this album was released in 1993, the height of grunge, where the styles of the 80's and all the wonders of synth pop were finally drowned out. Depeche Mode release "Songs of Faith and Devotion", a highly anticipated follow-up to their most commercially successful album "Violator".

as a commercial success it did not do as well as the previous album. the contents of the album are a different story. Here is where the band has finally incorporated a more organic sound to their music and guess what, IT WORKS!. the first release "I Feel You" was a change of pace as a loud distorted guitaer kicks things off and many were surprised.

in my own humble opinion Martin Gore probably has written some his strongest material.

Many were expecting "Violator pt. 2" or something like that. had depeche mode done that, it would have been a let down and a major disrespect to their fans, as depeche mode have always progressed their sound on each album.

stand out tracks are "I Feel you", "In Your Room" "Condemnation" "Get Right With Me", "Rush" and "One Caress"

sadly the devotional tour would test the limits of the band as alan wilder left after the tour and dave gahan's struggles with heroin were in full swing.

all in all this is a strong album and a must own for depeche mode fans.

It is amazing to listen to this album from 1993 and see how truly current it still is....this album features every dimension of the Depeche Mode sound, from haunting orchestrations to soul-searching lyrics and vocals to straight forward modern music with catchy beats & melodies....

In a time where every so-called artist sounds the same and is manufactured for quick release at your local Wal-Mart or other big box, bands like Depeche Mode stand as a lone voice in the wilderness of so much crap. People think they know "modern/alternative music"? HA! Depeche Mode invented it and they continue to re-invent....Songs of Faith and Devotion is a classic....best tracks include "Walking in My Shoes", "In Your Room", "Get Right With Me", "One Caress", etc....

A bold - and to many listeners, shocking - venture into the transition of musical frontiers, from a band already renowned for a seemingly very different genre, Depeche Mode's Songs of Faith and Devotion hit the music world like a proverbial earthquake upon its initial release in 1993.

Some fans rejoiced, others fulminated, and many more were for the most part just plain confused, as the line between the band's former (and considered to be, signature) style of music and that of more traditional rock seemed to blur for a moment.

To say, however, that Songs of Faith and Devotion is simply Depeche Mode's experimental crossover into a more rock-oriented genre would be both an injustice and an understatement. At closer listening, one begins to realize that this album is not about Depeche Mode becoming a rock group; rather, it is about the band's artistic journey into new lands of spirituality and darkness, touching upon subjects of a more noetic nature than those in previous albums, and with a greater depth and emotion than is found on the songs of most other albums.

Amongst the very best of SOFAD:

In Your Room (one of the greatest songs ever recorded)
Walking in My Shoes
Higher Love
Mercy in You
One Caress
Judas

This album is, in my opinion, one of the 3 greatest ever done by Depeche Mode - along with Violator and Black Celebration.

SOFAD is an audio journey most definitely worth taking - and returning to time and again, no doubt.

I tend to find that the people who don't like "Songs of Faith and Devotion" are in two categories: Electronic purists who are so set in their ways that DM doing a guitar based album is a travesty (although hints started with "Black Celebration"), people wrongfully accusing it as an attempt to stay relevant (followed "Violator" and most of these are songs that Pearl Jam and the likes never have & never will make). But beyond that, there isn't one single bad song on "SoFaD." It may take awhile to digest it though, I'll admit. It took awhile for me to get used to the "noir-gospel" of "Condemnation," but I now really love that song. The lyrics are not really embarassing, and "I Feel You" is one of Depeche Mode's greatest songs ever (that says a lot!). Another classic is the six-and-a-half minute "In Your Room." Martin Gore sings on a couple of slower-toned, orchestral tracks like the dark yet beautiful "Judas" and string-heavy "One Caress." Sure, the single version of "Walking in My Shoes" is better than the one on here, but that doesn't make this "not worth owning." Not only this, every song still sounds like Depeche Mode. The songs I didn't mention are still wonderful too, and I particularly like the punch of "Get Right with Me" and the pseudo-industrial "Rush." Gore is usually great when he writes the type of dark lyrics on this album, part of its greatness.

In short: It's worth owning because it's a wonderful band at a creative peak, it's cheap, and even if the cover art is lackluster the music will help you overlook that (but I think that's why some people presumptively dismiss & mock the album). Hey, the first two albums have my favorite cover art and are my least favorites that the group did.

This album is excellent, lots of good reviews so mine will be about one song from the album, Mercy in You. This song for me, has been what DM has meant to me over the years.

I would lose my way again
Be led hopelessly astray again
Just so I could pray again
For the mercy in you

These words are such a strong statement to do wrong, to do bad, if only for the forgiveness that is offered, to return again. This has been for me a taunting of religion, of sin and how foolish and at the same time rewarding the whole process is. Alot of events in the lives of DM happened after this album and Ultra was released with the abscense of Wilder.