Forbidden Drama is the first studio album from the alternative/progressive rock band byron

Byron (band)

byron is an alternative rock band formed in 2006 in Bucharest, Romania. Dan Byron, former guest of Agathodaimon and ex-member of Urma and Kumm, initially wanted to start a solo project, but it soon developed into an actual band...

. Released on 12 October 2007 in Bucharest

Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....

, it contains the single Essential Piece. This single charted for a very long while on national radio stations, including City FM and Radio Total. The real hit, however, would turn out to be the second single, "Blow Up My Tears", which would stay at No. 1 in City FM's RomTop for several weeks. "Forbidden Drama" features a wide array of instruments including a string quartet

String quartet

A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...

, oboe

Oboe

The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...

 and esraj

Esraj

The esraj is a string instrument found in two forms throughout the north, central, and east regions of India. It is a young instrument by Indian terms, being only about 200 years old. The dilruba is found in the north, where it is used in religious music and light classical songs in the urban areas...

. The album was manufactured and distributed by Romanian label A&A Records.

Music

The album features an eclectic mix of art-rock and adult-alternative, with progressive and classical hints. The band themselves acknowledge having been influenced by Queen

Queen (band)

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

, Jethro Tull

Jethro Tull (band)

Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...

, Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel

Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...

 or My Brightest Diamond

My Brightest Diamond

My Brightest Diamond is the project of singer–songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Shara Worden. The band has released two studio albums, 2006's Bring Me the Workhorse and 2008's A Thousand Shark's Teeth, along with a remix album Tear It Down and a download-only release through iTunes...

. Some reviewers noted certain Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...

 and Bryan Ferry

Bryan Ferry

Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...

 influences in Dan Byron's vocals, while the music exhibited progressive overtones which drew comparisons with Dream Theater

Dream Theater

Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...

 and Genesis

Genesis (band)

Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...

.

Concept

Forbidden Drama was conceived as a concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

, with 13 songs structured like a theatre play – with three acts and an epilogue. The lyrics deal with topics of alienation, consumerism, herd behavior, breaking the mold and the freedom of the individual. These themes were in part inspired by the bands' own history, given that their manager was a "corporate type" and their guitar player has a background as a lawyer. The album therefore showcases a transition process, from the corporate, depersonalized life depicted in "Fake Life" to a more artful, carefree existence in "No Man's Land". The title was considered representative, as the modern society "forbids small-scale, personal dramas".

Track listing

Personnel

byron

• Dan Byron – vocals, acoustic guitar
  Acoustic guitar
  An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
  
  , flute
  Flute
  The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
  
  , triola
  Triola
  The Triola is a children's musical instrument, a hand-tuned single tone wind harmonica. The Triola is manufactured by C. A. Seydel Söhne in Klingenthal, Germany....
  
  ;
• Costin Oprea – electric guitar, backing vocals on "No Man's Land"
• Cristi Mateşan – drums
• 6fingers – keyboards, backing vocals on "No Man's Land"
• Gyergyay Szabolcs – bass

Additional musicians

• Mihai Balabaş – violin
• Iustin Galea – violin
• Andreea Retegan – viola
  Viola
  The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
  
  
• Alexandru Gorneanu – cello
• Miron Grigore – oboe
  Oboe
  The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
  
  
• Rodica Gondiu – esraj
  Esraj
  The esraj is a string instrument found in two forms throughout the north, central, and east regions of India. It is a young instrument by Indian terms, being only about 200 years old. The dilruba is found in the north, where it is used in religious music and light classical songs in the urban areas...
  
  
• Peter Michaud – recitative on "Fake Life"
• Iulian Pâslaru – backing vocals on "No Man's Land"
• Codruţ Dumitrescu – backing vocals on "No Man's Land"

Production

• Produced by byron and A&A Records
• Executive producer – Andi Enache
• Mixed
  Audio mixing (recorded music)
  In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
  
   and mastered by Victor Panfilov at Real Sound & Vision
• Design – VERTICALS
• Photography – Cristi Roşca, Dorian Radu, Anca Radu
• Management – Codruţ Dumitrescu