CONCEPTION – das Interview

Das Album „State of deception“ kam im April vergangenen Jahres in den Handel. Jetzt soll es eine besondere erweiterte Neuauflage geben. In dem Zusammenhang haben wir einige Fragen an Roy und Tore von CONCEPTION gerichtet. Das komplette Interview bekommt ihr jetzt hier auf metal-heads.de und die Review vom März 2020 könnt ihr hier nachlesen.
Hi, I’m Amir, a drummer myself and I must admit, I cannot really remember (as it’s nearly 25 years ago now), if I first got in touch with your music throught the legendary „Flow“-album back in 1997!? Anyway that release ist still a milestone to date! But let’s move onward to the present time.
T: Thanks a lot, really nice to hook up!
MH: So I´d like to begin with the question, how it developed to create another album after 23 years without a full length release (I know, there was the release of an EP in the meantime)?
CONCEPTION – they never broke up…
T: We never really broke up, we were taking a break. Ok, it was a long beak…Anyways, we have always kept our friendship and seen each other through all these years. Even had some jams and wrote some music on and off. But around 2015 I had written some songs that felt was quite Conception-ish. I first checked them out with Arve, and we immediately also started jamming out a bunch of music, like “Quite Alright”. Then I met up with Roy and played him a few tracks…
R: When we first met up to make music after all those years we really didn’t know ourselves what this was gonna be, but songs came rolling out like magic. During the summer of 2018 we decided we wanted to divide the material up in an EP to give us a «soft start» and then later an LP.
MH: How was it to write new material and record it after all these years?
T: It´s been a quite enjoyable and exciting process. We work really good together, always pushing the limit to improve ourselves and each other. Some of the music has come more or less by itself, where we are just going with the flow. Other tracks have been more challenging with rewriting parts and lots of detailed work.
Enjoying to write new music – CONCEPTION
R: With all the experience we had from our years with other bands and projects it was actually much easier than what we first feared. The main difference has been that songs no longer are written at the rehearsal premises. Writing and recording together again was great.
MH: How were the reactions towards „State of deception“ as we look back 15 months later now? Are you satisfied with the result of the album yourself and the feedback of the media and fans on the other hand?
R: Well…the timing could have been better! We released «State of Deception» two weeks after everything shut down due to covid-19. Apart from that we are extremely happy about great reviews and stoked about fans reactions. We ourselves are always happy with what we put out. If we weren’t we would have waited.
T: We are proud of the album, which we believe has taken us to a new level. It is also a clear mark of these times, both for us but also with regards to the world’s recent challenging events.
MH: The latest news is, that you are releasing a deluxe version of your latest album. Please explain us, what features are included and how you came up with that idea?
Many great things to expect from the deluxe version
R: The brand new box set we are making available is a true Kinder egg in the sense that it serves multiple purposes. Fans get a super limited edition item with some brand new songs, recordings of old CONCEPTION classics and a bunch of live tracks from our first gig in Gjøvik 2019. In addition to that there will be an instrumental version of «State of Deception», which people can sing along to, plus both albums on vinyl and a lot of other stuff. We’re also making available «The History» of CONCEPTION and some other cool stuff…
MH: Then there is also a crowdfunding campaign. Please let us know something about what that is all about?
T: Instead of working with a record company, we are working directly with our fans. It gives us a closer connection, and we are delighted to see that many fans get the true feeling that they are part of making it happen by participating in funding new music. Running our own record company and releasing ourselves is very expensive. We also put a lot of money and effort in the recordings. We simply couldn’t have done this without our loyal fans.
R: The reality is that making music at this level really costs a lot of money and so we are entirely dependent on fans’ help, understanding and financial support. As Tore says, we simply love doing this together with our fans rather than going with a record company. (The campaign link is here by the way!)
Prefering the fans to a record label…
MH: The release of an album should be accompanied with proper tour. I know, that you had planned one. But as we all know, the circumstances of the covid-19-pandemic made it impossible so far. In how far have you made up new plans for live appearances yet?
T: We had a tour booked already but had to delay it twice because of the covid situation. It is now scheduled for spring 2022. You can see the tour dates at our homepage. We can’t wait to get back on the road and share the magic of the live experience with our fans!
MH: For this tour, but also in general: What bands would you like to go on tour with?
To dream about a tour with LED ZEPPELIN
T: First and foremost, bands that really appreciate to enjoy the magic of music, and with whom we would get along for an enjoyable adventure, both musically and on a personal level. A dream come through would have been to go on tour with LED ZEPPELIN…
MH: A look in the future – what further steps are there as far as plans can be made regarding more new music, tours, festivals etc.?
T: We are always taking things step by step. Right now, our focus is in recording new music for the deluxe box set and slowly start to prepare for the upcoming tour.
MH: What kind of live gigs do you prefer? A small club gig, a support show in a larger venue or a festival appearance with a huge crowd?
R: I enjoy myself equally much regardless of the amount of people at a gig. The main thing is the connection and energy flow between the band members and obviously between band and audience.
T: They all have their different charms, but I really like the energy and intimacy of a packed small club gig.
MH: Do you have any experience in playing charity events? We are the official media partner of the RAGE AGAINST RACISM festival in Duisburg. On that open air event bands play to set a sign against racism and we support that. Can you imagine to play a concert like that?
We are equal…
T: Congratulations on your valuable work! We are all for equality and tolerance! The world really needs to move forward together against all kind of oppression. I could definitely see myself on stage to support such an important issue as antiracism!
R: Yep, we are open to anything that serves a good purpose.
MH: Now we have to come to an end for this chat. It´s a tradition for us to leave the last words to our interview partners. Do you have a final message for our readers out there? About yourself, music in general or the new album…whatever…
T: The world is small, and life is too short. Seek enjoyment in what’s different and make the most of it together! It’s been too much negativity and egotism in this world lately – let’s make it a better place for everybody! And in music we are all united!
R: I hope you all are safe and intact after this very special year and a half we have behind us. There are more important things in life than rock ’n roll and releasing records, but if you still haven’t checked out our new album «State of Deception»…well; you should!

MH: Thanx for your time and hope to see you on tour some time in the future!
T: Sorry to hear we are not coming to your region this time around – hope to see you later! Thanx for great questions. It was enjoyable to answer them!
R: Our pleasure, Amir…hope to see you and everyone else out there at some point!
NEWSLETTER. FREITAGS. KOSTENLOS.
Bildquellen
- CONCEPTION Albumcover – State of deception: CMM Marketing
- CONCEPTION Albumcover – State of deception – Titelbild: CMM Marketing
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