Foretoken – Triumphs
Release Date: 17th March 2023
Label: Prosthetics Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Melodic Death Metal, Blackened, Tech, Power.
FFO: Kalmah, Children of Bodom, The Black Dahlia Murder.
Review By: Rick Farley
Every now and then, a band will come along that vigorously shakes a sleepy genre fully awake and launches it into a modern encapsulation of all the inspiring greats that came before it. A band that does the genre so well, that you cannot simply ignore it, no matter how many other bands have tried and failed to do the same. One such band is the epic death metal duo Foretoken, hailing from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Their wielding of power, tech, folk and black metal unto their scorching brand of melodic death metal is surely not a new concept. However, the powerful yet balanced way Steve Redmon (guitarist/orchestration) and Dan Cooley (vocalist) unleash their technical prowess through the use of excellently crafted compositions and immaculate production is undeniably infectious and mercilessly vehement. Their sophomore full length Triumphs, releasing on Prosthetics Records, is nine songs at fifty-one minutes of rhythmic charging riffs, epic symphonic atmospheres and blistering solos that spin, twist, and contort their way towards metallic oblivion.
Once again reunited with the legendary Hannes Grossmann handling the drum duties for this recording, Foretoken is an absolute force of energetic, melodic death metal, shining through with incredible musicianship that never feels overpowering or bloated. Full of powerful hooks, ambient orchestral depth and ferocious speed, Triumphs is a clinic on melding different extremes while still composing spellbinding songs. Full of lush melody mixed with relentless brutality that explodes through the speakers at every level. Thematically, the album draws on folklore, myths, and legends from a wide range of Western and Middle Eastern origins to enhance their mesmerizing take on extreme metal. Tomas Honz completes the unity of aesthetics with his phenomenal cover art depicting a battle scene highlighting a Spartan warrior triumphantly standing amongst his fellow warriors and fallen combatants. The music, art and lyrical themes all go hand in hand in creating an aggressive, full experience chock-full of harsh vocals, kinetic riffs, blast beats and storytelling content to really immerse yourself into.
Brandon Ellis of The Black Dahlia Murder lends his guitar wizardry on A Tyrant Rises as Titans Fall. A black tinged, thrashy seven-plus minute beast full of expressive dynamics that careen beneath the savage pace and extreme growls. The Wraith that Weeps is a nasty, cinematic piece of symphonic death metal. Its dramatic violin swells sound truly evil behind the surging riffs. Inspired by Mexico’s The Weeping Woman, La Llorona, the track is ominous and dark, it feels truly threatening. A fluid flamenco style, clean guitar solo adds sombre flair to the overall spine-chilling theme. A stompy hook, slightly reminiscent of Metallica, drives Serpent King’s Venom. The track inspired by the epic Persian poem, “Shahnameh” feels swampy, symphonic and crushingly heavy with intensive headbanging appeal. The band also adds a savage cover of Naglfar’s I am Vengeance, which sits perfectly as the end track and absolutely fits within the context of the album.
Triumphs is fully fleshed out melodic death metal with traces of all the best traits from other genres, gracefully weaved within its confines. Easily digested, but with intricate layers and depth beneath the intense surface that takes this much further than just fast guitars and harsh vocals. Everything feels hyper focused, like it’s solely there to serve the song, and it always sounds like it belongs there. Something this album does really well is flow from beginning to end, it’s highly memorable and replayable. Foretoken is definitely a band that any metal fan could get into. Triumphs is exactly that, a triumph of modern melodic death metal. 
(4.5 / 5)
