It’s the news fans have been waiting for in the three long years since Playing The Angel. Synth-rock titans Depeche Mode have put the finishing touches on its next album, due for a 2009 release. “We’ve completed the record,” singer Dave Gahan revealed to The L.A. Times last week. “There might be a couple of bits and pieces we’ve got to clean up, but I feel really good about the fact that we’re finished. I think we’ve made a great record.”

As the band told Rolling Stone recently, the as-yet-untitled record has employed plenty of vintage gear. “Martin’s [Gore] got this new fetish which is basically buying gear on eBay,” Gahan recounted. “He must have bought up half of the analog equipment around the world. We’ve got all these old drum machines from the 1970s, and even some of the stuff that we used in the ‘80s as well, like old Moogs and Arps.”

As back in October, Depeche Mode has begun mapping out its �Tour Of The Universe 2009’ to coincide with the album’s release. New dates are being added here and there – none of which, sadly, point to an Australian visit.