Stoners beware, Foretoken aren’t another weed-obsessed sludge outfit with a doobie name. Foretoken actually means a sign of things to come. In this case, what’s to come is a load of symphonic black metal straight from that point in about 2001 where Dimmu Borgir sounded like they were being sucked into The Matrix. Being the work of two dudes and a session drummer, the scope and scale here is pretty impressive. Layer upon layer of compositional detail gives a sense of vastness, while a pin-sharp tightness ensures a level of coldness to the aggression. But where once this sort of thing was cutting edge and a new frontier for black metal, here it often comes off as dated. The overly-clean production doesn’t help much, nor does its aping of its forebears. Sailing close to your influences i...
