Fable Cry, a “theatrical rock” group based in Middle Tennessee, had quite a vision with its Fool Me Once project, an innovative concept album released in late 2020.
Combining music, a story, a visual book, stage theatrics and costumes, Fool Me Once alternates between songs and spoken dialogue, carrying a detective story along and managing to blend artistic qualities of Vivaldi, prohibition-era swing, smarmy jazz, film noir and vampires with soaring, over-the-top heavy metal, driving punk-rock, sleazy darkness and swinging fun.
The music and lyrics, written by band members Zach Ferrin and Jo Cleary, contain a robust variety of musical styles, interspersed with a spoken-word skit, dramatic bits in the style of an old radio play.
The album swings from subdued, vintage material to the wild, epic, theatrical power of Avenged Sevenfold and nods to late-1990s groups that injected 1930s swing with punk energy (Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Squirrel Nut Zippers and those guys) to some sprinklings of accordion.
The driving, swinging, rocking “Swinging in Hell” makes a good representation of the group (don’t miss the lively piano work, supplied by Sky White, at the beginning of this one). This track begins with a straightforward but powerful beat from drummer Andrew Core and later pushes into epic metal with double-kick-drum-driven passages.
Contrast this with the gentle and delicate “Who’s Got Who,” a more restrained nightclub jazz number.
“All Night to Find You” gets back into slamming rock territory—There are more like me with black wings and sharp teeth—and the wacky but dark, banjo-led “Breakfast, Lunch and Sinner” marks another shift in direction, as does the quirky “I’m Calling It; You’re a Phony.”
“Here Comes Trouble” starts with a toned-down, spooky carnival feel, but then gets into some intense, violin-driven metal chugging.
Wherever it goes, Fool Me Once maintains a fairly creepy vibe throughout as the group invites the listener to join its army of the undead, shifting from discussion of grave-robbing to bass wizard Scott Fernandez’s Flea-type slap here and there, all the while oozing elements of classic black-and-white noir detective film.
In addition to the theme of death, a repeated musical theme helps tie everything together. A minor-key harmony introduced in the opener, “Sleep, Oh Sleep,” reappears in various ways in “Intermission” and “Max Pays His Respects” before making a grand awesome reprise on “Six Feet.”
A digital companion book will accompany a Fool Me Once CD or digital track purchase. The vivid book offers live band photos, song lyrics, the script to the story, illustrations, album credits, artwork and more.
Many of the musical pieces on Fool Me Once are quite interesting and worthy of multiple repeated listens for many. Once one gets through the story a few times, I am not certain how interesting the detective mystery will become as far as repeated listens, but Fable Cry has produced a truly creative and immersive experience.
I appreciate the vision, but once I hear about the fate of ole’ Diamond Eyes once or get the point that the nightclub is violent, I don’t care to necessarily hear the work in its entirety at that point. But I can absolutely see how a listener’s favorite tunes on the album might make it onto an often-repeated playlist. The group has created all sorts of great songs and has made violin-driven metal and film noir vampire rock opera into artistic things.
Possibly Fable Cry can perform some of its reportedly elaborate and energetic stage shows live in the area before 2021 is out.
