1. ianb

   10

   I hated this and wanted to sell it on ebay, but after a lengthy gap, i returned to it and playing the angel is an amazing album, after several listens it hits you. It is a very modern classical album - it's complex and the songs are built with perfect components- it's dm's equal to radioheads in rainbows, keep listening you will get it.… Expand

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2. slawekk

   5

   rather a dissapointment - yes there are a few great songs, but still we could have expected a much better album. after a great "exciter" this one is simply uneven...… Expand

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3. DroneStudios

   2

   I have been a Depeche Mode fan since Some Great Reward (1984) and own every DM album. Being with the majority, I feel Violator is their strongest album. I am in the minority here when I say Playing The Angel is their absolute worst album. I believe what set DM apart from their contemporaries (and this spans 3 decades) was their ability to write catchy, mood-driven songs with much emotion. This was intertwined with beautiful synth driven sounds...but not only that, DM were experimental in the process and you could not mistake their sound for any other band. Playing the Angel sounds a lot like other bands...mainly Nine Ince Nails. Playing the Angel is definitely not Violator...any comparison to Violator is made for marketing purposes to sell PTA. PTA neither sounds like Violator or has the strong melodies and amazing sounds and production inherent in Violator or any of the other Depeche Mode albums. This is the most monotone DM album. Even Ultra and Exciter have songs that are worth noting. Nothing stands out on this album. Precious is the best song on this album and even then it is lacking in melodic content. The band lists a slew of analog synths they used on this album...namely a rack of ARP 2600s, Minimoog, EMS VCS-3, Voyetra 8, Korg MS-20, Korg 900PS, Roland Juno 106 and a Yamaha CS-5. For synth fans, if you're expecting rounded, warm analog sounds you will be severely disappointed. I would venture to say most of the sounds on PTA came from Native Instruments Reaktor and the NI suite of DSP synths. The back to analog synths statement is all marketing hype to sell this album. So to sum up this review...Playing the Angel contains no strong melodies, just uninteresting feedback-laden synth lines that sound digital rather than analog, monotone basslines and vocals (the songs stay on one minor chord for the duration of the song), no peaks and valleys in the production...everything is in your face, uninspired lyrics from Martin and Dave, and an overall boring album. I'll be kind and give PTA a two rating for the DM effort..only because I once loved Depeche Mode. Perhaps fans of Nine Inch Nails will love and adore this album. True, longtime Depeche Mode fans who crave the sound of DM with Alan Wilder or even Vince Clarke will be disappointed. Heck, Playing the Angel doesn't even compare to Ultra and Exciter.… Expand

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