For those whom are interested in knowing the source of inspiration of some Fabulae Dramatis’ lyrics…
I let you here on this blog the links of the original poems. I wrote them in spanish. And I think it’s better to let them like that, otherwise they lose their harmony in that language. You can always use a translator to know the meaning. In essence it’s almost the same idea that you’ll find on the lyrics.
It’s been a while since we published some news on this page.
Two years ago we released our first album named “Om”. It was a delightful experience and it was definitely the best way to learn.
Fabulae Dramatis is currently in composition process. Our dear guest musician, Isadora Cortina, singer song-writer from Ancestral Legacy makes this time part of our songwriting team.
We have great plans for this new upcoming album, new interesting and talented guest musicians and a lot of motivation!
The same philosophy still rules this project: “anthropocentric fables to soothe your mind”. An ode to human cultural expression under a smooth Avant-Garde/Progressive skin.
Time is our biggest enemy and that’s why we don’t dare to give a final release date but we hope we can offer some fresh notes to you the forthcoming months.
Our debut album “Om” is already available. It has been a two-year-journey. During this time, I had the opportunity to meet talented musicians and graphic designers, to learn in the process and to make new friends.
The musical experimentation was one of the ingredients, but the most important one was to give the best of myself with the help of different musicians. In the process I discovered another musically aspects in myself. The final result was not just what I wanted, but it was just better than I thought!
Fabulae Dramatis’ music sounds experimental, fresh, it has reminiscence from the past involved in a present package, it has a taste of many cultures and it still keeps heaviness and beauty in itself.
Booklet Designed by Carlos Jácome Lobo.
Cover album designed by Marcela Bolívar.
I am definitely delighted in all of the perspectives, it is something personal of course, but I would like to believe you might discover it by yourself.
Digipak with a 12-page booklet (both full color)
10 tracks, total time: 42:18
Fnac Antwerpen, Grand Bazar.
In Metalzone webshop and in the shops in (Antwerpen, Leuven Vosselaar and Baal).
In “De Rots” webshop.
These are the digital music sites where you can find Fabulae Dramatis album, “Om” to buy or for streaming:
iTunes
Rhapsody
eMusic
Spotify
Zune
Medianet
(iMesh, Digital Media 2.0, LAC, iLike, Dynamic Media, HMV, Tesco, J. River, Inc., Samsung UK, Synacor US, Clearwire, Ebay Digital Music Center, MOG, etc.)
iHeartRadio
Google Play
Rdio
24-7 Entertainment
(Play.com, Saturn, Media Markt, Weltbild, Ex Libris, CDON, Can West, etc.)
So here I am, after a considerable period of time spent working on this bright-colored and multi-cultural album, having the result in my hands, and wondering how this will come up when we finally give birth to it.
According to the official Fabulae Dramatis statements, the album Om is to be released soon. All of you, fellow music lovers and exotic experimental sounds fans, soon will have the magic box in your hands, with a detailed booklet.
However, I feel like sharing some of my thoughts and reveal what was hidden behind the curtain of sound production and music creation for more than a year of our work on this musical piece. I knew that the sound and the conception of ‘Om’ must be different from all that I have done before. We were sure to invite numerous musicians to create a variation in the music and let more personalities give their touch to what we later would merge into one calico pled of progressive rock masterwork. The first 2 songs I’ve received were “Whine” and “Kein Schmerz”.
“Whine”, designed as an almost classic metal ballad, involved Isabel’s first line up, with Andrés Camilo Silva and Juan Carlos Robles, who were working with Isabel’s previous project, Spiritual Ashes. Daniel Díaz, who later would become one of the main songwriters on the album, provided pretty impressive acoustic guitar layers and Isabel herself surprised me with Sitar additions to the classic metal genre and her husband, Erik Vochten, brought some low-pitched spoken word part. This song, which I made as a stylization of very early metal experiments, was published at the first, and despite that I still do not think it represents the album as it is, in all the shades, it still provides a nice experience to the listener.
“Kein Schmerz”, an emotional piano ballad, was the second to come. I shall not say a lot about this piece of music, so that you will have the chance to enjoy it yourselves. Later on, I was asked to take my part in songwriting and arranging of the songs – several more of them we have created together with DanielDíaz at Isabel’s small, cozy, private home studio. I was rather impressed by Daniel’s ideas and brought them into the entire arrangement to fulfill the sound with many details. At the same time I came to the general conception of the sound. While my main instrument on the album is bass, I also took part in the recording, playing some guitars, as well as some keyboards and other small details here and there. For the songs “Labyrinth” and “Vigil”, I wrote almost all the parts and recorded most of the instruments myself.
At this point, when the project’s conception was crystallized, we invited a master drummer, pretty well-known on Belgian progressive metal scene, both by his incredible technique and his fabulous beard, Steve Vanderperren. He easily dealt even with the most sophisticated drum parts, so our collaboration was set.
A very special word I must say about the 6 minute epic “Ixquic”, whose lyrics contain a piece in original Mayan language – sung by Isadora Cortina, a Mexican singer with a Norwegian heart, well-known on the metal scene by her work with Ancestral Legacy. The song, inspired by an ancient legend of Popul Vuh, consisting of several musically and stylistically different parts, from ambient trip hop to authentic prog and even flamenco classical guitars, which we managed to merge into one solid composition.
For several compositions, including the brilliant up-tempo opener, “Bastion”,we invited Thomas Hubert, a huge, long-haired metal Viking from Liège, whose growling and screaming should please the ears of fellow metal lovers while his looks will please the eyes of aesthetically sophisticated metal ladies.
One of the most personal songs on the album, dedicated to the complicity of love collisions and choices, wrapped into the metaphor of fog-walking, ”Vigil”, obtained additional charm from the bombastic vocals of fellow progressive rock singer Nick G. Coward. On this, and several other songs, Isabel had played a harmonium, an instrument, whose wailing, sad sound can pierce through you better than any synthetically created tone.
I shall not say much about several other beautiful pieces, forming the heart of this album: the aggressive, yet elegant “Neelakanta”, based on the part of Hinduistic myths about Shiva; the almost traditional folk song “In the Woods”, which gained a magical touch and wings from David Rivera’s violin. And, at last, “Quaerens Quem Devoret”, a classical metal song, twisted by personal lyrics and sung in duet by Isabel and the Colombian metal beast Juan Carlos Henao.
I must also say a thankful word to all the other collaborators of the album, who brought their special touches and spirit into what we have done. All of them are present on our webpages, all of them are mentioned in the album’s booklet, all of them did amazing jobs, regardless of the instrument and amount of time included into the project.
Traditionally, as a producer and as a composer, I prefer to finish albums in a very special way, put the point, ask a question, let the listener think of the answer, long after the last note has faded. Such became “Zeergentiin Shil”, a haunting, half-instrumental composition, that came upon me after listening to the extremely emotional Mongolian native singing from Bolorchuluu. Her strange, modulating voice along with my keyboards/bass improvisation and a touch of Vietnamese jaw harp from Dimitry Boyd, created a certain musical statement, a coda, closing the album the way I think it should be closed, leaving us, musicians, and you, listeners, with thoughts and wonders from this small musical journey.
The journey we went on together.
Hamlet.
Preview of the album’s booklet.
Designed by Carlos Jácome, photography by Mariya Frantseva.
David Rivera is a talented musician born in Medellín, Colombia, raised in a family of musicians, he learnt how to play violin at the age of eight. David participated in several local bands and founded the rock- gothic metal band “Tenebrarum” in 1990; is a violinist of the “Philharmonic Orchestra of Medellin” and member of the music project “D’ Violines”. In 2011 he finished his studies in music at the “Adventist University”.
“Tenebrarum” is a fusion between classical music and metal, using instruments such as the violin and guitar, bass and drums along with key environmental sounds. Over nearly a two-decade career, this band produced already eight albums, showing great sound evolution, through various creative stages. Recent work has demonstrated the band’s versatile adaptability to merge into string arrangements for chamber orchestra and female voices without losing its origin in metal.
Using a five string electric violin, David participated in Fabulae Dramatis’ songs “In The Woods” and “Quaerens Quem Devoret”, giving them a deeper sensible touch.
Juan Carlos Henao is a sound engineer and architect born in Medellín, Colombia. He participates in “Tenebarum” as guitarist, vocalist and producer and is involved in several musical projects.
Juan Carlos’ voice is powerful, rough though clean, even between the screams and growls. The expression of anger and agression are the main characteristics of his role in our song “Quaerens Quem Devoret” .
His participation was probably the most waited, because we needed a vigorous Spanish-speaking growling voice, and to have his contribution in our project has been a valuable experience for us.
Bolorchuluu Ulziibat was born in Mongolia in 1980.
She learned the mongolian traditional singing technique “Long song”, (declared Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO) and in which she won her first national medal at an exceptional age of 8 years old. In 2002 she finished her studies at the Mongolian State University of Art and Culture.
One year later she went on a tour in France and Belgium with “Khan Bogd” ensemble. In 2006 she toured with them again in Luxembourg and 2011 with “Hosoo and Transmongolia” in Ghent and Antwerp, where she now resides. Bolor sang an ancient song named “Zeergentiin shil”, which tells a story about a rider who lost his two horses. The plentiful vibration of her voice represents the breathtaking mongolian culture, revived by Fabulae Dramatis.
Pictures Bolorchuluu by Mariya Frantseva.
Nick G. Coward is a freelance musician born and raised in North London, England. He was introduced to music at very young age. His mother and grandfather were keen musicians. Consequently, music reverberated daily all around the house, thus becoming the predominant influence in his life.
Nick’s first love was the bass guitar. When he was 16 years old, he played bass and did backing vocals in a local rock band, covering songs from “Free” and “Deep Purple”. The band developed into “False Prophet”, playing original progressive Rock music. He improved his abilities over time and became the main singer, lyricist and vocal lines composer. On the recent “False Prophet” album entitled “Finally” you can listen to his operatic, soaring vocals.
More recently, in between projects, Nick has written a lot of his own material on acoustic guitar and has an albums worth of songs ready to be recorded. He is also making an A-capella album, using only his vocal assets, with six part vocal harmonies as his musical instruments.
Nick loves a wide range of musical genres and currently focuses mainly on his vocal skills. Other interests are fine portrait drawing and martial arts.
“Vigil” is the track where Nick’s voice appears, enriching the song with a third tessiture and keeping a clean atmosphere during the piece. Nick recorded his vocal contribution in Wasaw, Poland, which is now his main residence. His collaboration has been an interesting experience.
Daniel Díaz was born in Bogotá (Colombia) in the early eighties. He started to play guitar at the age of 15. His passion for music brought him to an academy for classical music and after he completed school, he continued studying music at The University of Bogotá. This armed him with the tools to form his first metal band called “Suacam Fernom”. The genre that they played was black/experimental metal.
After three years, Daniel got the opportunity to study in Spain. There, “Suacam Fernom” was revived with a new line-up. They recorded a demo and played live, but the band broke up in the end, due to personal matters. Fate brought Daniel to find new horizons in Belgium. Here, he joined “Stog” (“Seven Tongues Of God”) a metal band from the south of Belgium, which is actually active.
After a year and half, Daniel met Isabel Restrepo who, casually, was looking for a guitarist to collaborate on her personal project. After recording some tracks with Isabel, Daniel became an active member of Fabulae Dramatis.
Daniel’s guitars compositions give to the project the best balance between the metal riffs and the classical acoustic guitar melodies that definitely contrast in a particular way with Hamlet’s psychedelic electric guitars. That has become, from our point of view, a special Fabulae Dramatis attribute.
Thomas Hubert is the growl singer of a Belgian orchestral black/death metal band called “Orion’s Night”. He also participates in a groove death metal band named “Exostosis”, which is about to record its first demo.
Hubert joined Orion’s Night in July 2010 to replace the previous singer. He played his first live concert just 3 days after joining the band, without having performed live or even sung before.
Thomas’s current activities include studying graphic design and working as a barman in a metal bar in Liège, city where he resides. His biggest singing influences are Peter Tägtgren (“Hypocrisy”, “Pain”), Christian Älvestam (“Solution.45”, “Miseration”) and also almost every growler of the actual metal scene. He also appeared several times on stage with other Belgian bands such as “Cadaveric Rampage” and “Spitdown” to do some guest vocals.”
Hubert has a powerful and dark growling voice, which has been just the perfect touch that Fabulae Dramatis was looking for. Combined with some hard rock and dramatic voices of Hamlet and Isabel, Thomas’ screaming chant is the deepest catalyzer to get the desired final result, which you can listen to in the preview of our album opener song, called “Bastion”.
Fortress built with impetuousness… Noyée dans sa densité périssante… anthropocentric fables…
More than a year ago I received an e-mail from a person called Isabel Restrepo and which contained an offer to participate in an experimental project as a producer.
Back then, being busy with promotion of the recently released album of my project “Transport Aerian”, I couldn’t work with anything more than that, but I accepted the offer. True collaboration began a year later…
…Originally, I was planned to be sound producer to bring my special avant-garde vision to the music and provide the quality, which differed my works from ocean of others. Since the project lacked a bassist, I overtook that position as well.
The first 3 tracks originally belonged to Isabel’s previous band, “Horus” and were slightly revamped and rearranged by keyboards player Andres Silva, with whom she collaborated some years ago in a project named “Spiritual Ashes”. After mixing those tracks, where I only was involved as a bassist, we came to the idea of developing something more than just a couple of songs.
The idea of an album that would combine elements of metal, progressive rock, avant garde music and world music of various kinds came up. “Fabulae Dramatis” was born. To work on further songs, and to add more of different touches, we invited many incredible musicians from all over the world, playing various genres of music. About all of them you can read in more details in Fabaulae Dramatis’ official blog.
To give more of my personality to the album, I eventually added parts of different instruments, played by myself, evolving from the project’s producer and bassist to guitar player (in addition to magnificant guitars played by Daniel Díaz), keyboards player and even singer, as my voice can be heard on such songs as “Vigil”, “Labyrinth”, “Ixquic” and “Bastion”. And of course, Isabel’s powerful voice, her touch of harmonium, sitar and her experiments with different vocal techniques fascinated me and I’m sure as a result, we will have an absolutely powerful and amazingly new, fresh musical piece. Add here an incredible art work designed by Marcela Bolívar and Carlos Jácome and you’ll get an outstanding album.
is a producer and multi-instrumentalist, who’s personal approach to the sound used to bring a special and recognizable touch to any of his works.
He takes part in considerable amount of very different musical activities, keeping himself developing in various directions, but mostly he is known by his work in genres related to progressive and experimental music.
It has been a continuous learning process for me to work with him. He has definitely enough patience and a wide musical vision.
I hope that this would be the beginning of a prolific connection of ideas. The process continues and there are still ideological and musical transformations on the way.
On the development of our album “Om”, several invited musicians are making an important difference to give a special signature to the sound that we accomplish together, that’s why we think it’s important to introduce them to you.
Isadora Cortina is a Mexican singer of Gothic Metal. She studied classical singing for two years, was member of a Concert Choir and became one of their lead singer within 3 months, with the choir she had the chance to tour Mexico and to sing for high profiled politicians and musicians.
She sang in the cover band “Han Derien” in Mexico City before she was invited to work with the German band “Beyond The Void” on the tracks “Seductora” and “Nihilism”. Later on in 2007 she had the chance to be guest artist for the Norwegian band “Ancestral Legacy” on their track “Atrapada en Pesadillas” as an alternative version of their original “Trapped Within The Wind”.
In 2008 they announced that she would replace Elin Anita Omholt who left “Ancestral Legacy” due to health issues. In the year 2009 she moved to Norway. In 2010- 2011 Ancestral Legacy went on tour twice and got to play in France, Germany and The Netherlands. In 2012 the band started the recording of their forthcoming album that will include, for the first time, Isadora as their singer. Planned to be released during autumn.
“Ixquic” is the name of our song where in the intro, Isadora Cortina’s voice represents a character of the ancient Mayan literature. Her beautiful, subtle voice and her Central-American origin, makes of this song a very special participation for us, specially when for Fabulae Dramatis, to portray the role on its deepest expression it’s a matter of believing and living the drama.
Growing up in a musical family in Belgium, at a very young age, Steve was listening to “The Beatles”, “Queen”, “Genesis” and Elton John. Since his dad’s drum-kit was set up in the garage, he eventually started drumming at the age of 9. At that time he just used to play alongside “Aerosmith” and “Queen” amongst others. When he was 10, he discovered “Metallica”, “Nirvana”, “Green Day” and others bands started learning their songs by heart.
Being asked to join his first band “Uxi Mania” at his12 years old, Steve has been almost constantly in a band, playing entire albums of his biggest influences, such as “Scenes From a Memory” from “Dream Theater”, band that he discovered when he was 16 years old and considers as a grate discovering that expanded his music horizons. After this he could be able to play and sing at the same time for several bands like “Teddy in a Jar”, a “Metallica” cover band and “Astronomy”, a progressive metalband where his participation included also writing and composing.
After “Astronomy” dissolved, Steve continued his cooperation in another music projects like ‘tMaP and “The Wolverines “, this last band was the origin of Steve’s longest-lasting band, “coRPus”, being at this time 18 years old. Three years later Vanderperren started up another progressive metalband, called “Io”, band that has accomplished his music expectations the most.
Steve is now focused on playing for his main band “coRPus”, however he eventually collaborates with bands such as “Ahráyeph”, “Asphyxiate”, “Knio Ugd”, “Convicted” and “Fabulae Dramatis”. He also expects to release soon a new project that is in progress.
Vanderperren understood from the very beginning how we expected the songs to sound like and he has been able to put his personal touch to them. His commitment and talent is something that we definitely appreciate.
We are very enthusiast to about the last voice recording sessions. Fabulae Dramatis is having interesting invited voices and our main ones are getting stronger and subtle at the same time. The experimentation and our commitment are giving definitely the last touch and character to the music. The project is developing a characteristic sound.
When our album would be finally able to be listened, you will recognize a psychedelic atmosphere, romantic and also aggressive colours…
We hope that you enjoy this discovery as much as we do, because we are mesmerized ourselves, and that should be exactly the purpose of music and art in general, to please yourself creating music or listening to it.
We will introduce officially our new invited musicians very soon…
VenenuM is finally taking form… since this personal project was founded in 2004 it has been very difficult to develop it, but maybe it was better that way, because now I have another perspective about music, musicians and about waiting and time. Time makes everything grow, no matter if something takes a bit of time, in the end what matters is to do it right.
Thanks to My Space and thanks to chance, I found the right people to create and re-make. Because the first three VenenuM’s tracks are re-makes but with a total different music direction. If you listen to the original tracks and the new ones, it’s barely noticeable that those are the same. Oh and by the way, the composition process continues, with a very experimental intention, with unedited and very, very personal songs.
The original tracks are “Whine”, “Quaerens Quem Devoret” and “Kein Schmerz”. The first two are compositions from Horus, band in which I sang and wrote the lyrics in 2003. I never had the opportunity to record them myself because I decided to leave the band. “Kein Schmerz” is original from VenenuM, composed in 2004.
For this musical process I counted with the support of Andrés Silva and Juan Robles (Dark Angeluz), keyboard player and drummer who I already knew from Spiritual Ashes, Ruben Restrepo’s personal project in which I sang and composed the lyrics. From the beginning I was sure that the way Silva and Robles compose and execute their instruments was going to be perfect for VenenuM.
Daniel Díaz Ordoñez recorded the acoustic and electric guitars.
Who I met from the dutch lessons here in Antwerp, and it was very funny and interesting to find in this country a fellow countryman that shares this passion for music.
Janina Stork, my first German teacher, witness at my marriage, and dear friend recorded the spoken voices for “Kein Schmerz”.
She came to Antwerp for a week in march to visit us.
I got the idea that she could narrate two lines of the “Nibelungenlied” that I used in the lyrics to give an antique touch to the song,
and who better than her to give this German touch.She used to sing in the local opera in Eutin, Germany.
I appreciate her very much and she has of course, a very beautiful soprano tessiture.
Erik Vochten, my dear husband was the bass register that I needed to give a deep and dark taste. I wanted to have his voice in one of my songs for a long time ago, but we could not do it until this year. So this is a very special personal effect for me and I have a lot to be grateful for.
The editing in mixing process has begun, that is something for Hamlet… you will know more about him very soon, when the tracks are already edited.
Isabel Cristina Restrepo, lead voice, sitar and lyrics
Thanks to all of them for their great work and support. Thanks also to Caroline Smith for her beautiful acoustic guitar.
To make music a personal way to grow up, is the most exciting thing on earth… nothing compares to that and that’s why I am very grateful. Without these musicians it would be more difficult, Not impossible, but anyway, the group work is a cooperative way to learn. I also love to learn.
The drum session of “Quarens Quem Devoret” and “Whine” was recorded in Anhell Studios, Madrid – Spain.
Fabulae Dramatis debut album “OM” is out now! It is already available in:
More than a year ago I received an e-mail from a person called Isabel Restrepo and which contained an offer to participate in an experimental project as a producer.
The editing in mixing process has begun, that is something for Hamlet… you will know more about him very soon, when the tracks are already edited. 
