In 1993 Depeche Mode were at their peak, both creatively and commercially. But while everything was near perfection on the surface, the band was coming apart behind the scenes and each member was battling their own personal demons. The aftermath of the Devotional tour would see lead singer Dave Gahan almost dying from a drug overdose, keyboardist Andy Fletcher suffering a nervous breakdown, and drummer/keyboardist Alan Wilder leaving the band. Despite the internal problems that plagued the band, they managed to put on a stunning set of performances during their 1993-1994 Devotional tour. Two of these performances, one is Barcelona and one in Frankfurt, were filmed by filmmaker Anton Corbijn and the result is the Grammy nominated concert film Devotional.

The film is a hazy, dreamlike experience that offers a very 'live' quality. The audience are completely under the spell of the captivating Gahan whose barritone voice screams out songwriter/keyboardist Martin Gore's religion themed lyrics while similarly themed Anton Corbijn designed images act as a backdrop.

Devotional captures Depeche Mode in performance perfection and Corbijn doesn't compromise the tantalizing energy of the concert by constant camera movements or visual effects. Because Cobijn has designed both the stage and the projections, he films everything very simply and allows the band members, the music and his visuals to meld together to create an intimate concert film. This film is instant fan converting material!

Devotional song listing:
Higher Love
World In My Eyes
Walking in My Shoes
Behind The Wheel
Stripped
Condemnation
Judas
Mercy For You
I Feel You
Never Let Me Down Again
Rush
In Your Room
Personal Jesus
Enjoy The Silence
Fly On The Windscreen
Everything Counts

The Devotional concert film is presented in 1.33:1 Fullscreen and the video quality is the downfall of this Two Disc DVD set. The picture is overly grainy with sharpess and detail non-existent. The style of the film means that the visuals are very dark and the various shades of color, including blues, pinks and reds, bleed into each other and create an overall stained look. While the stylised visuals can be partly explained by Corbijn's overall design of the concert tour and therefore the film, the grainess, and the lack of sharpness and detail make this a very difficult film to watch.

The audio is advertised as Dolby Digital Stereo, but the film and most of the musical extra features offer a Dolby Digital 5.1 option which creates an outstanding across all channels mix with fantastic audio sync. This is simply an amazing audio transfer, the sound is a clear all consuming surround experience that successfully creates the illusion of being at the actual concert. The sub-woofer gets a major workout especially on bass heavy songs and the crowd noise is never distracting. This is audio mix that will shake you house and rattle your teeth. Brilliant!

Disc One contains the 94 minute concert film plus two bonus unseen performances of the songs Halo and Policy of Truth.

Disc Two contains a multitude of extras that explore Depeche Mode's relationship with their visual collaborator, Anton Corbijn.

The first feature is the Devotional Live Projections. These Corbijn designed projections are the backdrop for the band while they are on stage. Live projections for the following songs can be viewed in 1.33:1 Fullscreen while the songs can be enjoyed in 5.1 Sound.
Walking in My Shoes
Stripped
Condemnation Judas
I Feel You
Never Let Me Down Again
In Your Room
Enjoy the Silence

Next up is a collection of promotional (music) videos from the Songs of Faith and Devotion album that the tour supported.
I Feel You
Walking in My Shoes
Condemnation (Paris Mix)
In Your Room
One Caress (US Video)
Condemnation (Live)

The Depeche Mode Rockumentary is a 20 minute MTV produced documentary that includes extensive interviews with all the band members and Corbijn. While the history and musical evolution of the band is discussed, the main focus of this documentary is the long term collaboration between Depeche Mode and Corbijn.

A Monologue by Anton Corbijn is a retrospective straight to camera dialogue about all the aspects of the Devotional tour. Produced especially for the DVD release, Corbijn sits at his desk and muses to the viewer about the stage design, the live projections, the concert film and the tour programmes. Corbijn is an interesting speaker and for eight minutes he manages to cover alot of ground and give some insight into his creative process and his working relationship with Depeche Mode.

The final extra is a slideshow of the both the 1993 and 1994 Corbijn designed Devotional Tour Programmes.

Devotional is a superb concert film showcasing Depeche Mode at their greatest! While the video could be better, the outstanding audio soundtrack and extensive extras make this a fantastic release.