I once read where someone called Depeche Mode's "Violator" album the "Best 80s album of the 90s". That's purely a subjective opinion, of course. But to me the songs on this disc do lend some credence to such a statement. Released in 1990, the classic tunes such as "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy The Silence" all employ synthesizers and stylistically lean toward much of the British techno pop from the late Eighties. There are no hints of the alternative rock revolution that would soon find its way into mainstream music. So this album is kind of a big last hurrah for the decade, I suppose.
Recently, "Violator" has been reissued (along with a slew of other Depeche Mode albums) as a CD+DVD package with 5.1 surround sound. Depending on where you purchase the album affects whether or not you get any high-resolution. Copies sold in the United States only contain DTS and Dolby Digital. However, some European copies are sold with a hybrid SACD. I was lazy and opted to buy the US version rather than import this set, so I can't comment on the SACD sound quality. Nonetheless, I will attempt to convey the various qualities of the surround mix.
The 5.1 mix is quite enjoyable. I think it's one of the better examples of how to maintain a discrete surround mix without going overboard. Sure, there is plenty of room-filling action going on; but the focus is obviously toward the front of the room. Lead vocals tend to be spread across the front three channels at a more-or-less equal volume. However, their presentation doesn't come across as being isolated to the center channel in the least. Harmonizing vocals, for what it's worth, are frequently found in the surround channels. Sonically, the lossy compression formats Dolby Digital and DTS sound a little bit thin and lack warmth on this particular album. It's still good enough to easily enjoy the music, though. However, on the outside chance that the SACD version adds heft and a significant amount of warmth to the sound, I would rate the album slightly higher.
Note: The U.S. version also contains a Linear PCM stereo track encoded at 48 kHz / 24 bit on the DVD.
