Memento Mori
by Depeche Mode
  • Record Label: Columbia
  • Release Date: Mar 24, 2023
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 85 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 71 out of 85
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 85
  3. Negative: 8 out of 85
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  1. Clonedaddy
    Mar 25, 2023
    4
    Listenable throughout and generally consistant as an album but, after spending a week trying to like it, there are only two tracks that I will go back to. Ghosts Again is a solid track, but not quite single quality. People are Good is a solid and memorable song. Not the comeback album I was hoping for and I doubt there will be a major hit off of this release.
  2. yronnen
    Mar 24, 2023
    6
    DM is my favorite band ever...but everything after "Ultra" was a downhill journey, and everything after "Playing the angel" was downright unlistenable for me.

    This album reminds me a bit of "Exciter" as it is more of a (very depressing) entire album listening experience than focusing on specific songs. "My cosmos is mine" is the better track here, but don't expect "Strangelove" or even    DM is my favorite band ever...but everything after "Ultra" was a downhill journey, and everything after "Playing the angel" was downright unlistenable for me.

    This album reminds me a bit of "Exciter" as it is more of a (very depressing) entire album listening experience than focusing on specific songs. "My cosmos is mine" is the better track here, but don't expect "Strangelove" or even "Precious" level of songwriting/production. It's still that lo-fi/low-key production that is the theme of their albums in the last 25 years.

    Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to play "Music for the masses".    … Expand
  3. bingonite
    Mar 26, 2023
    5
    The music is fantastic, I've never heard such a compelling industrial groove. But the lyrics are some of the worst I've ever heard, at least by a band with dozens of songs I like.

    "My love, the world's upside down My love, no solid ground My love, there are no more facts My love, reality's cracked" Has Chad Kroeger ever written anything that bad? What Depeche Mode needs to do is release    The music is fantastic, I've never heard such a compelling industrial groove. But the lyrics are some of the worst I've ever heard, at least by a band with dozens of songs I like.

    "My love, the world's upside down
    My love, no solid ground
    My love, there are no more facts
    My love, reality's cracked"

    Has Chad Kroeger ever written anything that bad?

    What Depeche Mode needs to do is release the stems from the admittedly great music on this album to modern artists who followed in their synthpop footsteps, like HEALTH or Chvrches, and see if those artists can generate something better without such lyrical pablum.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

61
#61 Best Album of 2023
13
#13 Most Discussed Album of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. musicOMH.com
    Mar 31, 2023
    90
    While much of Memento Mori is thoughtful, and some of it visits the dark side, there is a great deal of positivity underpinning Depeche Mode’s work as a duo.
    Read full review
  2. PopMatters
    Mar 30, 2023
    70
    Like the Seventh Seal, Memento Mori raises questions but never brings resolution. ... I It is a testament to their continued relevance and the unexpected wonder in remembering our shared condition.
    Read full review
  3. Classic Rock Magazine
    Mar 29, 2023
    70
    Lavish production disguises thin songwriting on a few tracks, but overall this voluptuous sonic feast feels like a fitting epitaph to departed friends. [Jun 2023, p.72]
    Read full review
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