mix of elements so neatly captures what the 90s would come to look like – the blocked out red and white rose that anticipates the “distorted nature” symbology of grunge, alt rock; that label top right (the grey rectangle housing the band’s name, laid out in Helvetica Neue Black and with alternating fill and outline) that sets the tone for maybe a million choices in graphic design studios across the decade; the italic title, which set out alongside the roses, nods back to the late 60s, Warhol, the Velvet Underground and Nico in a way so much of 90s culture was keen to. Nevermind. It’s all gushing stuff. Perfect album.

Hit på hit... lyder stadig moderne

Veramente top album, da recuperare in vinile assolutamente.

Reach out and touch faith!

I love it. Very 80's

Awesomeness

That’s how you do it more or less

Enjoy the…wonderful cover by post punk band Failure! https://youtu.be/-4l1R1AroMg?si=N3T-cSNoXZXRXn5i

LOVE!!!

Track 2: Sweetest Perfection …says it all. Fav: Enjoy the silence

Depeche Mode is a band I've only heard the best-ofs before, but this one is really quite gripping. And with Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence and World in My Eyes on one album it's hard not to go high.

A classic!

# In-Depth Review of *Violator* by Depeche Mode Released in 1990, *Violator* is Depeche Mode’s seventh studio album and widely regarded as their creative and commercial zenith. With this record, the band transcended their synth-pop origins to deliver a dark, seductive, and emotionally resonant masterpiece that continues to influence artists across genres. --- ## **Lyrical Themes** Martin Gore’s songwriting on *Violator* is steeped in **guilt, obsession, spiritual conflict, and sensual decay**. The lyrics often blur the sacred and the profane, exploring how love, addiction, and power intersect in toxic ways. - **“Personal Jesus”** is a sardonic take on religious and romantic idolatry, inspired by Priscilla Presley’s memoir about Elvis. It’s both a critique of blind faith and a seductive anthem of devotion. - **“Enjoy the Silence”** meditates on the futility of language in expressing love or truth. Its central thesis—*“Words are very unnecessary / They can only do harm”*—is one of Gore’s most iconic lines. - **“Policy of Truth”** warns that honesty can destroy relationships, a rare philosophical twist in pop music. - **“Blue Dress”** is unsettling in its voyeuristic intimacy, exploring control and submission with a subtle, perverse elegance. The album’s lyrical tone is **consistently bleak**, but it’s elevated by poetic subtlety and emotional ambiguity, avoiding shock value in favor of psychological depth. --- ## **Musical Style and Production** Musically, *Violator* is a **landmark fusion of electronic and organic textures**. Producer **Flood** (later known for his work with U2 and Nine Inch Nails) helped the band strip down their demos and rebuild them with **minimalist precision and atmospheric depth**. - **Synths** are used not as flashy gimmicks, but as **emotional textures**, often sparse and haunting. - **Guitar** makes its most prominent appearance yet in a Depeche Mode album, especially in tracks like “Personal Jesus” and “Clean,” adding a bluesy, gothic edge. - **Drum programming** is tight and restrained, allowing space for Gahan’s vocals and Gore’s melodic sensibilities to breathe. The production is **icy, spacious, and cinematic**, creating a soundscape that feels both intimate and vast. Songs like **“Waiting for the Night”** and **“Halo”** are built on subtle pulses and ambient layers, evoking a sense of nocturnal isolation. --- ## **Key Tracks** | Track | Highlights | |-------|------------| | **World in My Eyes** | A seductive opener that sets the tone with its blend of hedonism and detachment. | | **Personal Jesus** | A genre-defining single that fuses gospel swagger with industrial rhythm. | | **Enjoy the Silence** | A masterclass in emotional restraint and melodic grandeur. | | **Policy of Truth** | A sleek, guitar-driven track with one of the album’s most memorable hooks. | | **Clean** | A haunting closer that uses metaphor to explore redemption and relapse. | --- ## **Cultural Impact and Influence** *Violator* was a **commercial juggernaut**, spawning four hit singles and selling over **15 million copies worldwide**. It helped **break electronic music into the American mainstream** and paved the way for darker, more introspective pop and rock acts. - Artists like **Marilyn Manson**, **The Black Queen**, **Miracle**, and even **Johnny Cash** (who famously covered “Personal Jesus”) have cited the album as influential. - The album’s **visual aesthetic**—black leather, religious iconography, and stark minimalism—became iconic in its own right. - It’s often cited as a **bridge between synth-pop and industrial/alternative rock**, influencing bands like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead. --- ## **Pros and Cons** ### ✅ **Pros** - **Cohesive atmosphere**: The album maintains a consistent mood without becoming monotonous. - **Lyrical depth**: Gore’s writing is poetic, ambiguous, and emotionally resonant. - **Production innovation**: Flood’s minimalist approach set a new standard for electronic music. - **Timeless appeal**: The songs still feel fresh decades later. - **Cultural significance**: It redefined what electronic music could be in the mainstream. ### ❌ **Cons** - **Emotional heaviness**: The album’s relentless darkness can be emotionally exhausting. - **Limited vocal range**: Dave Gahan’s baritone is iconic but may feel one-note to some listeners. - **Lack of sonic diversity**: While cohesive, some tracks blur together without close attention. - **Not beginner-friendly**: The album’s bleakness and subtlety may not appeal to casual listeners. --- ## **Final Verdict** *Violator* is not just Depeche Mode’s best album—it’s a **landmark in modern music**. It took the synthetic sheen of '80s pop and infused it with **gothic soul**, **existential dread**, and **emotional vulnerability**. It’s a record that **rewards repeated listens**, revealing new layers of meaning and sonic detail each time. For those willing to embrace its shadows, *Violator* remains a **masterpiece of mood, melody, and menace**—a haunting soundtrack to the darker corners of the human experience.

The sweetest perfection indeed.

Gotta say, while I've always liked this album, a lot of the stuff on it that I didn't really focus on is a vibe now. Stuff like World In My Eyes and Halo are fantastic. There is some stuff I'm still not vibing with such as Personal Jesus (Electronic goth country is just a really fuckin' weird mashup. Although I'll say I'm not hating it as viscerally this listen around). Obviously tracks like Enjoy the Silence are standouts, but my absolute favorite has got to be Policy of Truth. It gets heavy rotation on my karaoke Playlist. The lyrics for Depeche Mode tend to be pretty great and unique too. Usually a dark loneliness and isolation, with touches of sexual submissiveness (usually not my thing, but works really well in the context of Depeche Mode's sound and Gahan's vocals). Overall, I went into this expecting to know what I was getting into and what I was gonna give it, but it's just hitting perfectly today (with the exception of my continued dislike towards Personal Jesus). Full marks.