Depeche Mode
Playing The Angel

THE REVIEW

After a long wait, they have returned to make headlines for better or for worse.
Four long years after the unfinished "Exciter," the DM present themselves with "Playing The Angel," starting to play with double meanings (as Gahan says, the double meaning between playing the angel and acting the role of the angel...) before playing with their favorite toy, electronics.

A sort of siren accompanied by saturated samples introduces A Pain That I'm Used To, which will be the second single released from the album. The verse is elegant, dark and played on semitones before exploding into a chorus that heavily resembles Nine Inch Nails with the use of distorted synths and the robust beat of the rhythm section.
Without much astonishment, we move to the following and more convincing John The Revelator, where we magically go back in time, to the periods of Violator or even Music For The Masses, classic 80s beat and especially a voice full of reverb as in the best Eighties style, all surrounded by gospel choirs that give depth to the chorus. A track that pumps.
Thus arrives the first of three signatures by Dave Gahan, often considered a great frontman but not very incisive in arrangement, scores a good track. Suffer Well has an aggressive and futuristic tempo in which the guitar plays a fundamental role creating instability with the use of semi-distorted power chords; the track slides by with pleasure even if one expects a more incisive chorus.
The Sinner In Me, a piece that refers a lot to the best Barrel Of A Gun, in perfect Depeche Mode style presents Gore's voice an octave higher than Gahan's, an experiment done in the past but always effective, capable of creating a mix of unease and sweetness. The finale is a crescendo of distorted and hypnotic synths.
We then arrive at the single Precious aired billions of times on Mtv and All music... it's definitely a great single, very well arranged but it lacks a couple of things: it refers too much to the much-celebrated Enjoy The Silence and listening to the entire CD the song seems a bit out of context. Beautiful... but a standalone single.
Gore remembers he can also sing and when he does it's enveloping... this happens when listening to Macro, one of the two songs sung by the leader-composer-genius of the group. The vocal line is higher than the songs sung by Gahan in the rest of the album... it feels like a sort of prayer sung with emphasis in the hope of being heard by those far away. The final intertwining of the guitars seems to give resignation to this request. It's one of the most beautiful episodes of the album.
Subsequent tracks by Gahan, I Want It All and Nothing's Possible, aren't as convincing as the previous Suffer Well, especially the latter remains too static while in I Want It All it's interesting the change from minor to major keys in the verse even though the chorus is not very incisive.
After Introspectre... one of those instrumental parentheses that, as in "Ultra," allow you to catch your breath before the finale, Gore returns to the voice in Damaged People, a more intimate track than the previous one but not for this reason above the lines. Moving.
Before the conclusion of this chapter, we dive back into 80s sounds with Lilian, one of the easiest tracks to listen to but not for this reason predictable, which brings back energy after Gore's intimate reflection.
The Darkest Star is the dark conclusion of an album with gray tones, here everything is finally tinged with black, even Gahan's voice, almost robotic... The choirs give even more the feeling of instability.

In conclusion, this comeback can never be compared to gems like "Violator" or "Songs Of Faith And Devotion," perhaps it's even a tad below "Ultra," but compared to the recent past the three survivors of the star life storms still have something to say and have what it takes to do so, even managing to surprise with an unexpected return to dark-laden sounds.

P.S: I would have liked to give it half a point more but I can't... for me it’s worth 3.5/5