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. Neshelie
    Aug 21, 2023
    7
    It's a powerful album. Enjoyable to listen to. A work that exceeds the knowledge of the past.
  2. androcchio
    May 10, 2023
    10
    Best album of Depeche Modefrom over 20 years by now.
    A mix of what they did in all their career without never been banal or repetitive. Really love it and a must listen to it.
  3. Lajaleaa
    May 9, 2023
    7
    An interesting addition to the already classic discography of this band. It might not rise the attention of new generations, but will prove their style and strength their skills to experiment within their own perception of the world and music. This is Depeche Mode staying on a safe place, that is good enough.
  4. BillyMate
    May 8, 2023
    9
    This album deals with life, death, addiction and much more. Its a great listen with simple but great production and haunting lyrics. so far its AOTY.
  5. MBeano
    Apr 25, 2023
    0
    I can't even say this album is depressing. That would require actual emotion, which this album is completely devoid of. First, nothing stands out anywhere. There are sounds that remind of older Depeche Mode. However, no melodies that make DM so great. Yet even if remove ourselves from the pop magic that no longer exists, there is nothing truly moving, intimate, dark, introspective,I can't even say this album is depressing. That would require actual emotion, which this album is completely devoid of. First, nothing stands out anywhere. There are sounds that remind of older Depeche Mode. However, no melodies that make DM so great. Yet even if remove ourselves from the pop magic that no longer exists, there is nothing truly moving, intimate, dark, introspective, otherworldly, emotive, broken, or even truly melancholy or sad. Every song occupies the exact same space, there is no dynamic or ebb and flow, or highs and lows. It is an even plateau from start to finish, and goes nowhere. Lyrically it is broad, generic, and with no character. It is all empty word "art" that you find at a chain store, in cursive. Superficial and lacking in any personal nuance, question, or inward examination. Note that the lyrics are all static proclamations - Dont Play, You are, I won't. The few departures are songs like Before We Drown - "I've been thinking I can come back home
    So how would that be, you and I alone?
    All alone?
    I have a feeling, you're not on my side
    There's a distance, between you and I
    You and I"
    every line paints the exact same idea... actually scratch that. "paint" is far too generous and descriptive, for such generic on-the-nose flat statements."Painting" would imply that there is some sort of picture, image, mood, atmosphere, story, none of which exists. As a side note, it is interesting (I'm being nice with that word) that there is no indication of staying afloat or being overwhelmed, which conjure the imagery of drowning, which is in the title of the song, and only comes up at the end. It doesn't even have to be blatantly water related, at least some sort of feeling of being inundated or suffocated. No, Standing "naked, standing on the shore" does not do this. It is beach related, it elicits exposure or vulnerability, not drowning.
    The music follows suite in its directionless static nature. choruses and verses blur together with little distinction. You can literally sing along or hum to most DM songs, even the moody melancholy ones, Not every song/album has to have that. But it doesnt have any interest in term of arrangement, different soundscapes, atmosphere, or musical exploration. It is just as flat and lifeless as the monotone droning of vocals and stagnant lyrics.    … Expand
  6. turnturnturn
    Apr 20, 2023
    10
    “’Memento Mori’ is a major return to form and then some. Everything about this era feels draped in the gothic majesty of yesteryear, soaring down the synthetic highway with an existisitential crisis riding shotgun. The synth pop meets alt rock style is executed flawlessly, but what’s even more impressive is the amount of album tracks that actually rival (‘Ghosts Again’) excellence.

    God    “’Memento Mori’ is a major return to form and then some. Everything about this era feels draped in the gothic majesty of yesteryear, soaring down the synthetic highway with an existisitential crisis riding shotgun. The synth pop meets alt rock style is executed flawlessly, but what’s even more impressive is the amount of album tracks that actually rival (‘Ghosts Again’) excellence.

    God tier cuts are pulled off with expertise and ease, 50 minutes zoom by thanks to the beautiful attention to detail. So, even if you’re vaguely familiar with them…’Memento Mori’ is a perfect place to start.”    … Expand
  7. jamal500
    Apr 13, 2023
    10
    After 40+ years of making a name for themselves, most would expect Depeche Mode to have dried out completely from their talent at this point in their careers. However on this album, it is exactly the opposite. The group continues to thrive in the genre that they pioneered in, while continuing to put their own twist on it and also create an oddly melancholic and dark musical experience.After 40+ years of making a name for themselves, most would expect Depeche Mode to have dried out completely from their talent at this point in their careers. However on this album, it is exactly the opposite. The group continues to thrive in the genre that they pioneered in, while continuing to put their own twist on it and also create an oddly melancholic and dark musical experience. It's not only impressive, but also extremely satisfying and pleasant.… Expand
  8. StefMuscOne
    Apr 11, 2023
    8
    Depeche Mode deep inside their soul. They go over and write and produce new masterpice
  9. stumm47
    Apr 2, 2023
    10
    This is their best record since "Ultra" (1997). The boys from Basildon did it yet again. Well done, lads.
  10. Playstopause
    Mar 31, 2023
    10
    Impressive. Memento Mori is an album that could have been released in the first 20 years of the band's existence. Being a very, very long time fan, this is the first album to give me the chills in a long time. Definitely at the top of the list with their best albums and their best of the 2000s.
  11. 75swords
    Mar 30, 2023
    10
    It took 3 days to grow fully on me and now it feels like the best album since PTA, I can listen to the whole thing without skipping a bit, Awesome comeback!
  12. SongForTheDeaf
    Mar 29, 2023
    10
    Memento Mori this is the highest form of music for the soul, not for the masses. Dave and Martin have created a specific concept and stuck to it for the entire fifty minutes of Memento Mori. The specter of death lurks around every corner, but it is not an image that inspires fear but rather hope. This whole album is a hope, above all, that such a legend is able to observe the world soMemento Mori this is the highest form of music for the soul, not for the masses. Dave and Martin have created a specific concept and stuck to it for the entire fifty minutes of Memento Mori. The specter of death lurks around every corner, but it is not an image that inspires fear but rather hope. This whole album is a hope, above all, that such a legend is able to observe the world so closely that they can respond to some of its ills with his songs.… Expand
  13. StevenX
    Mar 28, 2023
    3
    The musical disappointment of the year so far. Clearly aiming for mainstream success with shorter yet slower songs while strangely forgetting silly things like the standout choruses that made them famous (the most effective song is also the longest and opens the record, yet ends up sounding like two unfinished songs pieced together), the results are mostly pretty forgettable. The biggestThe musical disappointment of the year so far. Clearly aiming for mainstream success with shorter yet slower songs while strangely forgetting silly things like the standout choruses that made them famous (the most effective song is also the longest and opens the record, yet ends up sounding like two unfinished songs pieced together), the results are mostly pretty forgettable. The biggest musical surprise here is a keyboard figure opening "Wagged Tongue" that sounds cribbed from 1980s Vince Clarke outtakes. The opening four words from "Personal Jesus" all those years ago beat anything on this album. (One point removed for the embarrassment that is "Caroline's Monkey".)… Expand
  14. StacyYoung
    Mar 28, 2023
    3
    After listening to this album a few times, I really don't like it that much. I do consider myself a big DM fan, but this is hardly worthy of the praise so many are heaping on it. After listening to it all the way through last night, I had to cleanse my pallet with some truly good DM music and listened to Ultra, Violator, SOFD and Playing the Angel. All of these albums are so much betterAfter listening to this album a few times, I really don't like it that much. I do consider myself a big DM fan, but this is hardly worthy of the praise so many are heaping on it. After listening to it all the way through last night, I had to cleanse my pallet with some truly good DM music and listened to Ultra, Violator, SOFD and Playing the Angel. All of these albums are so much better than this new one. For one thing, overall it is weak, depressing, boring, lacking in the little embellishments that made many of their previous and earlier works really stand out. Is every song about death? How depressing is that? What happened to them? The sound is flat, with an emphasis on electronic, but missing the metallic element and extra sounds that ordinarily compliment the songs. Sorry, but I can't get on this bandwagon. Very disappointed with it and will probably rarely listen to the entire album as a whole.… Expand
  15. Benz74
    Mar 27, 2023
    9
    Memento Mori is a definite step up from the last three albums, sound production wise. Textured, layered, reverb(ed)... Glad the distortion on Dave Gahan's voice was finally dialed back for this record. The presence of Marta Salogni as sound engineer -- who had experience working with electronic artists such as Björk and Goldfrapp -- likely played a huge part in this renewed Depeche ModeMemento Mori is a definite step up from the last three albums, sound production wise. Textured, layered, reverb(ed)... Glad the distortion on Dave Gahan's voice was finally dialed back for this record. The presence of Marta Salogni as sound engineer -- who had experience working with electronic artists such as Björk and Goldfrapp -- likely played a huge part in this renewed Depeche Mode sound. (Quality headphones, people!)

    If Black Celebration, Ultra and Sounds of the Universe had a threesome baby, this might be the result. SOTU's B-side "Ghost" would've been a good fit for this record for the similarity in sound to some of the tracks. No songs are immediate crowd pleasers such as Enjoy the Silence (Violator), I Feel You (SOFAD) or It's No Good (Ultra), and Martin's guitar gets little action here, but most songs do hold your attention and bring you inside their dark, gloomy world... with hints of hope and warmth.

    Favorites: My Cosmos is Mine, Ghosts Again, Before We Drown, Always You, People Are Good, Speak to Me    … Expand
  16. 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
  17. kristian0
    Mar 26, 2023
    9
    Deep, dark and ecletic. There are some nostalgic elements in the album that makes this album so special. It derives deep messages about life & death. The death that is part of our lives, that shouldn't be forgotten. This is the Memento mori.
  18. procyon
    Mar 25, 2023
    9
    The electronica is the usual clean, crisp and actual electronica that we expect from a DM release. It is the song lyrics, the melodies and the pacing that makes this outing stand out from all of the others since 1997's ULTRA. There is a heartfelt, at times almost lisping pathos in Gahan's vocals that keeps you coming back for more. The opener is a steaming, pulsing filmic soundscape of theThe electronica is the usual clean, crisp and actual electronica that we expect from a DM release. It is the song lyrics, the melodies and the pacing that makes this outing stand out from all of the others since 1997's ULTRA. There is a heartfelt, at times almost lisping pathos in Gahan's vocals that keeps you coming back for more. The opener is a steaming, pulsing filmic soundscape of the state of Gahan's self-worldstation. The singular Gore-fronted angelic number "Soul With Me" might be a single with Gore re-exhibiting the kind of habitual vocals that place him on a legendary par with an Elvis. And the band closes this whole œuvre with a dreamlike bittersweet number that slowly builds to an electronic crescendo that leads to the utmost end.

    Sadly there are no instrumental between-track pieces on this album that we have come to expect of a DM album to link up some of the songs, but perhaps the quality and the state of what was already there did not warrant them adding any of this.

    Morituri te salutant    … Expand
  19. 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.
  20. atomixDJ
    Mar 25, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Like many reviews here have stated, I feel this is what DM fans have waited for since Playing the Angel. This isn't to discount well-crafted songs like Wrong, Heaven, and a couple other standouts since 2005, but the approach to go back to basics and simplify (in my opinion) really works in so many ways.

    Ghosts Again leads the interest here since it's the first single from Memento Mori, but Always You, Wagging Tongue, People Are Good, and Never Let Go are powerful and amazing in their own right. The beautiful melodies and harmonies that make up Before We Drown, Speak To Me, Soul With Me, and Don't Say You Love Me demonstrate that Martin and Dave still can take us on an emotional journey with every note. Within the darkness lies light.

    So happy to say I feel DM has returned to form and put out an incredible album despite losing the consistent presence and lifelong friendship of Andy Fletcher.

    (Saw them last Thursday in Sacramento to kick off the world tour and the songs they played from the album were just as good, maybe even better live...)    … Expand
  21. Astradyne
    Mar 25, 2023
    9
    Best album since exciter. Got An exciter vibe in the album. Beautyful arranged songs. The band is like wine....better with the years.
  22. HyphenatedMeta
    Mar 25, 2023
    10
    I smile, I ooh, I breathe a sigh of release after every track. That’s what kind of album this is, the kind that feels like a cohesive whole without being concept, and one that makes me feel urgent disappointment when I see there are only a couple of songs left. It’s a ride you don’t want to end. Looking forward to the tour, I’m already bemoaning the burden of their success that requires soI smile, I ooh, I breathe a sigh of release after every track. That’s what kind of album this is, the kind that feels like a cohesive whole without being concept, and one that makes me feel urgent disappointment when I see there are only a couple of songs left. It’s a ride you don’t want to end. Looking forward to the tour, I’m already bemoaning the burden of their success that requires so much stage time devoted to their standard hits — I’d gladly pay to watch them play this full album alone.… Expand
  23. jkpokerface101
    Mar 25, 2023
    10
    An utterly cohesive, magnificent electronic masterpiece that references Kraftwerk, Bowie and Moby, while self-referential to the best creations in Depeche Mode history, of which Memento Mori definitely ranks. The best tracks are People Are Good, Never Let Me Go, Before We Drown, Speak To Me, My Cosmos Is Mine, Don't Say You Love Me and My Favourite Stranger.
  24. kmazur
    Mar 25, 2023
    10
    Very powerfull peace of music! Gahan in good vocal shape, very fresh composition of sounds
  25. soundblast
    Mar 25, 2023
    10
    This has everything that once hooked me to DM, all these years after they preserve the spirit and create more magic. Every song here is special!!
  26. mAscArA81
    Mar 25, 2023
    10
    This is one of their best works in a long time. I had a huge expectations on this album, but this album succeded!it sounds Gloomy, depressing but with a touch of brightness for some reason. A brilliant album. I can't wait to see them live again!
  27. Stean77
    Mar 25, 2023
    3
    Think this positive ratings from the media are strange, DM were always on black list, everything they made was underrated till Ultra. From Exciter media started love DM, this totally flat, weak, boring new DM. Its a paradox. Thought SOTU is their worst album ever. Wrong, this is even worse. Hard core fans say: ' you need quality sound system to enjoy MM!' No. Didn't need it for Violator,Think this positive ratings from the media are strange, DM were always on black list, everything they made was underrated till Ultra. From Exciter media started love DM, this totally flat, weak, boring new DM. Its a paradox. Thought SOTU is their worst album ever. Wrong, this is even worse. Hard core fans say: ' you need quality sound system to enjoy MM!' No. Didn't need it for Violator, didn't need it for MFTM, BC, SOFAD, Ultra, SGR,… Expand
  28. ayopos
    Mar 25, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Trovo il disco bellissimo, ad un profondo ascolto sento echi musicali (slow) qua e la di tutta una carriera come fosse un tributo, compreso una "only you" in Wagging tongue, buon ascolto a tutti. Sicuramente hanno fatto più bella figura degli U2, che hanno stracciato canzoni dove i graffi e la rabbia insostituibili sono stati sminuiti da un ridicolo falsetto e che oltretutto non riesco neanche ad ascoltare fino alla fine anche in modalità shuffle.… Expand
  29. Sheppherd88
    Mar 24, 2023
    10
    It might be the firsl DM's album that I listen to over and over again since the Playing the angel!

    It seems like they took all the best from 83-98 era and put it into this LP. The only exception is "My cosmos is mine" that sounds more like "Welcome to my world" from the Delta Machine album. Gahan's voice sounds naturally without any effects that we widely used in a previous LPs. The    It might be the firsl DM's album that I listen to over and over again since the Playing the angel!

    It seems like they took all the best from 83-98 era and put it into this LP. The only exception is "My cosmos is mine" that sounds more like "Welcome to my world" from the Delta Machine album. Gahan's voice sounds naturally without any effects that we widely used in a previous LPs. The intrumentation relies again much more on synths than guitar. My favorites are "Wagging togue" and "My favorite stranger".

    It MUST to reach #1!    … Expand
  30. julian4378
    Mar 24, 2023
    10
    Excelente regreso a lo grande con Memento Mori! la producción es genial y la voz de Dave Gahan suena fresca como nunca. Disco con sonido propio. El mejor desde Playing the Angel, o quizás desde Ultra.
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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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