Fabulae Dramatis – Violenta

Fabulae Dramatis is a female-led progressive metal quartet hailing from Belgium. The band consists of Isabel Restrepo (vocals), Daniel Diaz (guitars), Teo Dimitrov (drums) and Marco Felix (bass). A proper band that has released two full length albums, namely Om (2012) and Solar Time’s Fables (2017), prior to the release of the third full length entitled Violenta. This eight-tracker physical CD was released back in September via their own label, Dramatis Music and Arts, which means it is still an independent release.

I can’t really speak of their previous releases, but on Violenta they take the audience on a journey with different passages full of heaviness, intensity and dramatism. From the opener “Fabula Violenta” one is already convinced that the band is very talented and knows excatly in which direction to go with this whole release. Thus, one can say that they use their talents to create an exciting album that is full of mystery, darkness, symphony and constants shifts in both mood and genres.

Speaking of opening track, “Fabula Violenta” – this is a very nice introduction and a solid start to this musical journey. The opening musical tones are weighted and hearty, paired with some clean vocal harmonies and more harsh male vocals. The interplay between the two throughout this album is amazing. “The Jungle of Ego” begins a bit different to its predecessor, as it starts with chanted vocals, followed by gutturals, and then by harmonic clean ones. The vocals are obviously varied and changes a lot, also within a song, but the dark atmosphere and instrumental structure remains more or less constant (without a negative connotation!). Next song is called “The City (Translucent)”, and it features some nice and clean vocal harmonies, with harsh male vocals and superb handling of all the instruments. “Led Astray” is another different song, with diverse song-writing, beautiful clean female vocals, some downtrodden notes, and perfect support from the bass and (mostly) clean guitars. “River of Despair” is probably the most energetic and up-tempo track on the whole album. It has this infectious energy, harsh vocals, low-tuned guitars and some bombastic drums. Next change/shift occurs with “Pawn out of Board”, one which begins with some clean and gentle guitar tones and again amazing seductive vocals of Ms. Isabel Restrepo. “The Illusionary Spyglass” is a bit mysterious and varied song, featuring clean and harsh vocals, gentle yet heavy and crunchy guitar riffs and steady and balanced drumming. “Maquina de Suenos” (translates to “dream machine” in English) is the only track completely in Spanish, where the opener “Fabula Violenta” and “River of Despair” have only one verse in Spanish each. This combination of English and Spanish language gives their music a deeper emotional quality. Back to “Maquina de Suenos”, it’s actually an acoustic closer, with amotional and epic ending.

New technology, and clear technical skills and talents of the band members, resulted in a crystal-clear production, where the band’s sound (that is both vast and intimate), transcends the traditional boundaries of the genre. It’s heavy, dramatic, atmospheric and adventorous.

Fabulae Dramatis are also known for their award-winning music videos, having previously won the award for ‘Best Dance Music Video’ at the Cannes Film Awards in 2023 (amongst others). And that visual flair shines through on the video produced for “The City (Translucent)”, depicting humanity trapped as puppets in a glass prison. Please, watch the video below.

In general; I find Violenta to be an excellent album and exciting release, full of emotional peaks, and a flow of the various vocals styles and musical shifts. ‘Violenta, because violence is a state of mind of humanity and nature’.

I sincerely hope you will give it a spin, because this band is totally worth your attention and support. For additional info on this Belgian quartet visit https://www.fabulaedramatis.com/ or if you want to find more info on this particular release then go to https://fabulaedramatis.bandcamp.com/album/violenta-2