Band: Eskaton | Album: 4 Visions | Genre: Zeuhl | Year: 1981
From: Paris, France | Label: Eurock
For fans of: Magma
Zeuhl has always been a weird, insular pico-genre. Browsing through RateYourMusic’s timeline of all releases tagged as zeuhl, the first one that was unambiguously unassociated with Magma was not until 1976, six years after Magma’s debut. (And the first non-French release wasn’t until 1991!)
I mentioned Eskaton last week in the Firyuza/Gunesh column, so that inspired me to highlight them for their own piece! Eskaton was one of the first zeuhl bands to arise without any direct connections to Magma. Their music was largely in the same vein, though, if more synth-heavy. I really like their music a lot, and their sophomore release, 4 Visions, is probably my favorite of theirs.
The album opens on “Eskaton”. After a brief, droning and atmospheric intro, the verse the band launches into is tense and energetic. Synth lines squiggle and squeak, electric piano rings out warmly, and the bass is technical and aggressive. The mood nimbly shifts from frantic to ecstatic to hypnotic. Guitar is rarely in the lead, but its crunch, coupled with the copious synths, help differentiate Eskaton from their forebears.
The closing minutes feature an insistent, upward trek. The drumming is distinct from Christian Vander’s unique martial style, but there’s still a sense of inevitable movement. The vocals are both gentle and strong.
“Attente” fades in slowly with whirring atmospheric effects. When the full band enters, this cut has more of that marching stomp. The bass bites aggressively, but the drumming remains relatively light.The vocals are ethereal and multilayered, and the many keyboard tones swirl to build a hypnotic atmosphere. Near the song’s midpoint, things grow more overtly jazzy, and the bassist plays some stunning, striking arpeggi. While Magma’s music was usually themed around their dense sci-fi lore, their music often retained a rather grounded tone. This sounds more like music made by aliens.
“Ecoute” is my favorite song on the album and one of the best compositions in the zeuhl canon. From the get-go, this song is tense and urgent. A syncopated bassline, theatrical vocals, and echoing guitar swirl together hypnotically. This is a classic example of the way small changes accrue. The astral chorus of vocalists vary between operatic, ecstatic, and downright weird, but it marries beautifully with the anxious jazz guitars, furious bass shredding, and sci-fi synths.
“Pitié” is a mellower affair, at least for its first four minutes. Electric piano and vocals are the main elements for that span, but when the bass comes in, it immediately juices things up. This song becomes something more jagged and lurching. Guitar gets more of a chance to shine here, which is a nice change of pace. The piano is jittery and unsettled as it loops in support of the other instruments.
Woozy and echoing bass, drums, and keys open “Le Cri”. The mood here is more ominous, enhanced by the restrained pace and playing. This is also the least zeuhl-y cut on the album. Aside from the vocals, most of this track draws from more classic prog tropes. An extended synth solo reminiscent of Patrick Moraz occupies much of the middle of this song, and it is gorgeous.
Eskaton’s initial run of three records in the early 1980s was fantastic. I could have featured any three of them, but 4 Visions is my favorite. It’s relatively diverse and unmistakably zeuhl while also being distinct from Magma. Space rock and psychedelic tones are prominent here, while classic jazz tropes are minimized somewhat.
Score: 97/100
The Elite Extremophile 