Exciter
by Depeche Mode
  • Record Label: Reprise
  • Release Date: May 15, 2001
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 20
  3. Negative: 1 out of 20
  1. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    Lyrical gloom aside, though, 'Exciter' sounds like a band not just revitalised but reassembled from scratch. Not many long-running groups could make an album this fresh and confident in their 20th year, never mind one which bridges timeless soulman crooning and underground techno.
  2. Rolling Stone
    70
    Exciter glimmers like a gentle ambient doodle with vocals: The beats are mostly minimal, closer to early Kraftwerk than to current electronica. But because Gore's songwriting is so focused and Gahan's vocal presence is so commanding, the softest songs leap to the foreground like a whisper from a lover.
  3. The A.V. Club
    70
    Bell's subtle, inventive knob-twiddling pairs perfectly with Martin Gore's new batch of somber, subdued songs.
  5. Entertainment Weekly
    67
    Producer Mark Bell smartly leaves the retro melodies intact, while decorating them with experimental, electronic gloss. [8 June 2001, p.76]
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  6. Alternative Press
    80
    What makes this disc so intriguing is its embracing of the latest electronic substrata within the context of chief songwriter Martin Gore's well-crafted pop tunes. [#155, p.67]
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  7. Billboard
    70
    Two things hold the set together: Mark Bell's quirky, other-worldly production and Dave Gahan's still-haunting voice, which has never been more agile.
  8. Dot Music
    70
    An emotionally exhausting, sometimes excellent album.
  9. Sonicnet
    70
    Longtime fans will no doubt be initially thrown by the lack of "motorik" beats and general rock action here. Yet after a couple of listens, many of Exciter's songs begin to worm their way into the subconscious.
  10. Wall of Sound
    69
    It's just, well, it's just another Depeche Mode album -- a solid near-hour's worth of moody, darkly insidious tunes about such time-honored topics as love, death, and pain... and love and death.
  11. HOB.com
    70
    Though not in the same league as Some Great Reward or Violator, Exciter is a solid effort and refreshing reminder of the variety of pop music.
  12. Spin Cycle
    63
    The electronics are intact, but rather than rely on monitors and keyboards to produce familiar sounds, Depeche Mode lifts its chin and puts vocals first for some surprisingly taut techno-balladry.... Still, old habits are hard to break, and "Exciter" carries a couple of ill-advised indulgences.
  13. L.A. Weekly
    90
    Mellow, dramatic and bathed in atmosphere, Exciter is the sound of a band at the height of its powers.

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Most Discussed Album of 2001
44
#44 Most Shared Album of 2001

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 70 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 70
  3. Negative: 2 out of 70
  1. MatiasM
    Aug 25, 2005
    10
    Excellent!!!!
  2. DexStud
    Jul 29, 2009
    7
    At times very beautiful and melodic. Dave Gahan sings like an angel. However most of the songs lack a specail zing that would make the album At times very beautiful and melodic. Dave Gahan sings like an angel. However most of the songs lack a specail zing that would make the album great instead of good.… Full Review »
  3. AndrewT
    May 14, 2007
    10
    It´s one of the best sites in the web
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