yacub - 20/1/2011

I bump this album on my headphones ALL THE TIME. Some of the catchiest, most driving zeuhl riffs you’ll ever hear. I actually really dig the male, spoken vocals. The production is refreshingly scrappy, which gives it an extra 80’s punky feel that I vaguely relate to Massacre’s Killing Time album. All in all a perfect blend of rawness, slickness, pop, and zeuhl feel. Gobble up those breakdowns ! Half a point off for a some keyboard tracks that could have benefited from a retake. It adds to the charm though.

herkyjerky - 11/8/2010

For a few years the only Eskaton I listened to was 4 Visions, possibly because of its inexhaustible greatness—indeed, equal to the very best Magma and currently ranked in the top 30 albums of all-time on Gnosis—but I was just plain foolish to ignore their other albums for so long. Fiction is their 3rd album and it’s shockingly different in style in some ways, a bit of funk and outsider pop (if you’ll excuse the absurdity of that phrase) added to the crystalline ethereal Zeuhl sound. There’s some curious, effective male vocalizing at times as well. I rather like the overlapping male and female speech parts in "Le cinéma", which has a bit of a Units sound. This album is completely stunning its own way, and a work of eccentric, rare, sublime genius. A few of my friends actually rate this higher than 4 Visions, which just goes to show that I’ve managed to make friends with some of the most eccentric people in the world. For me, this is hitting 12/15 (4.5/5) pretty consistently and could conceivably climb up to 5 stars, but for now the only track going that extra step is "Automute". Their 4th, unreleased album I Care continued further in this early 80s avant-pop/funk mode with excellent results, but this album is the perfect synthesis of Zeuhl and that really odd, clever early 80s underground pop zeitgeist. The warm, light, uplifting singing, melodies and gourmet keyboard sounds of Eskaton are simply a treasure for the ages. Listening to this album really makes me think of Kultivator because of the keyboard sounds, female vocals and the style of bass electric guitar playing. I really really need to revisit that album because I haven’t heard it in, like, ten (?) years and it’s totally etched in my brain from high-rotation in high school. It’s remarkable that I could get so attached to Eskaton despite having no exposure to them in my formative years and being relatively apathetic about this area of music at this point in life. It really speaks to the profound quality at hand here.

atypicalamateur - 26/3/2010

the moment is born
as it dies
the mind relaxes
as it tries
blink memory still
cut ! action ! reality
time is a downstream flow
a forward momentum
perpetual present movement
counting will not slow it
measuring will not control it
Chronos’ many faces cling to a bullet
its hands a conductor’s flailing fury
with no score needed
or beginning
or end
in sight

AG

antonbildern - 20/4/2009

Well, despite some unnecessary male vocals doing spoken word (with failed humoresque), "Fiction" is still a terrific album, although less denser than "Ardeur". The esoteric keyboard wizardry is still their trademark and immediately distinguish them from other french prog acts (zeuhl or not). These early 80’s synths (as well moogs and organs) are easily flammable, exhilarating little devils, tasteful burning flames of pleasure. Also the female vocals. When they go scating ("Simplicius" is gorgeous) they’re completely wonderful. Even when they add "uh-uh-uh’s" to the guitar lines they’re superb ("La Danse des Feux").
Some criticize the album’s lighter side, but I think it’s an improvement - besides the aural mystery is almost intact, ok forget the pseudo hip-hop(?) male chanting and some worldly lyrics. Musically, "Fiction" is still a dreamy, despairing, dark album. Now walking towards the light.

faust3d - 8/2/2009

Very good Zeuhl album with a lot of energy and somewhat dark and sinister mood. As with many Zeuhl albums bass here is really pumping and groovy, but use of various synths give this one very wast soundscape and spaciousness.

Volatch - 20/1/2009

Так случилось, что Eskaton я в своё время прозевал, потихоньку наверстываю. Начал как раз с Fiction.
Чем понравился диск : не знаю как оценивают товарищи музыку и вокал этой группы по отдельности, на мой взгляд прелесть их во взаимодействии. Убери или чуть поменяй то или другое будет не так интересно, а так - идеальный коктейль. Того что я понимаю под термином Zeuhl тут не так уж и много, тут они пошли дальше Магмы и мне это нравится. Вообще жанровую и стилистическую принадлежность пластинки определить трудновато.

dnieper111 - 3/8/2007

Some of this is actually closer to rap than prog or zeuhl, but it’s actually still really great.

Eskaton - Fiction (rateyourmusic - 2007/2011)