Fictional's
Gerrit Thomas doesn't stand still for long. In addition to his industrial dance project
Funker Vogt and
Ravenous, as well as remixes for
Decoded Feedback and
Leæther Strip, he found the time to put together this haunting collection of gothic synth pop. And although "Blue Lights" has proven to be the most successful from
Fictitious, the record is primarily solid for the dancefloor. The songs at first seem recurrent with similar sounds and beats, but further listens reveal intensities that are brought to the surface with
Kai Schmidt's lyrics. The chilling "Blue Lights" (one of two tracks sung by Tim Fockenbrock) does remain as the most affecting, but other selections such as the EBM-fueled "Hangman" and the ambient "Your Dream," which is more trance than synth pop, are nearly as intoxicating. The reissue on Metropolis includes two live tracks that really shouldn't be here, as you can hear conversation from the audience all too well.