Songs of Faith and Devotion

In 1993, Songs of Faith and Devotion , again with Flood producing, saw them experimenting with arrangements based as much on heavily distorted electric guitars and live drums (played by Alan Wilder, whose debut as a studio drummer had come on the Violator track “Clean”) as on synthesisers. Live strings , uilleann pipes and female gospel vocals were other new additions to the band’s sound. The album debuted at number one in both the UK and the US, only the sixth British act to achieve such a distinction to date. The first single from the album was the grunge-influenced ” I Feel You “. The gospel influences are most noticeable on the album’s third single, ” Condemnation “. Interviews given by the band during this period tended to be conducted separately, unlike earlier albums, where the band was interviewed as a group.