# Ultra (Depeche Mode album)
**Ultra** is the ninth studio album by the English band [Depeche Mode](https://www.edgepedia.org/depeche-mode), released on 14 April 1997 by [Mute Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/mute-records) under the catalog number Stumm148.[1](https://dmlive.wiki/wiki/Ultra) It was the band's first album made without [Alan Wilder](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-wilder) since he left the group in 1995, and it was recorded during a period in which singer Dave Gahan was struggling with drug addiction, including a near-fatal overdose in 1996.[2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/) The album reached number 1 on the UK album chart and number 5 in the United States.[3](https://archives.depechemode.com/discography/albums/14_ultra.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 14 April 1997, Mute Records, catalog number Stumm148[1](https://dmlive.wiki/wiki/Ultra) |
| Position in discography | Ninth studio album; first without Alan Wilder since his 1995 departure[1](https://dmlive.wiki/wiki/Ultra) • [2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/) |
| Producer | Tim Simenon (of Bomb the Bass), who had previously remixed the band's "Strangelove"[2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/) |
| Line-up | Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, and Andy Fletcher[4](https://depechemodefrance.com/discographie/ultra/) |
| Songwriting | All songs written by Martin L. Gore[5](https://www.depmode.com/Depeche_Mode_Ultra.php) |
| Chart positions | UK number 1; USA number 5[3](https://archives.depechemode.com/discography/albums/14_ultra.html) |
| Singles | "Barrel of a Gun" (3 February 1997), "It's No Good" (31 March 1997), "Home" (16 June 1997), "Useless" (20 October 1997)[2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/) |
## Background
Alan Wilder, the band's multi-instrumentalist and studio arranger, left Depeche Mode in 1995 to concentrate on his solo project Recoil.[2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/) • [6](https://albumism.com/features/depeche-mode-ultra-turns-25-anniversary-retrospective) Wilder had carried out much of the studio work on earlier albums, and replacing him required an entire team.[2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/) Around the same time, [Dave Gahan](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-gahan) was battling heroin addiction and nearly died of an overdose while the band was recording.[6](https://albumism.com/features/depeche-mode-ultra-turns-25-anniversary-retrospective) According to the band's German-language discography site, the recordings came close to being abandoned several times because of his drug problems; weakened by his condition, Gahan could sing for at most one hour per day, and the vocal recordings for "Sister of Night" alone stretched over ten days.[2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/)
The band began the sessions cautiously. In an interview recorded for the *Singles 86-98* electronic press kit, [Martin Gore](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-gore) described the approach: "We didn't plan a whole album, we just said that we'd do a few tracks to start with and if we're lucky we will get a single out of it."[7](https://dmlive.wiki/wiki/1998-08-04_Singles_86-98_EPK%2C_Mute_Records)
## Recording and production
The album was produced by Tim Simenon, known for his dance project Bomb the Bass, who had been a fan of the band and had previously supplied remixes, including one of "Strangelove".[2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/) Recording took place at Eastcote, Westside, Strongroom, RAK, and [Abbey Road](https://www.edgepedia.org/abbey-road) in London, at Electric Lady in New York City, and at Larrabee West in Los Angeles.[1](https://dmlive.wiki/wiki/Ultra) • [2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/)
The German discography site states that the album took 15 months to finish.[2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/) Sources disagree on the exact recording dates: DM Live gives November 1995 to October 1996,[1](https://dmlive.wiki/wiki/Ultra) while the depmode discography and AllMusic both give January 1996 to February 1997, with mixing following in late 1996 according to DM Live.[5](https://www.depmode.com/Depeche_Mode_Ultra.php) • [8](https://www.allmusic.com/album/ultra-mw0000098008)
## Music and songs
All songs were written by Martin Gore, who also sang lead vocals on "Home" and "The Bottom Line".[5](https://www.depmode.com/Depeche_Mode_Ultra.php) Like its predecessor *[Songs of Faith and Devotion](https://www.edgepedia.org/songs-of-faith-and-devotion)*, the album makes considerable use of guitar and drums, but the synthesizer, the band's central instrument, remains dominant.[4](https://depechemodefrance.com/discographie/ultra/) The band's press release described a sound drawing on contemporary dance, gospel, blues, and even country sources.[5](https://www.depmode.com/Depeche_Mode_Ultra.php)
The standard album contains eleven listed tracks; the CD and LP also carry the hidden track "Junior Painkiller" (2:10) at the end, giving twelve songs in total.[1](https://dmlive.wiki/wiki/Ultra) • [2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/) Gore returned to familiar themes, addressing failed relationships in "It's No Good" and "Useless", predetermined fate in "Barrel of a Gun", alienation in "Sister of Night", and redemption in "Home".[5](https://www.depmode.com/Depeche_Mode_Ultra.php)
**The title.** According to the German discography site, Gore chose the short word Ultra as an ironic response to the fans' habit of abbreviating album titles, since the previous album *Songs of Faith and Devotion* was commonly shortened to SOFAD, which sounds like "so fat" in English.[2](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/)
## Release, chart performance, and aftermath
The album reached number 1 in the UK and number 5 in the United States.[3](https://archives.depechemode.com/discography/albums/14_ultra.html) The band decided there would be no tour for the album after the punishing experiences of the previous Devotional tour, although promotion was still intense; Andy Fletcher reported having given 170 interviews before release.[9](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1997/MM-1997-04-05.pdf) At release, the music press was largely unenthusiastic, with three-star reviews characterizing the album as something the band had thrown together.[6](https://albumism.com/features/depeche-mode-ultra-turns-25-anniversary-retrospective)
Ultra was remastered and reissued on 1 October 2007 on CD and as a SACD/DVD Collector's Edition, with a 180-gram LP following on 8 October 2007; the Collector's Edition added live tracks recorded in London in April 1997 and B-sides including "Only When I Lose Myself" and "Surrender".[10](https://www.depmode.com/Depeche_Mode_Ultra_Remasters.php) • [3](https://archives.depechemode.com/discography/albums/14_ultra.html) Further reissues have followed, including a 2025 remastered vinyl edition on Columbia.[11](https://www.depmod.com/item-updates/) The album's continued presence in the band's history was noted retrospectively: it demonstrated, as a Spanish-language retrospective put it, that artistic life remained in the project after the crises of 1995 and 1996.[12](https://los40.com/2026/05/14/veinticinco-anos-de-exciter-el-disco-silencioso-con-el-que-depeche-mode-entraron-en-este-siglo/)
## References
1. [Ultra, DM Live - the Depeche Mode live encyclopedia](https://dmlive.wiki/wiki/Ultra)
2. [ULTRA, depechemode.de (German)](https://www.depechemode.de/diskografie/album/ultra/)
3. [Ultra, Depeche Mode: The Archives](https://archives.depechemode.com/discography/albums/14_ultra.html)
4. [Ultra, Depeche Mode France (French)](https://depechemodefrance.com/discographie/ultra/)
5. [Depeche Mode 'Ultra' 1997, depmode.com](https://www.depmode.com/Depeche_Mode_Ultra.php)
6. [It's No Good: Depeche Mode's 'Ultra' Turns 25, Albumism](https://albumism.com/features/depeche-mode-ultra-turns-25-anniversary-retrospective)
7. [1998-08-04 Singles 86-98 EPK, Mute Records, DM Live](https://dmlive.wiki/wiki/1998-08-04_Singles_86-98_EPK%2C_Mute_Records)
8. [Depeche Mode: Ultra Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/ultra-mw0000098008)
9. [Artist Spotlight, Music & Media, 5 April 1997](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1997/MM-1997-04-05.pdf)
10. [Depeche Mode 'Ultra' Remastered 2007, depmode.com](https://www.depmode.com/Depeche_Mode_Ultra_Remasters.php)
11. [Items Updates, Depeche Mode Discography (depmod.com)](https://www.depmod.com/item-updates/)
12. [Veinticinco años de 'Exciter', Los 40 (Spanish)](https://los40.com/2026/05/14/veinticinco-anos-de-exciter-el-disco-silencioso-con-el-que-depeche-mode-entraron-en-este-siglo/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › New wave and post-punk albums › Post-punk albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license