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THE REVIEW
“Let me take you on a trip/ Round the world and back/ And you won’t have to move/ Just sit still”
The phrase that opens this little masterpiece of electronic music, at the beginning of the nineties, manages to nicely summarize the intentions of Depeche Mode towards the listeners: to make people travel with closed eyes, with a pair of headphones, through their songs, without making them leave their room.
Violator was released in 1990, after its songs had passed through mixing rooms around the world (including Milan).
All the songs are written by Martin Gore.
Dave Gahan's voice is precise throughout the work, so dark, gloomy, although the true perfection for that particular timbre would be heard only three years later with Songs Of Faith And Devotion.
Sure, listening to the album today, comparing it with new electronic music, it all appears a bit faded, or perhaps a bit less suggestive, but you can feel that this album has a profound soul.
“Personal Jesus” with its very Roadhouse Blues riff still captivates and “Enjoy The Silence” features a minimalism in the lyrics that the DM almost never achieved again in the future.
Melodies and sounds strongly tied to the eighties, but also a great desire for innovation and a very dark rock conception, but, again, at the same time, tied to unbridled energy, fun, sweat (see many captivating live performances).
We are still far from worldwide success but also from Gahan’s near-death, Alan Wilder's departure, Martin Gore's unbridled desire to make a solo album and plunge into vertiginous anonymity.
Every song on this album (with the exception of Sweetest Perfection which seems like a Marilyn Manson ballad without too many effects) could have been a potential single, so beautiful are the sound ideas that support it.
A meticulously crafted sound, industrial noises in the background, psychedelic loops not too complicated, but it is especially on the level of lyrics and voice (and heart) that the album amazes.
Today many bands are inspired by DM, stealing here and there, but no one has yet taken up their legacy, probably because it’s not enough to copy the music: it’s a matter of soul and, in Martin Gore’s soul, there was quite a lot to bring out.
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Summary by Bot
Violator by Depeche Mode is a seminal 1990 electronic album noted for its dark rock influences, innovative sound design, and profound emotional depth. Featuring standout tracks like "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy The Silence," it showcases Martin Gore’s songwriting and Dave Gahan’s distinctive vocals. Although some elements feel dated compared to modern electronic music, the album's soul and energy remain compelling. Its influence on subsequent artists is undeniable, though its unique spirit is hard to replicate.
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 Kobe-Bryant
Oh my God guys, what an emotion every time I hear this album!!!!
Violator came out in the distant 1990 and it represents one of the most beautiful albums by Depeche Mode.
By myork
Depeche Mode definitively managed to impose a new way of making music and made it their unmistakable trademark.
'Personal Jesus' conveys the warmth of rock’n’roll with the coldness of electronics, culminating in one of the absolute peaks in music concerning the use of synthesizers.
By Darius
'Violator' represents an important brick in the 'Palace of Music', a cohesive work, compact and rich, despite the scarcity of songs.
Depeche Mode can, I believe, be unanimously considered the pioneers of electronic music in the strictest sense.
