FABULAE DRAMATIS is a Progressive Metal band that formed in Belgium in 2011. They released their debut album "Om" later in 2012. The band has an eclectic, diverse, and open-minded perception on creating music and pushing boundaries to be greater than genres and cultures. The band released their sophomore effort "Solar Time's Fables" in September 2017. This album comes in with eleven tracks and a listening time of 48 minutes.

The opening track, "Agni's Dynasty (Fire I)", comes in with a drum solo that quickly transitions into thick, heart pounding bass and incredible guitars. The vocals range from guttural growls, to Progressively male clean, to angelic female. There is a lot going on in this track, but the elements are cohesively done creating an interesting and adroit Progressively Folk track.

"Sati (Fire II)", track four, comes in much softer with lightly plucked guitars and keys with celestial female vocals. The fire comes blasting in with those guttural vocals, shattering drums and guitars that annihilate. This is an incredibly written Folk meets Progressive Metal track. It is one of the stand outs on the album.

Track five, "Sirius Wind", is my favorite track on the album for many reasons. The main being the groovy intro. It has an interesting Jazzy element that continues throughout the track with the help of the guitars. There is mostly female cleans with some added grunts for accent. This track is completely different from its predecessors. The transition into track six, "Coatlicue Serpent Skirt (Earth)" is completely beautiful. This is another standout track. The opening portion is enchanting. The full-on Metal that comes after is great, it's just a jarring evolution.

"Forest", track eight, comes in at a tiny two minutes, but it is a glorious two minutes. This instrumental brings to life the Sitar, in all its grandeur. For those who don't know, the sitar is a plucked stringed instrument used in Hindustani classical music, and works nicely in Folk and Progressive Metal as well.  This is a lovely interlude that leads in to "Roble para el corazon (Wood)", which instantly makes me think of an Italian country side.

The final track "Barren (Gravel)" comes in lightly and pretty much remains that way. It does gradually get harder, but not exceedingly so. At times, it makes me think of a choir. A church of sorts; dismal and dismayed as it gently carries the album to a close.

FABULAE DRAMATIS' "Solar Time's Fables" is exactly how they describe it. It is boundary pushing, eclectic music with Metal at its core. This conceptual album, based on nature elements, takes cultural differences with musical styles and creates an enchanting hour of mystical music. Some of the transitions are jarring, but they add to the appeal. This album may appeal to those who enjoy Folk Metal with a Progressive flare.