Fabulae Dramatis is a heavy, progressive metal act currently based in Belgium with lot of sonic drama and visual flair. Isabel Restrepo takes the lead, with vocals that can go from incredibly sexy to demonic in a sweet second. Her vocals are honestly the best I’ve heard in metal in a long time.
I know—subjective. There’s just something there that keeps the sensuality as opposed to that operatic sound we usually get when a female fronts a metal band. I like her. She’s got serious passion. That said, she doesn’t do much melodic singing on the new single Fábula Violenta. Instead, she’s released her inner demon.
We have Daniel Díaz on guitar, who does an immaculate job with the solos. Marco Felix plays a tight bass, and Teo Dimitrov’s drumming is perfection. This new single is intense.
Fábula Violenta archives the true tale of singer Isabel Restrepo’s childhood during the 90s drug war in Colombia into a big, metal vault. Her vocals are a pure release of passion bordering on hellish possession. It comes with a music video that premiered on May 30 of this year, directed by Restrepo and Gustavo Valderrama. The single was released one month before; April 30.
Isabel had a heavy hand in the creation of the music video, from concept to writing to post production. She has created award winning film sorts and is a multi media visual artist as well. Her inherent artistic nature is a massive influence on the video production of Fábula Violenta (English translation: Violent Fable). She’s got some serious experience in prop making, costumery and video production. For this video, she worked with a collegue from her former art academy. Isabel produces all the music videos for Fabulae Dramatis.
In addition to my sincere respect for this kind of creative crossover, female-fronted heavy metal bands hold a prized place in my heart in general; they tend to scream with more viciousness, detonating a wider rage than your average heavy metal bear. Fabulae Dramatis are theatrical when they hit the stage; the visuals can get pretty intense. I recommend catching a show if you can.
If you like this, stay tuned. The band is releasing a brand spanking new full album in September, and it’s a cathartic surrender of personal and intimate experiences. The album (we haven’t been given a name yet) has been produced by Martín Furia (Destruction, Bark) and Gustavo Valderrama (Perpetual Warfare, Headcrusher, 70 000 Tons of Metal). They’re gaining attention with multiple music video awards including Best Sound & Music at Wild Sound Film Festival Canada/USA 2020 and the Cannes Film Awards in France.
Stay in the loop by following them on social media:
