Conception

CONCEPTION was an odd band from an odd place at an odd time. Norway had no real history of producing metal bands before the second wave of black metal put the country of my forefathers (yep, I’m a descendant, +10 points to my tr00 kvlt score) on the metal map. That said, I would take a moment to shout out the incredible ‘Norway Rocks’ compilation album from the late 80s, which includes some killer material.

Even once we get past the fact that CONCEPTION was an early 90s Norwegian band that wasn’t wearing corpse paint or brandishing medieval weaponry in the basement of an Oslo record store, we still have to acclimate to the weird metal scene of the early 90s. For those who weren’t around, the early 90s were a rough time for traditional forms of heavy metal. The mainstream had unsurprisingly and inevitably abandoned the commercially-minded metal bands as soon as grunge reared it’s disheveled head. Meanwhile, the Underground had moved into more extreme directions, with the real scenesters heavily invested in death metal or the nascent black metal scene. While that was occurring, your everyday Joe Lunchbox headbanger was busy sucking Phil Anselmo’s dick or raving over the tripe that was BIOHAZARD. This left scores of 80s thrash and trad metal bands realizing that The Ride was over, and most called it a day, disappearing into the woodwork after spending 5-10 years chasing dreams of playing packed stadiums that were sadly never meant to be. Power metal fared no better than their thrashy and poodle-headed brethren; HELLOWEEN was on lockdown while lawyers untangled recording contracts, RUNNING WILD and BLIND GUARDIAN were doing great stuff that was impossible to hear overseas, and we were years away from this style of metal becoming reinvigorated once the hammer fell on the nadir of mid-90s trad metal.

In the midst of this tumultuous metal landscape was this weird Norwegian power metal band. CONCEPTION is probably best known as the point of origin for one Roy Khan, who went on to wider acclaim fronting KAMELOT on their most iconic albums in the late 90s-mid-00s. Roy is a fantastic talent, having an incredible voice perfectly suited for the type of power metal that leans into the romantic & gothic genres. His impressive pipes are on full display here on CONCEPTION’s debut album. While his talent is certainly not wasted, this is…. how should I say it?..... an odd album.

‘The Last Sunrise’ showcases a band that was either trying to blend some really disparate influences to limited success or a group groping for an identity in the very muddled Metal world of the early 90s I described above. There are thrashy structures in many of the songs though they lack weight, feeling more like the dry, static riffage of more progressive thrash bands. Other progressive elements also pop up in tracks with unusual structures, such as the much-too-long ‘War of Hate’ and the bouncy but disjointed ‘Fairy’s Dance’ (I think they stole that song title from Fenris but don’t quote me on that). There are also multiple samples of world music incorporated, such as the flamenco sections heard on ‘Among the Gods’ and other tracks. The band also had an annoying habit of shouting the chorus lines of several songs in a rather staccato manner. This adds nothing to the tracks and is distracting, adding yet another janky element to the mixture. You’ve got one of the best metal vocalists ever guys, let the man sing the chorus! And then there are the slower, prettier sounding power metal ballads, such as ‘Bowed Down with Sorrow’ and ‘The Last Sunset’. These are the tunes that stand out as the strongest on the album, being more coherent and well developed. This is the style that would become popularized later in the 90s by bands such as LABYRINTH and RHAPSODY but it was very- dare I say- odd to hear songs like this from a metal band in the early 90s; not exactly a vulgar amount of power on display.

At the end of the day, this album has some interesting things going on, but it doesn’t really hold up as a complete, finished product. CONCEPTION would improve notably on their two follow-up albums, refining their sound while sticking to this overall style. Unless you really have a penchant for quirky, lightweight power metal albums or are just a Roy Khan fanboy (guilty as charged, -10 points to my tr00 kvlt score), you can take a pass on this album and spend your time listening to stronger efforts from their catalog.

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Incredibly great Power / Progressive Metal album, coined by the extraordinary axeman Tore Østby and refined by the unique voice of Roy Khan (later Kamelot). Starting with "building a force", it is not possible yet unfair to highlight one single song, this album is a pure must-have! Listen e.g. to the Flamenco tunes in "Among the gods", brilliant!

Geniale Power / Progressive Metal Scheibe, geprägt vom Ausnahme-Gitarrenvirtuosen Tore Østby und veredelt von der unvergleichlichen Stimme von Roy Khan (später Kamelot)! Gleich "Building a force" zeigt, wo der Hammer hängt, welch ein Brett! Allerdings ist es sinnlos, einzelne Tracks hervorzuheben, zu gut ist das Gesamtwerk. Und wann hört man schon mal Flamenco auf einem Metalalbum, außer etwa in "Among the gods"? Eben, nie, darum muss diese Scheibe in die Sammlung!