Fighting off their various demons--in the case of singer Dave Gahan, a heroin addiction which saw him clinically dead on at least one occasion--the band reformed for its 11th studio album. But where Songs of Faith And Devotion had indulged their penchant for stadium rock theatrics (with disastrous results, so far as Gahan was concerned), Ultra saw a return to the layered electronics of Violator--albeit with a noticeably tougher edge. By engaging Bomb The Bass's Tim Simenon as producer, their sound underwent a subtle metamorphosis: the beats harder, the arrangements more complex and contemporary. The result was their most satisfying collection to date. And though Martin Gore's own vocal, on "Home", constitutes one of this album's standouts, what's really remarkable is Gahan's treatment of Gore's songs, in light of his own chequered history: to hear him sing "Useless" ("you've got your head in the clouds/ you should see how it feels/ with your feet on the ground") is like nothing so much as watching a public declaration of guilt. Discomfiting, but also compelling. --Andrew McGuire