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Customer Reviews of Ultra

Matured Mode
After listening to this album, my first impression was that even Depeche Mode could not escape the need to grow and mature. The songs are more matured on this album, darker and gloomier too. Songs like 'Barrel of a Gun' might take some time to catch on, but after a few listening, you just start to realize how good it is. Dave Gahan sang this song after his near-death experience with drugs and you can really feel his agony in it. 'It's No Good' is another of those infectious Mode tunes that they are so famous for. But yet, no longer is there any sign of immaturity. 'Useless' is another great track. Some old fans feel that since 'Violator', Mode's songs have lost the 'fun side' of the earlier albums. But, think about it. Where are groups like OMD, Human League or Duran Duran now? Those were the groups that shared their peak of popularity with Depeche Mode but have since faded away. The fact that DM is still around today and as popular as ever shows that they have not made the wrong move in maturing.

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ULTRA comes in as strong second to VIOLATOR
DEPECHE MODE has a distinct, unique style that they have made for themselves over the years... ULTRA doesn't quite have that same old DM feel like all of their past albums. There is a new kind of intensity to this album which is slightly more modern, JaZzy (some songs), deep, and soulful. Physically, with this slight change in their sound, and lyrically, with more impacting, intense and moody themes, You can deffinately sense that DM has turned a new page with ULTRA. I've begun to think that as DM have aged, and have grown to understand life a little better, they have incorporated more of their worldliness into their songs. this is visible in songs such as INSIGHT with the line, "this is an insight into my life", and HOME which is about realizing one's place in life (in other words, their "home") and getting comfortable in their own little niche. Anyway, every track is great, I love THE LOVE THIEVES and HOME the best, both of which are a little more mellow and melodic. And ITS NO GOOD and BARREL OF A GUN come in strong with DM's classic adrenaline power trip. This cd is a must have because it marks the beginning of a new trend for DM which their newest single, ONLY WHEN I LOSE MYSELF, seems to follow closely. They haven't missed a beat with this one, guys, trust me, it's great!

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The album that gave me Depeche Mode back!
Ultra is the album that made me revisit Depeche Mode after a hiatus of more than 10 years not listening to their music AT ALL. I used to be a HUGE fan back in the 80s and own every record they released from 1981 to 1990. But after Violator I lost touch with the band; I wasn't too thrilled with Songs of Faith and Devotion back in 1993, and I began listening to other stuff instead... Until I somehow came across Ultra. Am I glad that I did!

In Ultra I find again all the elements that made me a Depeche Mode fan back in the 80s: their ability to touch me with the lyrics and the atmospheres created throughout the album, Dave's fantastic voice and interpretation, the beautiful melodies that stick to your head and don't let you go, the musical style so unique to Depeche Mode... There is nothing quite like these guys out there (there never was) and in Ultra they manage to be themselves, but to reinvent themselves so as to not sound the same.

I was not aware of all the problems the band went through during the 90s, but knowing now, I am truly amazed that they could pick themselves up and create this beautiful piece of music. As a reviewer said before me, there's not one song that I don't like in this record. And that is something that had never been the case before: even in masterpieces like Black Celebration or Violator there were tracks that didn't do it for me (although that didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the records). This doesn't happen in Ultra.

It can be argued endlessly about this album not being Violator or Black Celebration. Why expect a Violator clone from a band that has always succeeded in sounding different with each album?I can understand if people don't like the particular direction taken by the guys here, but let's not destroy the album "because it is no Violator". I'd rather value this effort for its own worth, and I think it is one hell of an album: these guys have lived, have progressed as artists and human beings, and this creative growth shows in Ultra.