To match the heavy lyrics, the instrumentals are broody and mysterious whilst still utilising the established synonymous electronic synth elements they have refined. The track is rather accusatory as it addresses someone having to face the consequences of a confessed misjudgement that they keep on repeating and the suffering their constant misdeeds has led to. The third single, this writer’s personal favourite, is entitled “Policy of Truth”. Regardless of the true meaning, the two distinctive synths contrast with each other personally, with one being lower and quieter in comparison to the main higher pitched sound. The actual meaning of the song is very ambiguous as it could be a statement about the unnecessary amount of violence in the world, a depiction of a relationship, or a personification of drug abuse. It is now deemed a 90’s essential and often viewed as one of the greatest songs of all time. The song’s successor “Enjoy the Silence” would reach a whole new level of adoration.
As the title explains, the song is about being a hope or comfort to one another, with the frequent repetition of the immediately recognisable lyric ‘Reach out and touch faith’. It is one of the first times the band had released a single dominated by guitar, and was radically different to any Depeche Mode that had come before it. The lead single “Personal Jesus” was an instant success. It showed how they were embracing their transition and were audacious (or senseless) enough to release such a controversial track, not only as part of a wider project but as a single, and defy the predisposition that they were just another bland and uninspired electronic group. The opening track and final single “World in my Eyes” serves as a risqué extended metaphor for the speaker’s sexual endeavours, a very mature yet questionable topic for a ‘teen pop band’. There are numerous examples of bands who depend on machines instead of instruments producing unpleasant, awkward, overproduced songs that have no soul or clarity. The bleak, moody yet strangely catchy synths somehow merged together to produce a work of art rather than conflicting with each other to create a catastrophe. The beauty of this album lies in its complexity.
Other bands and artists have also shown their appreciation for the project with a wide variety of artists (including hard rock and metal acts such as Marilyn Manson and Rammstein) putting a novel and unique spin on the classic tracks that had initially catapulted the unsuspecting band into the mainstream. Even to this day it is admired by critics and fans alike, with many praising it as the band’s peak album due to its quirky charm and gritty themes. They frequently acknowledged how subtle yet smart the band were in their masterful balancing of commercial pop and their new found gloomy, psychological and clinical ambience. The album more than pleased the masses but also satisfied the critics as well.
With the beloved second single “Enjoy the Silence” charting in both the UK and US top 10, and the album itself also achieving this goal, it propelled the band to a new level of international stardom. This haunting development is blatant in 1990’s Violator, the seventh album in this band’s prestigious career. Gore found upbeat and optimistic songs superficial and unrealistic so consequently ventured into uncharted territory, focusing on more serious topics such as religion, politics and sex whilst still hoping to assert a brief glimmer of hope. After previously being branded as a teen pop craze under main song writer Vince Clarke, keyboardist/guitarist Martin Gore aimed to inject something eerie and sinister into the music following Clarke’s departure. Now the 90s would herald a darker, edgier synth sound that would spark a whole new perception of the band. For English electronic band Depeche Mode the 80s had been a time for soft synth dance music that barely edged into the definition of rock. This new decade would significantly change the music industry in a million different ways, but one 80s favourite in particular would enter the new decade with a drastically altered sound. Nothing screams “the 90’s has begun” quite like the faint hum of some gloriously ominous synths.
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