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THE REVIEW
It's night. I take a bus and I don't know where it's taking me. In my headphones, I hear the first notes of "Barrel Of A Gun": Gahan's voice rises above the drum/bass/keyboard wall, reminding me that sometimes fate is cruel and brings us back to suffering ("Whatever I've done, I've been staring down the barrel of a gun"). The guitar that introduces "The Love Thieves" keeps me company as I watch the shadows of the night stretch out and then retreat. The melody of the song distorts to a gloomy finale, one of the most moving moments on the album.
As I observe the illuminated windows of houses so close yet so far away, "Home" begins, a ray of light penetrating the darkness of the night: excellently sung by Martin Gore, the image of the home, seen as "shelter," manages to lift the oppressive atmosphere of the first two tracks for a moment. The almost danceable rhythm of "It's No Good" brings me back to reality: the theme here is physical attraction for a woman, but from Gahan's singing, it seems that everything is an illusion, easy to create but even easier to let it slip away behind you. I look around, there's no one on the street while the instrumental "Uselink" gives way to "Useless".
"Useless" is indeed one of the best tracks on the album: introduced by an electric guitar riff, the track develops around Dave Gahan's voice, who gives his best. The night rules in "Sister Of Night," which is almost a hymn to it: the darkness is welcoming and holds in its arms the man who flees from the light and the cruel reality ("Oh sister, come for me, embrace me, assure me"). "Jazz Thieves" grabs my attention, it seems like distinguishing faces in the night, hearing noises... but it's just an appearance that fades into "Freestate," a track with bluesy tones (the guitar at times reminds of "I Feel You" from the album Songs Of Faith And Devotion).
But now the darkness is about to end, leaving behind fears and nightmares until dawn: "The Bottom Line" and "Insight" reveal this change ("The sun will shine, the bottom line, I follow you"). The darkness is now a distant memory, but the journey through it will remain imprinted...
This is Ultra, dated 1997.
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Summary by Bot
The review reflects on Depeche Mode's 1997 album Ultra as a deeply atmospheric and emotional experience. Songs like 'Barrel Of A Gun' and 'The Love Thieves' highlight themes of pain and gloom, while tracks such as 'Home' offer moments of light. The vocals of Dave Gahan and Martin Gore anchor the mood, creating a compelling night-time journey through darkness that culminates in hope. The album is praised for its rich musical textures and evocative storytelling.
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music group formed in Basildon in 1980, led by Dave Gahan and Martin Gore. They built a global audience with synth‑based albums and large-scale tours and remain influential in synth‑pop and alternative electronic music.110 Reviews
Other reviews
By DS
"Ultra is a child of suffering, introspection, and the hoped-for rebirth."
"Listening to Ultra is like traveling at night through a large deserted city, capturing darker and melancholic aspects hidden by daylight."
By Darius
"Ultra is the dessert, the work that definitively closes that artistic direction taken since 'Music For The Masses.'"
"Barrel Of A Gun is a musical summary of what Gahan was at the beginning of 1997, a fragile individual, psychologically unstable, almost morally impaired."
