Ultra
by Depeche Mode
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Depeche Mode bestography
Ultra is ranked 5th best out of 47 albums by Depeche Mode on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by Depeche Mode is Violator which is ranked number 93 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 12,087.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
Listen to Ultra on YouTube
Ultra track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 80 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
Ultra rankings
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 4 hours ago)
| Year | Source | Chart | Rank | Rank Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Crusaderlord | Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | 7/50 | 86 |
| 2026 | daCritic | Top 37 Music Albums of 1997 | 36/37 | 0 |
| 2026 |  Tamthebam | Top 91 Music Albums of 1997 | 50/91 | 2 |
| 2026 | cicadelic | Oaza Best Albums 1997 | 7/30 | - |
| 2026 | Moondance | Top 100 Music Albums of 1997 | 22/100 | 4 |
| 2026 | saltysurprise | Top 41 Music Albums of 1997 | 21/41 | 3 |
| 2026 |  serpico | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | 37/100 | 13 |
| 2026 | bonnequestion | Top 29 Music Albums of 1997 | 17/29 | 2 |
| 2026 |  xo66 | Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | 75/100 | 5 |
| 2026 | Vasco | Top 58 Music Albums of the 1990s | 22/58 | 13 |
| Total Charts: The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. | 205 | |||
| Total Rank Score: The total rank score. | 1,361 | |||
Ultra collection
Showing latest 20 members who have this album in their collection | Show all 149 members
Ultra ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this album. | Show all 329 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/09/2026 13:13 | zrommeke | 43 | 85/100 |
| ! | 07/05/2026 18:04 |  DommeDamian | 7,795 | 48/100 |
| ! | 06/02/2026 19:07 | serpico | 912 | 85/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 4% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 76.2/100, a mean average of 76.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 76.3/100. The standard deviation for this album is 13.7.
Ultra favourites
Showing latest 10 members who have added this album as a favourite | Show all 51 members
Ultra forum mentions
BestEverAlbums 5 days ago in Chart of the day (#5453): By Bach BestEverAlbums 08/18/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5408): By Vasco
pedro1976 05/28/2026 06:21 in What album are you listening to? (cont.)Ultra comments
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Dark electronics mixed with guitar rifts and even some orchestral strings. This was Depeche Mode's finest and most varied album which feels gothic at times.
Bach 10/06/2013 21:16 | #87732 | TOP COMMENT
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Another very good album by DM.
Best tracks: Home, Useless, Barrel of a Gun, Sister of Night.
(Edited)
paladisiac TOP 100 COMMENTER 01/05/2012 17:24 | #34553 | TOP COMMENT
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Somewhere around "ultra" is where depeche mode's "mature" sound settled in for the rest of their career. At the time, i took it as more of a refined take of "songs of faith & devotion"-era synth-pop. The best tracks are "barrel of a gun", "it's no good" and "home", which is possibly the greatest heart-tugger in their musical canon.
Compared to the inevitable "Violator", "Ultra" offers only a few good songs. It all starts very well with "Barrel of a Gunn" but after track 1 "Ultra" unfortunately gets annoying. The melodies and the production are not bad, but they are absolutely unable to get me interested. A pity, because I love the darkness and sharp edge that DM chose in his best days as the starting point for unforgettable songs such as "Personal Jesus". "Barrel of a Gun" is, in my opinion, also the track that has been worked the hardest, and that hard work makes the song particularly exciting. Some of the components that scream here for the attention of the listener are the riff of the electric guitar dueling with the utterly expressive vocals of Gahan (who, if you believe the rumors and interviews, should actually have been dead), propelled by a nice pumping rhythm, the very well placed intervention of the humming choir etc.. DM has come to lean on "Industrial" but it is nice to see that the band retains its individuality (The same can be said of Gary Numan: praised by Trent Reznor of NIN because of being so very influential, but carefully seeking its own way without any plagiarism. The track "Home" sung by Gore is a favorite song for many fans. I certainly don't count myself in but "Home" is certainly relevant and has a handsome, somewhat daring vocal line and beautiful arrangements (violins cutting their way through the outro). Uselink is the kind of filler that can fascinate. In my opinion Gore would effortlessly succeed in composing strong soundtracks. But we cannot get further with that idea. Painful conclusion: only a few tracks rise above mediocrity, and that is definitely not enough for DM. I fear that Violator will never be matched.
Goliath 03/20/2018 13:22 | #211332 | TOP COMMENT
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This album is in my top 20, seriously underrated.....
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