Hailing from Belgium, Bandcamp, describes the band as “FABULAE DRAMATIS is a Metal act of heavy world music that takes the audience on a journey with different passages full of heaviness, intensity, and dramatism. The band has a sound that is both vast and intimate, one that transcends the traditional boundaries of the genre.” Their new album titled “Violenta,” has eight songs. “Fabula Dramatis” is next. The opening musical tones are weighted and hearty, and the clean vocal harmonies shine through the filth. The harsh vocals cast darkness on the song however.

“The Jungle of Ego” begins with chanted vocals, followed by gutturals, followed by harmonic cleans. Although the vocal landscape changes, the music stays within the realm of darkness, or the Underworld if you will. It has a hardened structure that stays constant. “The City” has some very nice clean vocal harmonies, and the bite of the harsh vocals makes the listener appreciate them more. “Led Astray” is the first song to feature some downtrodden notes, mostly from the audible bass and clean guitars. The clean female singer has a wonderful voice and it is layered with effects. It’s the kind of voice that you can lose yourself in, and the lead guitar notes lift off the page and sing. “River of Despair” lunges out of the gate with an infectious energy and plenty of low end bombast. The roar of the harsh vocals sounds like a lion announcing his kill. “Pawn out of Board” begins with shadowy clean guitar tones and gentle clean vocals. A sturdy guitar riff takes over from there, and it paints a landscape of anger. “The Illusionary Spyglass” is full of mystery, as the title suggests. The sound eases in at first, followed by a heavy, crunchy guitar riff, that trades off with cleans. The vocals drip with tones regret for me, and the sound comes together with drama. “Maquina de Suenos” translates to “dream machine” in English, and it’s an acoustic closer.

Overall, this was an excellent album. It was full of emotional peaks, created by the yin and yang of the ebb and flow of the various vocals styles, and musical shifts. The band is very talented as well, and they use that talent to create an exciting album that is full of mystery and darkness.