This autumn the Norwegian hard rockers CONCEPTION are coming home in double sense. After a successful European tour, and just two weeks after the news of Conception playing Central Scene October 14th in Elverum, Roy Khan’s town of birth, the band presents a show at famous rock venue Byscenen in Trondheim.
Tore Østby on playing in Trondheim for the first time since 1997:
-”Trondheim has always been a special city to me. I was born and spent my two first years there. The city was the hard rock capital of Norway when I grew up with bands like TNT, that had a great impact on me and the band! It was such a blast playing Trondheim back in the nineties. A lot has happened since then and we are very excited to finally be back on stage and to share a new live experience!”
After Trondheim and Elverum they will play Horns Up Metal Cruise between Oslo and Copenhagen November 3rd. First the band look forward to host the Conception Viking Camp that they will hold with fans September 22-24th in the old Viking Capital Birka in lake Mälaren outside Stockholm.
Conception is known for melodic and rhythmic music in a unique, powerful, yet dynamic blend with such various influences as flamenco, jazz, modern electronica and classical music.
When it’s finally time for the European tour that’s been postponed twice due to the pandemic, costs have risen but not the fees for the band, so the tour looked to become a very expensive adventure. Thanks to one sponsor the band can travel in style in a nightliner with six fans joining them for two weeks across Europe.
CONCEPTION have based their coming back on crowdfunding, and their fanbase has proven to be dedicated and loyal. They have arranged camps with fans, and they have always sold out, as have numerous lunches and meet and greets. With the harsh reality of the economics after the pandemic, it looked like the band was facing a difficult financial balance for the tour, when a fan, who prefers to stay anonymous, offered to sponsor the bus.
-”We couldn’t believe our luck” singer Roy Khan says, and guitarist Tore Østby continues: -”Thanks to this we can both tour and invite fans to join us and share the touring experience!”
After two successful shows in their home town Gjøvik and Vorselaar, Belgium, the band really look forward to two weeks on the road.
Tour dates: Amsterdam, Melkweg OZ – Thursday 20 April Luxembourg, The Club, Rockhal – Friday 21 April Paris, La Maroquinierie – Saturday 22 April L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Salamandra – Thursday 27 April Madrid, Shôko Madrid – Friday 28 April Lisbon, Lisboa Ao Vivo – Saturday 29 April
Norwegian hard rockers CONCEPTION have organized four successful camps with fans, an unusual and unique way to crowdfund their albums and tours which have created close relationships between the band and their fans. The first four camps have taken them to different beautiful locations in Norway, like Trollstigen and Telemark, but for their next camp in September they have chosen the old Viking city of Birka in lake Mälaren outside Stockholm, Sweden.
The Viking culture keeps fascinating people not just in Scandinavia, but all over the world. They were known to organize their own ”olympics”, games where clans would compete and socialize, and in Birka the staff will help organize the Conception Viking Games as a highlight for the camp this year. While staying the UNESCO World Heritage Site campers will also be able to visit reconstructions of Viking houses and old Viking graves, get guided tours and enjoy mead tasting.
Tore Østby, guitar player in Conception and living in Stockholm: -”We want to keep finding places of beauty and interest, and I am happy to be able to share this unique place just outside my home town!”
Roy Khan, singer, continues: -”Camping with fans have given us so much beyond the funding with the hiking experiences and finding friendship, and we are really looking forward to sharing this exciting adventure!”
The camps have been very popular, and with this concept the limited tickets are expected to sell out quickly.
Norwegian hard rockers CONCEPTION have released the much-expanded deluxe version of their State of Deception album digitally. The CD version will be made available the following week. The album features a host of brand new recordings, including exclusive new songs, a number of live performances and re-recordings of some of the most popular tracks from their back catalogue. The campaign will be led by the release of a video for Silent Crying 2.0.
The deluxe version of State of Deception is an acknowledgement from the band to address the fans’ call for making more material available, and has been financed exclusively via the band’s unique direct-to-fan relationship over the course of the last twelve months. “We’ve been lucky enough to have such loyal fans,” vocalist Roy Khan observes. “They have been incredibly generous in supporting us, and we’ve tried really hard to acknowledge that with this album.”
Speaking of the brand new version of Silent Crying 2.0 guitarist Tore Østby revealed “this was originally written to be performed with a music class I was teaching in elementary school! Then we got a record deal first time around, and my brother persuaded me to play it to the band. Roy loved it and completed it with his personal touch”. Roy explains further: “When you revisit and analyze old songs there’s often something you would have done differently, but this collection of words came out the way it was supposed to the first time around. I know this track means a lot to many people and it is also a favorite of mine, showing how light and beauty can be found even in the darkest place.”
In Deception / 02. Of Raven And Pigs / 03. Waywardly Broken / 04. No Rewind / 05. The Mansion (featuring Elize Ryd) /06. By The Blues / 07. Anybody Out There / 08. She Dragoon / 09. Feather Moves (remastered)
CD2:
Roll The Fire 2.0 / 02. Silent Crying 2.0 / 03. Monument In Time / 04. Your Own Lullaby (For Matilda) / 05. Cry (live) / 06. Gethsemane (live) / 07. A Virtual Lovestory (live) / 08. Reach Out (live) / 09. A Million Gods (live) / 10. Flow (live) / 11. Roll The Fire (original demo)
CD3: Instrumental versions of tracks featured on CD1
Conception will also be returning to live performance once again:
APRIL 23 2022 – STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN ; FRYSHUSET APRIL 29 2022 – OSLO, NORWAY ; ROCKEFELLER JUNE 3 2022 – US, ATLANTA ; PROGPOWER XXI FESTIVAL OCTOBER 28 2022 – BREKSTAD, NORWAY ; ØRLAND ROCK FESTIVAL MARCH 26 2023 – ANTWERP, BELGIUM ; THUNDER MUSIC FESTIVAL APRIL 20 2023 – AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND ; MELKWEG OZ APRIL 21 2023 – ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE, LUXEMBOURG ; ROCKHAL APRIL 22 2023 – PARIS, FRANCE ; LA MAROQUINERIE APRIL 27 2023 – BARCELONA, SPAIN ; SALAMANDRA APRIL 28 2023 – MADRID, SPAIN ; SHOKO APRIL 29 2023 – LISBON, PORTUGAL ; LISBOA AO VIVO
Norwegian hard rockers CONCEPTION released the vinyl version of their new album State of Deception, yesterday, June 19th, having received rapturous reviews to date. The vinyl release was severely delayed by the spread of the COVID 19 virus, but it couldn’t stop the CD and digital versions picking up support far and wide from fans and media alike. The album was once again released via their own Conception Sound Factory label.
Having also had to postpone their European tour, the band, comprised of Roy Khan, Tore Østby, Ingar Amlien and Arve Heimdal, is grateful both for the reception of the album, and the chance to make the vinyl version available. Lead singer Roy Khan: ”We felt we had recorded something pretty special with State of Deception, but it’s still a wonderful feeling when people listen to it and react so strongly. Of course, the virus has created worry and disruption for everyone, but one upside has been that people seem to be immersing themselves in music in even greater depth than normal.”
State of Deception is wholly self-produced, benefits from the stellar mix skills of Stefan Glaumann (Rammstein, Within Temptation, Europe etc), and is comprised of 9 tracks in total. Guitarist Tore Østby explains further: “Producing this new album has been an emotional and exciting process, digging deeper into the heart and soul of the band than ever before. The result is dynamic and intense, it really feels like we managed to capture the state of Conception 2020!”
State of Deception tracklist:
1. In Deception
2. Of Raven And Pigs
3. Waywardly Broken
4. No Rewind
5. The Mansion (featuring Elize Ryd)
6. By The Blues
7. Anybody Out There
8. She Dragoon
9. Feather Moves (remastered)
State of Deception perfectly captures the band’s trademark breadth of progressive sound, from symphonic melodrama to rock riff utopia, and also features eminent Amaranthe vocalist Elize Ryd. The album can be purchased – now in all formats – here: https://www.musicglue.com/conceptionmusic/store
And there is one more reason why today is a special day for Conception and their fans – because their longtime loyal supporters have surprised the prog metal legends with a very special gift: a video from fans for fans where they express what the band means to them, accompanied by the song Anybody Out There from State of Deception.
Conception 2021 Tour dates:
MARCH 27 – GJØVIK, NORWAY ; FRISCENA
APRIL 8 – BARCELONA, SPAIN ; SALAMANDRA
APRIL 9 – MADRID, SPAIN ; SHOKO
APRIL 10 – LISBON, PORTUGAL ; LISBOA AO VIVO
APRIL 15 – AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND ; MELKWEG OZ
APRIL 16 – ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE, LUXEMBOURG ; ROCKHAL
APRIL 17 – ZURICH, SWITZERLAND ; DYNAMO
APRIL 18 – PARIS, FRANCE ; LA MAROQUINERIE
APRIL 24 – STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN ; FRYSHUSET
MAY 1 – OSLO, NORWAY ; ROCKEFELLER
The first reviews are in and since they are mostly enthusiastic – some even celebrating prog metal legend CONCEPTION’s State of Deception as the “comeback of the year” – tension increases for the fans as we get closer to the date many of them have anticipated for so long now. Good news is: It’s only one more day until the Norwegians release their first full length offering in over two decades. State of Deception is available for pre-order (and later order) here: orcd.co/conceptionstateofdeception
While this is a reason to celebrate, there were of course some highlights the band had planned around this special day that are just not possible anymore in the current situation, like the various fan events that had to be postponed or even canceled. For a band like Conception, with a strong connection to their fans, it’s always particularly hard to lose possibilities to spend personal time with them. That’s why the band came up with a few other ideas to stay in contact during this time, talk with everyone on the special day tomorrow, get direct feedback for the new album from some of their most important critics and hopefully bring “a little Conception positivity” to everyone over the coming days, as the band states on Facebook. It all starts with a ‘pre-listening party’ available to fans from today, April 2nd, (orcd.co/conceptionlisteningparty, this link expires at midnight, European time), allowing them to listen to the album before it’s officially out, and continues with an “Ask Me Anything” Q&A Facebook livestream with guitarist Tore Østby on Friday morning, 11:30am (European time). Fans can already come up with questions for that under the band’s respective Facebook post.
And for all those who missed it earlier this week: There was another great news just in time for the album release! The planned 2020 tour, that had to be postponed for reasons everyone is familiar with, has now new dates and thus become the “State of Deception Tour 2021”. Here’s the official statement from the band: “Folks, we are delighted to announce that our postponed 2020 tour dates have now been rearranged and confirmed for alternative dates, when the current crisis will well and truly have passed. Existing tickets will remain valid for the rearranged dates, so please do hold on to them. Whilst we had been looking forward to these shows immensely anyway, the extraordinary turn of events we are all experiencing currently only means that we will double our efforts to ensure we deliver to our absolute utmost! So stay safe, and we look forward to playing for you when it is entirely safe to do so.”
APRIL 8 – BARCELONA, SPAIN ; SALAMANDRA
APRIL 9 – MADRID, SPAIN ; SHOKO
APRIL 10 – LISBON, PORTUGAL ; LISBOA AO VIVO
APRIL 15 – AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND ; MELKWEG OZ
APRIL 16 – ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE, LUXEMBOURG ; ROCKHAL
APRIL 17 – ZURICH, SWITZERLAND ; DYNAMO
APRIL 18 – PARIS, FRANCE ; LA MAROQUINERIE
APRIL 24 – STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN ; FRYSHUSET
MAY 1 – OSLO, NORWAY ; ROCKEFELLER
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