Review: Conception “My Dark Symphony” [Conception Sounds Factory]

I can’t be the only one who was amazed to hear that Roy Khan and company decided to reform Conception again, especially given the state that Khan had been in some years prior, but alas, their new music just leaves me cold. Vaguely reminiscent of the band’s past at times, My Dark Symphony hints potential – believe it or not, but just like State of Deception, too many errors seem to plague the band’s music nowadays.

It’s a shame, because “Grand Again” sounds like a return to something great, actually – Roy Khan puts his heart into it by tastefully belting his way towards that larger-than-life kind of chorus and Tore Østby supports Khan with punch of a verse riff, resulting into an introspective, yet hard-hitting progressive opener that I’d easily take over anything from Flow. Granted, the louder production helps, as it gives the song that additional boost, even if I could have done with a slightly louder Tore Østby, in the mix. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long before things take a step in the wrong direction, as the remaining cuts range from partially-promising to downright nerve-wrecking boredom. “Into the Wild” should have been called “Into the Quiet”, as Roy Khan quietly sings his way through the verse with no conviction whatsoever. It’s not until that chorus where the vocals become louder and Tore Østby unleashes a choppy riff underneath with decent results. Still, its best moment would be that flashy, yet well-executed guitar solo that’s reminiscent of “A Million Gods” to a certain degree… it’s just too bad that can’t say that about the entire track. “The Moment” is another track of progressive nature, with some free-spirited drums and moody pianos appear through the verse, but I could have done without that ‘’gather together and wave your hands’’ kind of chorus. Come on, how hard is it to write a proper tune again, folks?

Hell, from the moment that “Quite Alright” kicks off, it’s as if I’m suddenly listening to a completely different band and hearing Roy Khan sing on this poppy rock track is an embarrassment in so many ways that it’s not even funny and you can forget about Tore Østby’s helping him out, as this guy doesn’t seem to bother past the first two songs. Perhaps a ballad would be better, then? If only it were – the title track tries to end up moody and whatnot and I can’t fault Roy Khan for trying here, but shit – you’ve got a dull verse, followed by a generic chorus… resulting into something as dark as the burning sun during a walk in the Sahara Desert.

Fortunately, My Dark Symphony ends quickly, but it’s just poor stuff. At least it’s not as disastrous as State of Deception, though – which is basically an extension of this EP. Could you even imagine sitting through that? Indeed, you better not.

Release date: November 23rd, 2018

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