Violator

emotional attachment to this one biiig memories of living in Paris and listening to this non stop, it was winter 1992 -34 yrs later it still sounds great - there are a couple of the typical slow, dark moan moan DM tracks but on the whole I still think this album kicks ass.

The singles rule the day for DM - twas ever thus. But what changed this time around: - the singles are bigger, better and more sonically dynamic - there are more of them - the album tracks don't completely suck - hooks hooks hooks

Great album. Fantastic production, an iconic sound and a couple of all timers 8/10

Overall: 4.29 (rounded to 4) Consistency: 4.67 Originality: 4 Enjoyment: 5 Virtuosity: 3.5 1. World in My Eyes - 5 2. Sweetest Perfection - 5 3. Personal Jesus - 5 4. Halo - 5 5. Waiting for the Night - 4 6. Enjoy the Silence - 5 7. Policy of Truth - 5 8. Blue Dress - 4 9. Clean - 4

This is my second time listening to this. Multiple projects going. I decided to do it again. Curious how I feel about it today. Today it gets a 4! Went back and saw I gave it a 3 before. Well… this exercise is making me a Depeche Mode fan. Straight up. I actually love Music for the Masses more easily. But this honestly does show musical development and maturity worth noting. Man, when it comes up again, it might get a 5! Go Depeche Mode! Not at all appreciated by my teenage self, adult me is getting won over one listen at a time. 4 Boolean:YES, looking forward to the three user submissions if I can cross the line. Now THAT is some LOVE

this was stunning

gostei bastante do álbum, ele tem uma vibe meio eletrônica e sombria. as músicas que eu mais gostei foram as mais animadas, com essa pegada de sintetizadores. Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth, Clean e Happiest Girl foram as que mais me pegaram.

I wanna give it a 5, but I just can’t. It’s so so good though.

다 처음 들어보는 노래인데 느낌이나 분위기가 좋았다. 중간 중간 리듬이 귀에 확 꽂히는 곡들이 있었다. It was my first time hearing these songs, but the feeling and atmosphere was good. There were songs whose rhythm caught your ear.

Enjoy the Silence & Personal Jesus are masterpieces of their own, songs that would forever remain in the sands of time, but the rest of this album is quite wholesome and epic too 💫

cream of the crop synthpop, not much better

Violator? I barely know ‘er!

This is really good - would never have imagined in 1983 that Depeche Mode would become global rock stars, and it even seems unlikely with this album. It's gloomy and electronic but the tunes are great and the production is perfect. And the cover is beautiful.

Depeche mode is always so good

You'll dance to anything

great

Cool to have recognized a few of these tracks, whether it be from the song itself or as a sample from another. Enjoyed the 80s/90s synth sound.

This may be peak synth. What the 80s were marching toward, they achieved in 1990. I was pleased and surprised that Spotify didn't have some super extended remastered version of this album, just the original 47 minutes as it was intended. I am shocked that I only knew the hits on this album. Could it be that I never listened to the whole album? Given when this was out, that seems shocking. Glad once again to fill a cultural gap.

Flere bangers, og de som ikke e bangers e fremdeles kul og behagelig. Forstår at mange elske det her

Favorite Track: Enjoy the Silence

Immensely influential to a lot of the stuff I love already, I plan on adding more from their discography after giving this a thorough listen

Fun synthy album you would only get with Depech Mode. Two absolute bangers in here and a few less known ones. Overall a great time imo. This is music to walk harshly to.

I liked this one. Obviously a bit dated in the sound. But still something engaging about it and the songs are well written. Personal Jesus is a genuine classic

For me, who only knows Depeche Mode from the radio, it was a real pleasure to get a glimpse of what they sound like outside the mainstream monotony. The repertoire expands far beyond Enjoy the Silence and Personal Jesus, which remain strong contributions to the album, but, due to their huge appeal, sound more washed out and weaker to me compared to the other songs. Their fusion of synthetic sound, dark wave, and pop makes for a well-rounded listening experience: gloomy, mysterious, and hypnotizing. Disturbingly beautiful. Love it!

pshicodelic, strange, but this album has 3 hits! Respect to this band. I heard that it's one of the fathers of electronic music.

+ Waiting for the Night + Enjoy the Silence + Policy of Truth + Blue Dress + Clean

I feel like I've just walked into a the wrong room in Rock World and suddenly surrounded by people in long black leather coats like in the opening bloodbath scene of Blade! Vampire music for 80s teenagers. Favourite lyric... "I'm waiting for the night to fall when everything is bearable" says it all really! If I'm honest my way into this was the Johnny Cash version of Personal Jesus, and hadn't heard this album before until today. The production is superb (I just looked it up and it's Flood Nine Inch Nails, New Order, Nick Cave - so this makes sense) love the tight drum machine programming, cut with the string pads and delay drenched guitars. Complex arrangements that work well as a bed for the monotone vocals, that strangely carry a lot of emotion considering how (intentionally) flat they are. Loads of catchy melodic hooks and actually a proper grower of an album the more I listened to this today. Definitely going to have a dig into the back catalogue and listen to this again.

4.5

Is it all supposed to sound like the soundtrack for a sex crime thriller like Basic Instinct or Fatal Attraction? Also Bo Burnham, that you? Legit, moody as hell but clean and creative and feel like there are a million new things you’d hear with each listen.

yeahhhhg

Enjoyed this far more than I expected

Enjoyed this more than expected, and more than my previous foray into Depeche-land. Good melodies and the 80s production is slightly toned down.

I fucked w this one generally speaking

Feels like a retrowave movie soundtrack

fun 80s antisocial music

très fort 4/5

A dark and energetic album.

well produced album, however feels a bit repetitive

Very futuristic for its time - a songwriting reminiscent of the 80s, but production is surely entering the 90s. Dark brooding synthesizers work well with the these slightly cheesy, but catchy melodic songs. Faves: Personal Jesus, Halo, Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth

Super chill. Really like the moody vibes. Similar to nine inch nails in a way. Didn't hate this one bit

7.5/10

On haïssait Depeche Mode pis la musique de tapettes, on fumait des Export'A vertes en écoutant VOIVOD! Un bon setteur d'ambiance, j'aime définitivement mieux que l'autre album qu'on a eu, des bouts un peu dep à la The Cure, des bouts un peu peppés à la Tears For Fears. Je savais pas que je connaissais Enjoy the Silence (elle est très bonne). Mais trop d'instruments électroniques à mon goût pour un 5...

Not sure if angsty is the right word for this one but it wasn't peppy. There are some good ones but some of it plodded. Again, it needs a .5 capability. I have to round up but only for nostalgia. This came out my senior year of HS.

Low-end 4. A little synth heavy for my taste but elevated by Waiting for the Night

I didn't think I'd ever enjoy Depeche Mode. This was pretty solid!

This is a great album. It is very moody, industrial and synth heavy, with great production. I probably enjoyed Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence and Policy of Truth the most, but really every song on the album was great. I love the haunting vocals throughout, which takes the music to a dark place in a good way. This is definitely something I would listen to again.

More a 3 & 1/2

I think I dig it?

As a skeptic of the genre, this is absolutely solid. Dark, melodic, and intricate.

very dramatic dance album. feels like it would fit in a john wick club action scene, giving off that berlin hidden nightclub in the cold war feel. Depressing, dark, but still dancey.

Now this is much better.

Blind album, thank you list for the opportunity to finally listen to this. Wasn't as great as I thought but still good overall. 4.

This is a wide-ranging album with a strong grasp on obscure, elusive melodies. It is a series of multi-layered and sophisticated takes on synthpop, never quite settling on one style. My favourite moments are standout singles Personal Jesus Enjoy the Silence. The only song which took me out of it was Waiting for the Night which lacks the strong pulse and forward momentum of the rest of the LP.

God gammel kending.

-This album starts off with "world in my eyes" i was pleasantly surprised by this track - leads to a classic "personal jesus" (personally i don't think its amazing maybe its just overplayed imo) its a good song that captures the essence of depeche mode but would personally skip if it came up in my car playlist otw to work. might be a bearable listen if it was playing at the local gym -the following track however "halo" is unexpected .ove the mix between the funky dirty synths and clean piano sounds. what got me is the chorus and harmony. chord progressions are great sounds joyful yet melancholic with violins - "waiting in the night" sounds like it would be in the score of the apple tv show severance. -"enjoy the silence" is another overplayed classic but this i can actually have on repeat (its that good)the guitar riff with echo >> *note* i did not know this song had an outro lol -"policy of truth" riff is so catchy perfect feel good song to get ready for a night out -"blue dress" a true hidden gem nostalgia at its finest my favorite so far the guitar riffs even feel nostalgic begin/now its over feeling -"clean" overall: themes of rebirth, going through something and coming clean at the end, new beginning, end of beginning?

Toyed with giving this a 5, I do think this is DM's masterpiece and a mostly great listen throughout. It feels dark and almost goth, but with danceable pop sensibility and some all-time great tracks. The production is great, the synths are clean and sparkling, but the energy is brooding. Enjoy the Silence is so well known but also just so good, and Policy of Truth is another banger. Waiting for the Night is one I hadn't heard but has an almost Kraftwerk-like simple beauty to it. Overall really good.

Very unique and different album. Carries over the 80s vibe into the 90s. Has two amazing songs in 'Personal Jesus' and 'Enjoy the Silence'

“Violator” is undoubtedly Depeche Mode's most successful and best-known album—in my view, it's the only one that really matters. Of course, you have to know the four singles—“Personal Jesus,” “Enjoy the Silence,” “Policy of Truth,” and “World in My Eyes”—and in a way, that makes the album a must-listen. But it never really blew me away, neither back then nor now. I like the vibe of DM, but I find the electro-heavy sound a bit annoying over time. For me, this is yet another case of “pretty good, but not top-shelf.”

Cool sounds, really nice album. Synthy, groovy, some rock stuff. Would listen to again.

Meio que álbum icônico, mesmo que eu o escute raramente

Dark and moody. The whole album is a good listen

god I would have gone FERAL if I was 20 when this came out. the end button to enjoy the silence is so goated

I really liked this album. The way that it blends live instrumentation and electronica is right up my alley. At times the songs feel quite controlled, minimalist and almost robotic, reminding me of Kraftwerk. But a lot of these songs open up to extended codas, where the music feels more fluid and human. “Personal Jesus” opens with a harmonic that sounds like a doorbell. What a tune. A proper classic. It's been covered by the likes of Johnny Cash, Marilyn Manson and Placebo, but Depeche Mode’s version is very restrained compared to the covers. You normally never hear the extended coda at the end, which is one of the best parts of the song, when it really transforms into something more free in form. Side 2 is where things get looser and more expansive. Songs don't end, they stretch out and give themselves space. “Enjoy the Silence” morphs into what is technically a “hidden track” at the end “Interlude #2 (Crucified)”. It makes it feel like, true to the track title, you've had the song, now here’s the silence, enjoy. It's trippy, sparse and minimalist, with a fantastic acoustic guitar riff, electronic textures and vocal effects that mimic Pink Floyd's “One of These Days”. To say that Depeche Mode were influenced by Pink Floyd on this album is an understatement. They seemed to really, really love the album “Meddle” from the sounds of it. There's more than a few times it raises its head on side two. The absolutely brilliant “Policy of Truth” dissolves into Meddle-esque guitar feedback towards the end. And “Clean” takes the influence up a notch, building the song around delay-soaked guitar/bass riffs very similar to those in “One of These Days”. It's a really interesting album where tight, controlled electronica expands into something fluid and atmospheric.

Super fun, i loves the chill beats

This album turned out to be much more to my taste than I expected. I had actually thought Personal Jesus was a song by Marilyn Manson, which made hearing the original version even more interesting. While Personal Jesus stands out, I was especially drawn to tracks like Halo, Policy of Truth, and Blue Dress, which reveal the album’s depth and atmosphere. I found myself enjoying it more and more with each listen.

Great listen with iconic songs

Had multiple songs i added to album, overall a good musical vibe.

good rhythm. my taste yeah

Rate: 8.5/10

Lots of classics, truly excellent.

Really good at that unsettling sound, very distinctive and some true classics on this record, I found it did drag on a bit at times but a strong album

I’d listened before but it hit a lot harder this time. Solid writing and vibey

Their best album?

4/5

Me gustó mucho, probablemente se quede en mi biblioteca

8.0/10

Such a good album. So listenable, so cohesive, so relaxing yet not at all.

Wasn't ever a huge Depeche Mode fan back in the day. Personal Jesus is still not a favorite. However, this is a good album. Pitchfork: 7.9 Rolling Stone: Top 500 Albums #167 (2023) Best Songs World In My Eyes Personal Jesus Enjoy the Silence Policy of Truth

i love the sound and style. The melodies are for the most part very addictive with depth, and sound selection is immaculate. Sadly i didnt enjoy many of the singers performances and what they did with the songs, the themes, lyrics and singing ruined multiple songs for me. Still for the most parts I enjoyed it and think it's an amazing album with a very special aesthetic

How did I not know how cool Depeche Mode are? They always kind of got lumped into the "cheesy 80s band" category for me, but that whole group is up for reappraisal, I think. Moody, layered, passionate, and quirky songs really give this album a whole atmosphere that I love. Gonna go 4.5/5 on this.

I expected to not enjoy this, i expected it to be very typically 80s with no soul whatsoever. It was very typically 80s but i actually really enjoyed it (good for a bit of a dance)

Classic. Reminds me of going to high school.

FIRE 🔥🔥 why did the quality increase so much after "waiting for the night" 😭😭

I really like the first 7 songs and then the rest was kinda whatever. But those first 7 songs were REALLY good

Liked it!

Love Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence

My rating 3.8. Depeche Mode finally hits the big time.

Good album i enjoyed it

Rating:4.4/5 I liked this more than I thought i would. It was a ride. I didn't expect a random demon voice or a sexy ballad but it brought both. Would listen again: yes Listen if: in the mood to listen to The Postal Service for the millionth time Sound: early 90s timestamp with clear indie influences to today's artists

Soft. Lo volvería a escuchar.

Heel tof!

Dark dingy and brooding. Personal Jesus and enjoy the silence both excellent. Rest a bit overlooked in comparison

Didn't know what to expect but it was actually pretty decent. They have a strong dark vibe going that isn't really my thing, but is executed pretty well nonetheless. Not an album or artist I would give another listen, but one I would recommend to someone if I know this type of music is their thing.

I liked Depeche mode, they were much more chill than I always thought they'd be. For me they were always like that music homework band, that group you should've listened to if you wanted to be able to say you know music, ironically, though I did really like this album, I don't really feel like I missed out on something truly special though.

Rv

nice listen, Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence are obvious higlights. For some reason i feel very nostalgic listening to them, I guess they were played quite a lot in the 90's when i was growing up. Their music is both energetic and mesmerizing, it reminds me of Joy Division, but less nervous and depressive, still there are some anxiety vibes. Both vocals and music are unique sounding, it is very impresive, that they sound very modern still, more than 30 years after release.

Crazy how old it is. By now there is better in that Genre

Enjoy the Silence, Personal Jesus and Policy of Truth lift this to a 4

I wasn't certain at first, the opening track felt oddly sparse to me. But Depeche Mode are not an unknown quantity and I knew there were some great tracks coming so I persevered. It gets better and better and by the end I was totally hooked.

Very good! Four stars

Con temas ya conocidos, tiene en particular uno que me sorprendió por su sonoridad

Really good album. Especially liked the last song Clean.

No i to jest płyta! Kazdy utwór mógłby być singlem, a i tak widać, że Depeche nie boją się ryzykować. Enjoy the Silence jest trochę ograne, ale tyle tu jest perełek. No i Personal Jesus na zawsze w serduszku. 8/10

Good band, good music. Unique songs. Set their own style.

Words are very unnecessary

3 canciones de álbum, son himnos, me gustan, pero creo el grupo no hace parte de mis gustos musicales.

When I saw that this was the next album, my first thought was, "Man, I hope it's that fun album with Just Can't Get Enough on it!" Nope! It's one of their depressing albums lol. There's still some cool songs on the album but not sure if this is the kinda thing you throw on for your own listening pleasure unless you've had "one of those days." Kinda fun that we go from Kraftwerk to Depeche Mode. You can see the former's immediate impact on music based on the latter's work.

One of many great Depeche Mode albums. Personal Jesus being perhaps their most iconic song. There are few bands in the electronic category that have the depth of songwriting that they do. All the common themes of pop music, of course: loneliness, heartbreak, passion, but also a level of introspection and earnestness that doesn't come off as trite or superficial despite the use of common and relatable phrases.

Jag tycker detta är bra! Mycket har jag hört förut men inte allt. Enjoy the silence är en klassiker och bra! Policy of truth och Personal Jesus också. Waiting for the night är bra och World in my eyes. Saknar gamla Depeche!

Es un discaso de lpmmmmm tiene temones emblema de la banda, pero no me termina de matar. Si pudiera de daría 4.5, pero es un sólido 4/5

I only know enjoy the silence. Which I feel has been everywhere since it appeared at Rhea’s karaoke birthday party in Feb 2025. Intrigued to learn more. A song said “brings out the thug in me” They really are a vibe though. Learning they debuted via the second British Invasion via MTV in 1981. Want to learn. Girl stop learning and just listen to the album. Waiting for the night - entranced a bit. And a good transition to enjoy the silence

good shit. abgespaced. erste hälfte 10/10

I love synth pop and this was full of it hence I love the album. A LOT.

Great. This album has so much depth. I should listen to this more.

A difficult one (meaning difficult between 4 and 5 stars). Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence are so incredibly good (probably too good even). It's a very good album and it deserves at least 4 stars just based on those two songs. I also enjoyed Halo, Waiting for the Night or Policy of truth.

Ahead of their time.

Sehr nice.

couple of bangers and mash

Better than I thought going in, will listen to this again

lots of innovation, but some electronical effects did not age well

The hits alone will make me come back, at least for those songs. Not everything on here hits for me, but I did enjoy most of it.

A good album, featuring, of course, a number of well-known hits… :-)

Nice

This was pretty goood, didn’t get a great opportunity to listen. EDIT: was SO not on the right vibe, this album is so good it scratches a really specific itch I didn't know I had. The synth work is incredible, and the modal mixture in all of the tracks is so much fun. Halo was an absolute standout track to me. Lovely lovely.

Personal Jesus 😍

Pure album. Enjoy the Silence + Policy of Truth so fucking sick. Not so into Blue Dress and Clean, I almost always skip those, so I can’t give it 5/5.

Classic

Tiene tres canciones absolutamente magistrales. Me gusta el concepto del álbum. Para los que gustan del rock, es un buen álbum.

Franchement, incroyable surprise. Pour ma part, j'ai d'ordinaire beaucoup de mal en ce qui concerne la New Wave et les groupes des années 80 qui sont à mon sens assez datés et sonnent très vieux par rapport au reste. Et c'est là que je trouve l'album extrêmement fort, car contrairement au reste des projets du même style, je trouve que les sonorités electroniques sont extrêmement bien gérées. Tout d'abord, je trouve l'album bien mieux maitrisé que d'autres projets de DM comme Music For Masses qui même si bien n'était pas parfait. Ici, les hits sont incroyablement plus reconnaissables et puissants avec des mélodies marquantes dès la première note. Au global le sentiment est donc bien meilleur, surtout pour quelqu'un qui n'apprécit pas forcément le style... Et puis.... Personnal Jesus.. Enjoy the Silence... Policy of Truth.. c'est fort quand même.

J’ai réécouté l’album car je ne me souvenais pas des dernières chansons Dans mon cas, j’ai appris à aimer depeche mode grâce à leurs sons des années 80. Je reconnais qu’ils ont leur signature et que la chanteur a une voix singulière Agréable à écouter. C’est un peu mystique je trouve

Wasn’t fully feeling this one until Personal Jesus came on and just blew me away. Technically and creatively strong music, with some hits thrown in there too.

Yeah this was pretty cool

Спокойная, расслабляет, на будни

Personal Jesus and Enjoy The Silence are bangers. The rest is pretty decent too. 4*

Great hits, solid album. 8/10

Better than Coldplay

Depeche är en rätt blind fläck för mig bortom hitsen, så det är ett av banden jag varit mest taggad på att få upp. Älskar gothig mörk svängsynt. Blir nog glädjebetyg även idag, även om skivan tappar lite mot slutet. Rak 4a kanske?

Mycket positivt överraskad! Var egentligen bara de två sista låtarna jag tyckte var keffa, resten var nice.

seg början men tycker det ändå har något! kan tänka mig att lyssna igen. svag 4a

an all time fave

the weird spooky songs are not something i would listen to on their own but they *are* what make this album so interesting. depeche mode 4 lyfe!!!

This is great. Admittedly, it sounds dated in parts, but the non-singles don't feel like filler. I probably won't listen again, but I appreciate it

Violator is, for me, one of Depeche Mode's best albums. Coming almost a decade after the band's first album, it's definitely one of their stronger outings, and while some of the tracks come across as a bit poppy, that hides the depth and emotion underlying the lyrics. All that said, this isn't one of those albums I tend to listen to a lot. It doesn't quite hit me in the same way as Speak and Spell, or Some Great Reward. For that reason I'm only going to give this one four and a half stars.

I recognised way more songs than I thought! Their sound is so crisp with interesting layering - the synth does a lot for their sound.

Découverte, vDeluxe. Album très solide. J'adore vraiment l'ensemble, la première partie est folle. Le mixage est intéressant. Je réécouterai facilement.

Album très cool. Énergie main character. Peut-être un peu répétitifs dans les rythmes et les structures de chaque morceau. Malgré ça, c’est un bon album. J’aurais aimé lui mettre 3,5 mais on peut pas, ce sera donc un 4.

Almost 5

3.7 2x hard to deny this is a classic

almost as good as it is gets

Pretty good start to finish with some hits

Synthpop är klart bra.

Enjoy the silence

I never really got on this album as when it came out there was a bloke called Keith who I didn't like who always wore the t-shirt. I've since grown to love it

so pleasant. i normally hate stuff like this.

i love depeche mode this album is always a banger

Still great after all these years. Just delightful! ★★★★

4/5 Some absolute classics on this one, phenomenal moody vibes! It's got moody vibes without being performatively horny or anything. I LOVED Enjoy the Silence, it was probably my favorite track.

I really enjoyed listening to this! Doesn’t sound as dated or as stale as other new wave music from that era.

I did not realize that I knew so many Depeche Mode songs. I was familiar with many of the songs from when I was a kid, but never knew who sang them. I liked this more than I expected. Some interesting chord progressions. Favorites: Enjoy the Silence, Halo, Waiting for the Night.

No lo conocía entero, clásic, piola recomendación

enjoy the silence es la mejor cancion del re putisimo planeta

Amazing album

I mean, it's pretty undeniable good. The sound and vibe is great. Waiting for the Night is great. Personal Jesus is too. Give it a listen.

Depeche Mode is not my cup of tea, but this is a solid album. It makes sense that Personal Jesus gets highly regarded on great song lists. For my personal taste this would be a 3, but it's better than that.

Decent 8

Funky

No se cuantas bandas se pueden dar el lujo de meter tres obras maestras como Personal Jesus, Enjoy the silence y Policy of Truth en un mismo disco. Bailable y sombrío, sin caer en la solemnidad berreta. MC: Policy of Truth

Actually a really great record. Really cool sounds. Personal Jesus obviously a classic

Muito bom, algumas eu já conhecia, minha favorita foi Personal Jesus

After 40+ years I think Depeche Mode might have just properly clicked for me. Thanks generator!

So broody and so poppy. Good adjectives.

Sweetest perfection Personal Jesus Waiting for the Night

Enjoyed muchly

The hits are outstanding and plentiful. I didn’t get into Depeche Mode in my youth, but I like them a lot now.

Album 52 Top 3 favorites off the album: Policy of Truth, Blue Dress, Enjoy the Silence This feels like cheating because it's one of my favorite albums. I do think I'm a little more fair now than I used to be in that I don't love it as much as I used to, but it's still up there in ranking. We all know I love an album with a dark quality to it. We know I like the 80s thanks to my parents. Lyrically, not overly complex. I still enjoy it. I have to tell you that I clicked "synth pop" to see what albums await, and I saw Taylor Swift on the official list, and buddy, my soul died a little. Welp.

Great sounds, each song was simply much longer than they needed to be.

I can see why this is a highly lauded album, I just haven't listened to much Depeche Mode before this

Not bad, depeche mode always nice to hear. Found some new songs to listen to on repeat.

Out of all the albums here this one is probably the closest to being 5 stars without actually reaching that, and that's due to some slightly weaker moments. The highlights tho are absolutely phenomenal, some of the best in this vibe and style ever. The strongest point is obviously the atmosphere, it's dark, menacing yet incredibly beautiful and super easy to get lost in. So entrancing. The production is incredible, thick, satisfying, dark, moody, depressive. I love the punchy, almost mechanical synths on Personal Jesus combined with one of the most danceable but still very dark grooves, the song feels so spiritual and cathartic. Enjoy the Silence is of course one of the most memorable songs of all time, nothing else to say. Then there is Policy of Truth which has a completely out of this world futuristic feel with incredible soundscapes and a beautiful progression to it. World in my Eyes is SUCH a sexy song, you can feel the tension in it and it's so addictive. An underrated song from this album is Sweetest Perfection with this beautiful slow progression and cold, mechanical but addictive instrumentals. If the album was an ep of just those songs it would simply be the best thing ever. I think Violator's ending moments are slightly weaker and less memorable, but still very well produced and written and the whole album is just incredible.

Очень клевые синты, но первая часть как будто круче вышла

weno weno weno

I've heard a few songs from this album before, but never all. I liked it more than I thought I would. 3.5/5 (closer to 4)

"Personal Jesus" is pretty much their big song but it's probably my least favourite on this album (and I like it just fine). They're a bit too mopey for my liking at times (I can do that fine myself) but this is an excellent album.

classic. i liked it, i would listen it as in a playlist

хааайп

So many GREAT songs on this album: Policy of Truth, World In My Eyes, Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence. Wanted to give this a 5 star because I love those songs so much but the rest of the songs on the album were just ok, but Clean did stand out as one I liked. Timeless songs, definitely a classic. (4)

New music that I didn't know. Really liked the album.

This one caught me off guard. I was expecting not to like this at all, but I was quite surprised! This record is great throughout its entire run. Favourite Track(s): Personal Jesus, Halo, Blue Dress Least Favourite Track(s): Policy of Truth

Better than expected from so much Depeche Mode hate. Slow songs kind of drag and are a kind of boring, but the driving songs are pretty solid and keep me engaged. Reminds me of NIN with less distortion, similar singing and industrial sounds.

Det er et lidt specielt lyt. For det følels så bekendt. Et rart bekendtskab, lyden af baggrund, og børnehjem, men også lyden af "Retarted fuckface".....

I liked this a lot tbh,not my typical genre but good songs all round

A solid 4.5/5. It was a lovely album and I loved every song from it. The only reason I'm not giving 5 pure stars is because it's too short, having only 9 songs in total.

Songs I saved: Sweetest perfection Halo Waiting for the night Policy of truth Blue dress

Quite an interesting electronic album. Rare.

Bom álbum.

Não é meu estilo de música favorito, mas gostei bastante do álbum, tem algumas ótimas músicas.

*1990. *Personal Jesus, Policy of Truth, and Enjoy the Silence. *I'm a Depeche Mode fan. Dark but catch, and Dave Gahan's vocals are so cool. *Lots of cool stuff here I wasn't familiar with. The album opens with World in my Eyes, which is an instant classic. RATING - 8/10

I heard one of their latest albums and thought it was great so going back to hear this one for the first time was a good listen. I dig the dark and melancholy vibe of this band. The music is well written and the lead vocals are distinct and great. Definitely want to get more into their catalogue as I’m sure that there’s a lot of great stuff waiting to be discovered in there!

For years I thought he was saying "reach out and touch base." Anyway I enjoyed this but the two hits I already knew were the best.

Amazing sound, I can easily imagine this typa music moving the club. Lyrics (although they’re quite repetitive) are well-crafted and some of them really hit home. The sounds are bouncy and soft, making them really fun to listen to. Multiple bangers! All in all, great album. “Policy of Truth” is my favorite track; I love the bassline so much!

Didn’t know Enjoy the silence and Personal Jesus from this album. My first alternative rock album from 1990s. Nice music to listen while thinking of daily routine.

Enquanto minhas velas pretas queimam no meu quarto completamente escuro, iluminando as pétalas de rosa que caem em câmera lenta, deixando apenas os espinhos, eu cerro os lábios sem borrar o batom roxo escuro, e quase sinto uma lágrima se formar no canto dos meus olhos fortemente sombreados, mas me contenho, pois não quero borrar o ankh que desenhei com sombra embaixo dele. Que loucura.

For the public record, I do think Depeche Mode has a really, really good album on their hands here. Wall-to-wall bangers with some endlessly talented songwriting and there's enough interesting going on sonically that there's a lot fresh here to enjoy. It's got a fun self-aware weirdness and I broadly agree with all the kind words said about this album by critics over the years. I don't know though. There's always been some issue I've had with Depeche mode and I think after relistening to Violator today I finally realize what it is: Depeche Mode's instrumentation just doesn't fit all that well with each other. There's a couple exceptions proving the rule on this album (Personal Jesus and Enjoy The Silence), but that kind of lo-fi sound they're going for gives basically every Depeche Mode track this slightly awkward lack of cohesion. It's like it's missing *something*. It's weird, because everything about this feels so deliberate - like you can tell that there's an enormous amount of attention paid to each note during production. But feels like it could have benefitted immensely from having more prominent and punchy drums, or maybe a sub-bass or something. But that's probably just me. Enjoy The Silence though? Can't say enough good things about that particular track. As close to perfection as music can be. It just soaks in its own melancholy (and the music video is top notch too). fav tracks: World In My Eyes, Personal Jesus, Waiting For The Night, Enjoy The Silence

Лучшая песня - Policy of Truth Худшая - любой из филлеров, которые невозможно вспомнить Типичный альбом Depeche Mode - 3 суперхита и 10 блеклых песен. Последние фортепьянные сюиты просто практически невозможно слушать. Ставлю 4 только из-за Персонал Джизас, Инджой зе Сайленс и Полиси оф Трус

не music for the masses, но тоже неплохо

Woah, I actually enjoyed this album way more than I thought I would! I was never a big fan of Personal Jesus as it is pretty over played but I really enjoyed the dark synth and moody electronic vibes. Reminded me of a villain in a 90s techno thriller movie. Favorite Song: Enjoy the Silence

Gear: INAWAKEN Twilight-DS Artwork: ️✒️🌹⬛ Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🖤💎🕯️ Rating: 🌹🌹🌹🌹/5

535/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

I knew the hits, but most of this was new to me. This was great. I would happily listen to this again.

90's must have. the originators of Goth music at their best.

I already lived the iconic singles from this album but it's been great to listen to the whole album as a long player. Released in 1990 - I was just a few years too young to have been into alternative music. Feels like I'm 13 or 13 listening to a LP found in the record collection of a particularly cool older sibling.

не мое, но интересна структура музыки, как будто это система, машинная музыка, и в то же время живой человеческий голос, поющий о человеческих заботах +мега популярная песня 1. World In My Eyes 6/10 2. Sweetest Perfection 7/10 3. Personal Jesus 6/10 4. Halo 6/10 5. Waiting For The Night 5/10 6. Enjoy the Silence 10/10 7. Policy of Truth 5,2/10 8. Blue Dress 7/10 9. Clean 6,3/10

World in My Eyes Personal Jesus Enjoy the Silence Policy of Truth

Beats that hold up with worthy stories. Solid.

Policy of truth is the best song on this album. Fight me

i gain respect for this album every time i listen to it - an absolute classic, really well produced and so timeless

Finfin klassiker æ ikke egentlig hadde hørt før, bortsett fra de åpenbare sangan, men æ likte det godt utenom det også.

nice

Perfect album.

Overraskende bra. Føles som lyricsa og synth beatsa ikke burde funke sammen men det er egentlig en morsom combo med litt sånn gritty britisk alt band på en synth track

Goth synthpop classic

Always enjoyed Depeche Mode. They were innovators that created their own distinctive sound. There are some tracks I didn’t love, “Enjoy the Silence” is probably my favourite track. 3.5 but rounded up because of Enjoy the Silence and Personal Jesus and Policy of Truth, which are all great tracks.

Within the first 20 seconds of "World In My Eyes", you know you're in for a ride. Somehow they made synth-pop feel dark & brooding, and Gahan's vocals just flow effortlessly through every song. Violator still sounds incredible to this day.

Good

Depeche Mode's best and a time machine portal for every GenXer.

Solid album. Great 80s sound. Little more commercial and polished compared to yesterdays The The.

night drive. fall/winter. rock. cerebral. funky. 80s-90s. haunting. pop. familiar. eerie. cinematic. concise. certified roadhouse bangers (^∆^)

Zeer goed album. Erg van genoten!

Still holds up. It must have been way ahead of its time when released. I can hear the influence in the Smashing Pumpkins' Adore and MCR.

Awesome album awesome transitions. The atmosphere is unmatched, and the experience is unique.

Definitely an interesting album. My personal opinion though, the Def Leppard version of ‘Personal Jesus’ is better than the original

Layers synth almost industrial music that backs off enough to be radio friendly

good if you like repetitive synths

A primeira vez que ouvi este álbum nao gostei. Desta segunda vez gostei. É daqueles álbuns/bandas que, para mim, primeiro estranha-se e depois entranha-se. A produção incrível, boa experiência de fones. Destaques óbvios para Personal Jesus e Enjoy the Silence, mas também para a Halo e Blue Dress. No entanto, todas as músicas são top!

I know Depeche Mode, I know their songs, and I love them. I used to them because of my stepfather who was like ten times to their concert. I don’t hear them in general but they’re great and the album is epic

Very niiiiiiice

Love some Depeche Mode

1) World in my eyes, like that so much, music, lyrics, sound, so shocking that it was realised in 1990 9/10 2) Sweatest Perfection Not bad, like sound, solid 7/10 3) Personal Jesus, like previous, liked more sound, but less then 7/10 cant give 4) Halo, dk 6/10 5) Waiting for the night liked the very beginning, hope that something will happed No it didn't:( but like sound tho 7/10 6) Enjoy the Silence, classic Perfect 10/10 7)Policy of truth, also something popular, like the sound already, more interesting melody, fancy 9/10 8)Blue Dress I CANT UNDERSTAND HOW DID EVERY SONG START IN A DIFFERENT WAY BUT SO COOL WAY also slow, which i dont like, but there it is not bad 8/10 9)Clean started more confident and will continue like that, like lyrics 8/10 total math. : 7.88 I feel more like 7,5 ( 5 saved outa 9)

better than I expected, top 5, sweetest perfection, world in my eyes, clean, personal Jesus's, halo

Gostei bastante, muito coeso e com músicas muito orelhudas.

I like Depeche Mode and this had some good tracks on it!

Some massive songs on this album. It's a bit dated, of course, but it's just so cool that it doesn't really matter that much. "Enjoy the Silence" is an all-time classic.

This is the perfect album to do this with. I love two songs already and have never listened to the rest. Enjoy the silence is an all time great song. Everyone knows personal Jesus. Waiting for the night is one of their better quiet ballad songs. Three stars? Four stars?

Good

this is really 4.5 but this platform hates me (i love a ten point scale) i love this album but loses half a star for being a bit samey it sounds so good though very enjoyable

Some absolute classics here of dark 80s synth. Vibes for days

Some absolute gems.

I've already heard Music for the Masses, released a few years earlier. I recall enjoying it quite a bit. Violator is similar. Texturally, it's like if the Smiths went much more electronic and sci-fi with their sound. The guitars and lead vocals are similar to that of the Smiths, but everything else is very much reflective of the shift towards completely (or mostly) electronic music in the late 80s. Blue Dress is the track that's most reminiscent of the Smiths – in fact I'm pretty sure the two notes Gahan's melody bounces between are the same two Morrissey overuses in 95% of his own tunes. The textures are complex and (at times) intense, almost overwhelming. For 1990, there's some darn good electronic work here, from bloopy synths to less-bloopy synths and everything in between. Electronic drums are surprisingly enjoyable when they use 80s-inspired beats and avoid a generally bad-sounding trap beat. Depeche Mode really hits their peak, I think, when they try to make a groove – particularly a riff-type groove, as heard with Enjoy the Silence and the electronic "aahh" sounds marking the chord progression nicely. Another good groove is the bassline in Personal Jesus. That particular track is great despite having very few chords to play around with. That backing percussion, the sly swing persisting throughout, the quietly aggressive vocal. I would personally remove the vocal echo, though, and maybe add more harmonising. Later tracks, like Halo, have pretty convincing harmonising but are less cohesive in other ways. Speaking of cohesion, Policy of Truth is another excellent example of riff-based electronic music, and I think it's the most cohesive of any song here. (The masses seem to agree with me.) 4/5 Key tracks: Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth

Note from my morning pages: Imagine having "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy the Silence" on the same record?

had only heard enjoy the silence before. enjoyed!

Never heard the whole album, though I've loved enjoy the silence for a while. I'm an 80s fanatic so this album was awesome.

I was never really a fan of Depeche Mode growing up but I started to pay more attention after the singles from the their 2017 album Spirit caught my attention on the radio and I ended up listening to that album quite a bit. That's made me re-evaluate them, listening to some of their earlier albums and since this is seen as one of their best, I started here. So I've been listening to this on occasion now for several years and it does get better each time! It's dark and moody but with that underpinning of pop sensibility, in some ways similar to how I hear NIN only this leans into much more 'accessible' places.

yep that was really fun made me want to go to the goth club. 8/10

Et av mine favorittband. På dette albumet finner man tre av historiens beste synthpop-sanger. Dessverre er resten av albumet mindre interessant. Jeg har i grunn ikke noe behov for å lytte til andre låter enn de som lander på top 3-lista mi her. Det blir derfor en firer. Top 3: Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth, Personal Jesus

absolutely incredible and surprising, thought this would be absolute slop but it’s really great production and vocals all around.

Have listened before. It’s good.

I really liked this album. It still sounds dark, but in a way that really works for me. It feels more sensual, smooth, and satisfying. The music and lyrics fit together really well, and the flow and overall vibe made it a great listening experience for me.

Very cool album with some big hits.

A true synthpop classic. Very good.

surpassed my expectations. Added to my list of favorite albums

bass line to die for

not their best to me but a really good album

I was 10 years old when this album was released and it scared me. The dark, gothic atmosphere, the lack of recognizable instruments, the singer’s deep, insanely resonant voice. This album sounded like a vampire to me, the truly terrifying kind. Like the thick, jet black ooze that pulls you under to drown in the ScarJo movie ‘Under the Skin’. Not as spooky to me now, obviously, but it still sounds like vampires made it, if maybe now the kinds of vampires that wear designer suits. And damn, the singles are staggeringly good. They were so omnipresent in the 90’s that hearing them again now is like stepping into my old self. Had never heard the full album before today and it will take me some time to digest it all, but I’m drawn to this music in a curious way, probably directly related to how frightening it was to me once upon a time. Favorite song: Policy Of Truth

Solid album.

Noted

Very 80s. Sounded exactly like I expected it to. 3.5 stars rounded up!

Good stuff

soo mood and dark, loveee

Tried to build a PC while listening to this. Failed miserably.

Overall: 8/10 Beautiful. I love how ethereal and gothic this album feels. The vocals are haunting, yet the music is danceable for the most part. These guys were totally different and unique. Fav Song: Enjoy the Silence

Kovaa kamaa

The best Synth-Pop album I know - including my favourite DM-song and probably also my favorite early 90s song of them all "Enjoy the Silence". What a pleasure to the ears;)

Enjoyed this one, think I need to listen to more Depeche Mode!

really great vibes, would fit great in a movie soundtrack of some kind. Halo really stood out to me. as a whole, I wish some of the songs played with modulating to major keys more. also, the end of Enjoy the Silence flopped 3.5?

Was never a huge fan but you couldn’t escape this album and there’s certainly a reason for that. It’s a creepy, spooky great album.

To quote Domhnall Gleeson in Ex Machina - “I like Depeche Mode.”

This for sure set the tone for the dance club scene to begin the decade. It has several heavy hitters on it that are staples with crossover appeal to this day. The play through factor is not there for me to get it to a 5, but a strong 4 indeed.

I really like this album. World in my eyes starts it off well, it’s almost hypnotic. Halo makes me feel like I’m loosing myself in bright flashing lights, sea of bodies but I feel so lonely. Loved Blue dress felt like I was waltzing with a vampire Dangerous was also A CERTIFIED BANGER My favs Personal jesus, waiting for the night, Blue dress, enjoy the silence I enjoy the rhythmic vampiric feel to this album and how It all blends together but each song doesn’t sound the same - they’re all different but under one theme. The lyricism is also good.

I genuinely thought the singles off this album came out in the mid 80s, and was surprised how much I liked the rest of the album. Songs like Personal Jesus make me wish I was at a British club in the late 80s/early 90s

A wonderfully dark synth album about our human impulses.

Scorching highs, a couple of dips, but overall iconic!

Pretty solid offering

Quite a few iconic tracks. Great album

The Good: Uhmmmm… two Depeche Mode albums in a row? The Bad: Getting violated… The Ugly: By your own personal jezus… In my memory this album came out later than 89… I don’t know why. I was not a big Depeche Mode fan, though I knew/know all their mayor hits and appreciate them. My biggest problem with this album is that, setting aside the known hits, the rest of the songs just don’t do it for me… which leaves us with a conundrum as to how to rate this album… We will have to leave it at a 4* for the moment, as this seems to be acceptable in general.

- enjoy the silence on yks kauneimpia ja parhaimpia biisejä tässä mualimassa - joo kylmät väreet koko biisin ajan nonstop, on kova - tää levykin on vaan niin saattannan cool

Great album. Listening this makes the Johnny Cash’s Personal Jesus seem a lot worse.

The album is both spooky and haunting. With echoes and reverbs that make you feel chills but balanced with the lyrics full of deep true emotions and raw passion it balances out everything. Not an album I listen to on my own as the synth rock usually isn’t my thing but I’m liking this!

Too sick to really collect my thoughts today, but I enjoyed this album. Favourite tracks: Enjoy the Silence, World in My Eyes

Depeche Mode put in the work for their first decade and at the start of the ‘90s boy did it pay off.

Very good

Having not really got on that well with Music For The Masses, I was glad that this landed well. It had the advantage of some familiarity with Personal Jesus, and Enjoy the Silence is an all timer. I don’t know their back catalogue but this feels like them at the peak of their powers.

Pretty neat, the prototype of the electronic music I came to love.

Songs known going in: 2/15 I enjoyed this! Worth revisting. 4/5

This has the sauce. 4/5

Violator explores the full reach of dark synths in the 80s

Dark, melodramatic turn-of-the-decade electronic rock you can dance to. These synths mean business. A bottom-heavy record that still maintains its balance. I’ve probably heard “Personal Jesus” at some point over the course of my life but this is my first time really listening to it and holy smokes what a smack-down banger. Really loved this, maybe even more than ‘Music for the Masses’.

I'm always torn about Depeche Mode. They make some really good sounds and the production is always top notch. But it usually feels a little lifeless to me. Gahan has a great voice... technically. But, I never FEEL what he's singing. Gore's voice isn't as strong, but it's a got at least a little feel to it. If any of this comes up in a playlist, I'll listen, but I never seek it out. This album has a bunch of hits and they're all pretty good. I still prefer a few from the earlier days like "People are People" I almost feel compelled to give it a 5 because there really aren't any bad moments here. BUT, if you're asking me, "Do I love it. Will I play it again?" I'd say no. So it's getting a 4

cool shit

Starting strong. Depeche Mode was always a favorite of mine, and Violator is, undoubtedly, their best album.