Depeche Mode is a band that understands the theatrical sequence and tends to open its albums with an invitation or declaration that sets the tone for the relationship with the listener. Violator tells you exactly what it wants from you. The album pulls you in and establishes its central tension in “World in My Eyes.” It invites you on a synth-based trip to see the world through the speaker’s eyes, a journey that grows progressively darker and more complicated as it moves forward.

“Personal Jesus” feels different when you listen to it in sequence after the drug in “Sweetest Perfection,” as you are now reaching out to touch faith. Mind you, you are not seeking salvation; you are just after another hit, and your personal Jesus is here to deal.

Then comes the moral and emotional hangover in “Halo,” shifting focus from a savior complex to the guilt over secrets and destructive affairs, before the tempo drops to the tranquility of an electronic lullaby in “Waiting for the Night.”

Words are indeed unnecessary in “Enjoy the Silence,” their biggest hit, which directly asks you to just shut up and enjoy. A song about how words can be destructive and how intimacy can be found in unspoken moments, at least until “Policy of Truth” has something to scold you about. Time to face the consequences of honesty, suggesting that lying is often better than speaking the truth in a sinister, rhythmic reality check.

I knew as soon as I finished listening to “Blue Dress” that I had to let the next and last track, “Clean,” keep playing. Did the encounter help the speaker get clean? Can you believe that something as simple as total submission was what he needed to break the toxic cycle? The Violator was the cycle itself.

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Side A

Side B

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