Violator (album)

Violator is the seventh studio album by the English electronic band Depeche Mode, released on 19 March 1990 by Mute Records internationally and by Sire and Reprise Records in the United States. It was produced by the band and Mark Ellis, professionally known as Flood. Tracks for the album were recorded in Milan, Italy, Gjerlev, Denmark, and London, England, where the album was mixed by François Kevorkian.

Accompanied by the singles "Personal Jesus", "Enjoy the Silence", "Policy of Truth" and "World in My Eyes", the album propelled the band into international stardom. Violator reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and became the band's first album to chart inside the top 10 of the Billboard 200, peaking at number seven. The album was supported by the World Violation Tour.

As of 2006, the album was estimated to have sold over 7.5 million copies worldwide, making it Depeche Mode's best-selling album. Many previous producers, engineers and staff who have worked with Depeche Mode over the years have named Violator as their favorite Depeche Mode record of all time. It has been included on several "best of" lists, including 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005), Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020), Pitchfork's and NME's Top 100 Albums of the 1990s, Q magazine's 100 Greatest British Albums Ever, Spin magazine's 90 Greatest Albums of the '90s, and Slant Magazine's list of the 100 Best Albums of the 1990s.