Thierry ZABOÏTZEFF - Promethee (1984)
Thierry ZABOÏTZEFF's first solo album, Prométhée was commissioned by the Collectif Théâtral du Hainault, a Valenciennes-based company directed by Philippe Asselin at the time, for the play "Aeschylus' Prometheus", inspired by Prométhée Enchaîné, a tragedy by the Greek playwright Aeschylus. Prométhée is Thierry ZABOÏTZEFF's first opportunity to work outside the ART ZOYD group and experiment with new musical horizons. The only ART ZOYD member to support Thierry in his solo project was saxophonist Didier Pietton, who played on all the group's albums from 1982 to 1985. Carole Grave (who designed the cover of Génération Sans Futur) and Francine Auger provide backing vocals, but appear nowhere else on the album.
In its original vinyl version (with superb cover art by Raymond Majchrzac) Prométhée is presented as two long untitled tracks lasting around twenty minutes, but it's not really one long epic suite, since each side is subdivided into seven separate tracks, ranging from twenty-second interludes to long tracks lasting several minutes - the CD edition follows this breakdown, and rightly so.
When you discover this album after the works of ART ZOYD from the same period, it's impossible not to be struck by a particular detail. Several passages on Prométhée share themes with Espaces Inquiets (1983) and Le Mariage Du Ciel Et De L'Enfer (1985). For example, the sixth part of the first side is an alternative version of 'Bruit Du Fer' where Jean-Pierre Soarez's trumpet is replaced by Thierry's cello.
Several other passages are original Prométhée themes which were later reworked for the 1985 album under the title "Io", partly re-recorded with the band, in a more extensive production. The electronic motif of "Io 2" originated in the second part of the first side of Prométhée, while the fourth part of the second side became "Io 1". The first three parts of the second side are repeated more faithfully on "Io 3". Finally, the penultimate part is a free combination of the second theme of "Cérémonie" (1983) and that of "Io 2". However, these changes of theme do not detract from the coherence of Prométhée, or indeed of Le Mariage Du Ciel Et De L'Enfer.
The album is heterogeneous, but the contrasts are relevant. The first side is by far the calmest, starting with the splendid opening theme, a long, enchanting, lunar mantra. Let's not forget the misty ramblings of the third part, repeated on the second side, marking a breath between two livelier passages, or the woody twists and turns of the fifth. The only truly violent passage is the fourth, a haunting, raw violence that differs from the premeditated violence of ART ZOYD.
The second side is more electronic and versatile, the melodies more detached, closer to what you'd find on ART ZOYD at the same time - regardless of the fact that they'll be on the next album. The themes of the first four parts don't break any bricks, but they do cultivate a taste for the strange with a very singular aesthetic, but it's the sixth part that really wins me over; this completely deranged, one-of-a-kind headlong rush is utterly gripping and, in its own way, fabulous. The atmosphere of the album is turned upside down; the conclusion, though reminiscent of the peaceful ambience of the first side, is more bitter, imbued with an underlying tension.
This album is not confined to the Zoydian circle; it is one of those that makes the exploration of French underground music a fascinating quest.
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