Depeche Mode's first album of the 90s saw the group taking a new approach to song writing. Where previous efforts were completely planned out, the group went into the recording of Violator keeping all pre-production work to a minimum. It was their first time working with producer Mark "Flood" Ellis, as well as DJ and producer François Kevorkian. Flood worked closely with Alan Wilder to produce the majority of the tracks after the band had all contributed ideas. The results sound just as good today as they did when they were first released. Just listen to the singles that helped propel the group to worldwide fame and critical acclaim. "Personal Jesus," "World In My Eyes," "Enjoy The Silence," and "Policy Of Truth" are instantly recognizable classics. It's amazing that the band was able to turn out so many successful songs with on one album. If you're going to own one Depeche Mode album it should be this one. Recommended.

·housed in gatefold sleeve

·original release year: 1990

·music label: Mute / Columbia 2025

reviewed by Michu Meszaros 05/2014

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