Depeche Mode is a band with no shortage of tributes and cover songs, including one orchestral tribute. This is the first to span such a large heritage, and piqued my interest right away. That all 20 tracks are offered as a free download is a plus.

As with most compilations, it’s a mixed bag. What makes a great cover song is the addition of a band’s unique flavor, which many on this comp manage. Ultimo Misterio makes "Waiting For The Night" danceable, and Insular’s addition of guitars gives "World In My Eyes" a new dimension. Folk’s rendition of "Clean" is stripped down, but keeps the haunting quality of the original. The standout track for me is "Rush," by Zolar. This hard-hitting song is made even more so by the industrial edge the band sharpened it on.

There are several covers that stick to the original song practically note for note, which makes for good karoake, but not much else. The vocals on Fragmentos Industriales’ "Enjoy The Silence" and Automob’s "Policy Of Truth" are nearly unlistenable.

But sometimes a song strays so far from the original that it’s unrecognizable. "It’s No Good," covered by Xeltika, and "Personal Jesus" by Eniac 51 (which sounds more like Tiffany’s cover of "I Think We’re Alone Now"), are two examples of this. I guess that hitting that sweet spot between carbon copy and way off base is difficult. Which is why most tributes don’t work.

It’s hard to stand out in the sea of DM covers and remixes, but many of the bands on this collection manage to do just that. I recommend downloading it for the songs that get it very right.

The one downside is that the comp is hosted at rapidshare, which makes you jump through hoops to download. But I've uploaded it so that you can get it directly from me here.