Reactivated Norwegian progressive metallers CONCEPTION, who feature in their ranks former KAMELOT singer Roy Khan, have released a brand new single, “Cry (Live)”. It is the first single from a brand new crowdfunding campaign supporting the release of an expanded version of their successful 2020 album “State Of Deception”, to be made available early in 2022. The set will feature a host of new recordings, including new songs, re-recordings of some of their classic back catalog and a number of live performances.
“Cry” was, to quote Khan, “a magical moment we captured when we undertook our re-entrance onto the metal scene after more than a decade apart,” having been recorded at CONCEPTION‘s homecoming gig in Gjovik, Norway in 2019. The first of several new singles to be released over the course of 2021, “Cry” is also the first live recording the band has ever released digitally. Guitarist Tore Østby added: “It has been so great to play live again, and I have been thrilled to discover new energy in our old songs. This release is a great example of that.”
Meanwhile the deluxe version of “State Of Deception” is an acknowledgement from the band to address the fans’ call for making more material available. As well as the new recordings featuring alongside the original album on both CD and vinyl, the deluxe box set will also include a host of additional items, including instrumental versions of the album tracks, posters, an extensive history of the band with never-before-seen photographs and exclusive competition access.
In recognition of the band’s desire to maintain their existing direct-to-fan relationship, the process will once again be enabled via a brand new crowdfunding campaign.
“We’ve been lucky enough to have such loyal fans,” Khan observes. “They have been incredibly generous in supporting us, and we’ve tried really hard to acknowledge that by making some particularly distinctive items and experiences available to them. You should see what we intend to make available over the course of this campaign.”
CONCEPTION will also finally be undertaking its COVID-19 delayed headline tour, for which an extra date has been announced, as the band marks its return to Belgium by headlining Antwerp’s Thunder Metal Fest on March 27.
CONCEPTION 2022 live dates:
March 19 – Gjøvik, Norway @ Friscena
March 27 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Thunder Music Festival
April 07 – Barcelona, Spain @ Salamandra
April 08 – Madrid, Spain @ Shoko
April 09 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Lisboa Ao Vivo
April 14 – Amsterdam, Holland @ Melkweg Oz
April 15 – Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg @ Rockhal
April 16 – Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie
April 17 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Plaza
April 23 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Fryshuset
April 29 – Oslo, Norway @ Rockefeller
June 3/4 – Atlanta, GA @ Progpower XXI Festival
“State Of Deception” followed a 20-year interval during which bandmembers Khan, Østby, Ingar Amlien and Arve Heimdal remained friends throughout, and the album release marked a full-circle evolution of the band.
“State Of Deception” was wholly produced by the bandmembers themselves, with mixing duties handled by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN, WITHIN TEMPTATION, EUROPE). The nine-song effort perfectly captured the band’s trademark breadth of progressive sound, from symphonic melodrama to rock riff utopia, and featured a guest appearance by AMARANTHE vocalist Elize Ryd.
