Lingüa Brütallica - Episode 37: Dan Cooley of Foretoken (Virginia, USA)

Lingua Brutallica

Episode 37 features Dan Cooley – vocalist of folk-inspired extreme metal project, Foretoken. In this episode, Dan takes us through the myths and legends, drawn from diverse contexts including Russian, Chinese, Greek, Norse, Irish and Persian cultures, that inspired lyrics composed for Foretoken’s two complementary albums – Ruins and Triumphs. Dan explains that these albums mirror the teachings derived from these folk stories, highlighting humanity’s setbacks and failures in the first instance, and their victories and accomplishments in the second. As a lyricist, Dan represents the origins of diverse folktales through carefully crafted language style. Specifically, Dan’s English-medium lyrics are written in a distinctively old-world style that is reflective of the historical origins of the myths, legends, and folktales he writes about. However, his lyrics are not constrained to English, by contrast, he takes pains to integrate non-English features into his lyrics, referencing the names for mythical figures and supernatural entities to composing entire lines in Spanish and Swedish. Further, his considerations for the language of lyrics extend beyond their sonic quality, as Dan highlights the importance of how the lyrics are presented in their written form in Foretoken’s lyric book. Collectively, Dan views all aspects of his work, including the lyrics, their vocal production, their written form, and even the lyric book they’re printed in, as part of the artwork that is Foretoken’s music. To check out all of Foretoken’s art, go to: https://lnk.to/Foretoken