Depeche Mode – Songs Of Faith And Devotion (1993) [DMCD8 – 2006 Remaster] {SACD ISO + FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz}

Songs of Faith and Devotion is the eighth studio album by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released in the United Kingdom on 22 March 1993 by Mute Records and in the United States and Canada on 23 March by Sire and Reprise Records. The album incorporated a more aggressive, darker rock-oriented tone than its predecessor, Violator (1990), largely influenced by the emerging alternative rock and grunge scenes in the United States.

Upon its release, Songs of Faith and Devotion reached number one in several countries, and became the first Depeche Mode album to debut atop the charts in both the UK and the US. To support the album, Depeche Mode embarked on the fourteen-month-long Devotional Tour, the largest tour the band had ever undertaken to that date.

Recording the album and the subsequent tour exacerbated growing tensions and difficulties within the band, prompting Alan Wilder to quit, making this album the final with him as a band member. The ordeal had exhausted their creative output following the enormous success they had enjoyed with Violator, leading to rumours and media speculation that the band would split. Depeche Mode subsequently recovered from the experience, and released Ultra in 1997.

In between Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion, a lot happened: Nirvana rewrote the ideas of what “alternative” was supposed to be, while Nine Inch Nails hit the airwaves as the most clearly Depeche-influenced new hit band around. In the meantime, the band went through some high-profile arguing as David Gahan turned into a long-haired, leather-clad rocker and pushed for a more guitar-oriented sound. Yet the odd thing about Songs of Faith and Devotion is that it sounds pretty much like a Depeche Mode album, only with some new sonic tricks courtesy of Alan Wilder and co-producer Flood. Perhaps even odder is the fact that it works incredibly well all the same. “I Feel You,” opening with a screech of feedback, works its live drums well, but when the heavy synth bass kicks in with the wailing backing vocals, even most rockers might find it hard to compete. Martin Gore’s lyrical bent, as per the title, ponders relationships through distinctly religious imagery; while the gambit is hardly new, on songs like the centerpiece “In Your Room,” the combination of personal and spiritual love blends perfectly. Outside musicians appear for the first time, including female backing singers on a couple of tracks, most notably the gospel-flavored “Condemnation” and the uilleann pipes on “Judas,” providing a lovely intro to the underrated song (later covered by Tricky). “Rush” is the biggest misstep, a too obvious sign that Nine Inch Nails was a recording-session favorite to unwind to. But with other numbers such as “Walking in My Shoes” and “The Mercy in You” to recommend it, Songs of Faith and Devotion continues the Depeche Mode winning streak. ~~ AllMusic Review by Ned Raggett

Tracklist:
01. I Feel You
02. Walking In My Shoes
03. Condemnation
04. Mercy In You
05. Judas
06. In Your Room
07. Get Right With Me
08. Rush
09. One Caress
10. Higher Love

SACD ISO

DM-ISO-1993SngsfFaithAndDevtinDMCD82006RemasterSACDIS.part1.rar
DM-ISO-1993SngsfFaithAndDevtinDMCD82006RemasterSACDIS.part2.rar
DM-ISO-1993SngsfFaithAndDevtinDMCD82006RemasterSACDIS.part3.rar
DM-ISO-1993SngsfFaithAndDevtinDMCD82006RemasterSACDIS.part4.rar

FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz

DM-FLAC-1993SngsfFaithAndDevtinDMCD82006RemasterSACDIS.rar