FABULÆ DRAMATIS
Violenta
After a while, after a long while of reviewing and listening to albums, sometimes it’s easy to fall into a trap of routine and familiarity. The sounds are more or less the same, the themes are constant and the bands begin to fade, almost being unable to distinguish them from one another.
Luckily, this is not the case for the album that I am about to review. The Belgian band FABULÆ DRAMATIS are the living proof of the unlimited facets that heavy metal can take on. Why do we have to limit ourselves, when the sky is the limit? And I sincerely hope that this is the road that FABULÆ DRAMATIS will continue to go on, because it will be paved with satisfactions, success and achievements.
It’s more than clear now that the contrast between clean and harsh vocals works, but the band has taken this and makes it work even more to their advantage. They are masters in harmonizing these diametrically opposed vocal styles, which greatly enhances the impact of their music. Like a force of nature, the growls arise when the music demands raw intensity, power, or rage, and they deliver an unmistakable impact.
Conversely, when instead they need to convey passion, struggle or uncertainty, here comes the ethereal vocals. Each track is an immersive experience due to the interplay of voice dynamics, which generates an emotional spectrum that moves smoothly between anger and tenderness and keeps the audience interested.
They are also able to use this contrast in the music itself, as more often than not, we witness heavy moments with massive riffs and drums and others with a simple acoustic guitar or piano. What a delightful and expressive combination! This is especially true in “The Jungle Of Ego” and “Lead Astray •I• Indigo”.
And since all good things come in three, the third and last spectacular combination is the English and Spanish. This duality’s beauty is more than just a language decision, it’s a potent tool that gives their music a deeper emotional quality. Because of the group’s extensive exploration and utilization of this multilingual strategy, there is a noticeable and instantaneous shift in mood with each language shift.
The seamless transition between these languages improves the story and emotional journey of each song, whether it’s because of the warmth and passion that Spanish frequently offers or the clarity and directness of English.
The production, mixing and mastering are also well done, which shows the effort FABULÆ DRAMATIS puts in their work. There has also been quite an extensive work on the melodies and the songwriting, because it’s certainly not something that happens overnight to build and structure the songs in the way they’ve done on “Violenta”.
In conclusion, do not miss “Violenta” by FABULÆ DRAMATIS, because this progressive album will go down in history as to one of the most unique listen you will ever do. But the unique listen does not mean that it’s something totally weird or strange, quite the contrary in fact. It’s something that is much needed in this day and age, so be sure to check it out once it’s released.
Benedetta Baldin