Conception
State of Deception

Ok, we waited 13 years for a new Tool album and we were all satisfied… but there are also those who had to wait many more years, or rather, an unexpected reunion, for it to happen. For example, many of us were waiting for the return of Conception, the cult Norwegian band of melodic prog-power metal from the '90s. They had partially met our expectations with the 2018 EP, but they clearly were just warming up for something that would mark a true comeback. And so last April, while we were all stuck at home, the fifth Conception album arrived to keep us company, imposing itself as a faithful lockdown companion, a full 23 years after "Flow".

"State of Deception" is an album where all the band’s characteristics emerge without problems and which can easily be appreciated by the band's nostalgic fans, although perhaps the magic is not exactly the same as their historic albums. The coordinates set by the 2018 EP remain almost intact, and the impression is always that they want to continue the dialogue started 23 years ago with "Flow". The sound, once again, is not very metal but still has good underlying energy; it feels like facing a kind of hard rock that isn't particularly powerful, always with a very autumnal and Nordic atmosphere. We can safely say that April isn't the ideal month for a Conception release, and maybe it’s this questionable choice that subconsciously deprives it of that magic (granted, "In Your Multitude" and "Flow" were also released in spring, but having discovered Conception in the autumn of 2008 and finding them suited to the atmosphere, I have always associated them with the cold season and have preferred winter months to listen to them)… The class and elegance that have always characterized their trademark are not missing, with atmospheric and well-chosen keyboards and metallic yet always elegant and never intrusive bass lines continue to make a difference, we can calmly say that the many years of absence do not feel present at all.

The tracks where, in my opinion, the band excels and have the most potential to become classics are essentially three: "Waywardly Broken" with its caressing yet intense keyboards, its incisive bass, and well-studied and refined guitar touches; the heartbreaking ballad "The Mansion" (sung with Elize Ryd of Amaranthe), which with its delicate and dreamy piano and intense chorus has nothing to envy "Silent Crying"; the concluding and melancholic "Feather Moves", characterized by very thin keyboards, barely audible guitar plucks, and a more decisive and pungent yet not too much bass, was perhaps discarded from the EP because it was known that it deserved a better placement, a wise choice because within an album, it finds its natural place and indeed closes it splendidly, creating a relaxed conclusion in an album never really too tense, it has about the same function that "In Your Multitude" had in the eponymous album and it seems to hold up well in comparison.

And there are tracks that stand out for a touch of originality: "Of Raven and Pigs" has subdued power, with very polished guitars and a perfectly fitting organ, a track that on first listen may even seem dull but then one is charmed by its precision and composure, plus spoken verses are experimented with an aggressive spoken part that cannot go unnoticed; the verses of "By the Blues" instead rest on a heavy electronic riff and have singing bordering on rap, a track that seems like it came out of "Flow", recalling its experiments and worthily inheriting them; also bold is "Anybody Out There", which has a slow and rough pace and rests on a rather unusual tone that has nothing to do with the rather grey mood of Conception, but most importantly incorporates soft and elegant orchestral touches, almost imperceptible, which color a track that might otherwise seem a bit dull and empty.

"No Rewind" and "She Dragoon" instead focus more on power but do so in the style of the heavier tracks from "Flow"; they certainly don’t have the power riffs of "Parallel Minds" or "In Your Multitude". The intro "in: Deception" could have been developed better but it is certainly less useless than the one on the EP.

Regarding the musicians' performance, singer Roy Khan and guitarist Tore Østby take the spotlight; the former confirms what was shown in the EP, displaying an incredible timbral variety enhanced over the years; he no longer has the hair but has all the vocal versatility in the world; Tore, on the other hand, stands out with the solos, which are not the classic hard rock guitar solos that one hears a lot, possibly becoming boring in the long run, they are "sung" solos, deliberately cold and "whining", in those note sequences the guitar truly seems to sing, emitting cries of despair, they are brushstrokes of dark grey on a light grey background, solos that cannot go unnoticed.

Yet, there is a feeling that something is missing, perhaps the production is not at its peak or the willingness to take risks is somewhat constrained; let’s say the production is better than the 2018 EP but that the EP had a few more tantalizing ideas. Personally, I would have avoided the EP and included the best tracks, "Grand Again", "Into the Wild", and "The Moment" in the album; the album would have benefited, and my rating would have been higher than it actually is. But these are small observations that vanish upon listening, one cannot be disappointed with this album, rather, here we have Conception as we left them, elegant, melancholic, just edgy enough, intelligent in solutions; even analyzing the individual tracks, we realize they all have a sort of "classic" quality, and in eventual song-battles with similar tracks from the past, we realize they hold up very well, if they lose the clash, they do so by a very slight margin; in short, they are them, and that’s it, the rest is just talk. If you loved the historic works and awaited their return, rest assured you will be satisfied, especially if you appreciated the turn taken with "Flow", though you might be more disappointed if you long for the more power metal sound of the first three albums.

The long-awaited return has occurred, let’s hope this album is not just a flash in the pan but is only the beginning of resuming the dialogue, the dialogue must still be long, Conception had and still have a lot to say.