Conception, My dark symphony

This is going to be a short review, for an equally short release. I don’t normally listen to EP’s (I prefer to wait for the full album), but considering there doesn’t seem to be a full album in sight and this is the first Conception release in 21 years and that the wonderful Roy Khan came out of the hole he’s been hiding in for the past 8 years, I feel like this deserves my attention. 

The release opens with Grand again and Into the wild, which are both solid tracks, with a few minuses here and there, mainly in the vocals (the first using way too much distortion on a voice that is too good to drown in this, and the second relying way too much on the female vocalisations in the background that are over-used compared to how little they bring to the table). I generally like the songs, though, they both have force and a tint of epic that I personally wish were explored more instead of contained like that. And most of all, they have Roy Khan. I really missed this guy, his sensual passionate voice effortlessly carries even the blandest melodic line and brings class to it. 

Next comes Quite alright, with a rather unusual combination between the upbeat instrumental and Roy’s voice that has an inherent melancholy in it. The first half in particular sounds like it’s been taken directly from Poetry for the poisoned, and then they raise the bar even more with a guitar solo and an impassioned bridge that changes the tone. 

The moment is probably the most out of the box moment of the EP, but also the weakest because in my opinion it’s a bit disjointed. The chorus is slightly cheesy, the verses are moody, there’s a jazzy piano in the background and then a good growth towards… silence and oriental tunes? I appreciate the effort, I’m actually quite glad they didn’t play it too safe (which they easily could’ve done judging from the context of the release), but I feel like it needed some more polishing to sound coherent. 

And last, but definitely not least, the title track and my favourite, My dark symphony. It’s a slow, steady, wistful ballad, with a lovely instrumental that gives room for Roy’s rich seductive, voice to shine. There’s a sadness mixed with romanticism that reminds me a bit of Lacrimosa and I simply cannot get enough of that deep voice, so full of warmth and passion and melancholy and everything that makes one’s heart twitch. And I love the violins, the calmness of it, the long notes, the steady, majestuous and somber atmosphere… I have a feeling I’m going to have this song on repeat for some days now, I simply fell in love with it. 

I can’t end the review though without at least mentioning Feathers move, which didn’t find its place on the EP, but it’s a beautiful track that deserves recognition. A lot more progressive than the other pieces, with a guitar that reminds of the prog classics, it’s still every bit as touching and emotional. It’s the kind of music that is inspiring and uplifting without becoming cheesy and/or preachy, and you can tell it comes from a real conviction. And to me, there’s nothing more beautiful in art than pure and genuine self-expression. 

To sum up, it seems Roy picks up right where he left things with Kamelot’s Poetry for the poisoned, a capricious, slightly darker tone, with some progressive accents here and there. I can’t say I mind it’s more Kamelot and less Conception, for me it was first and foremost a joy to hear Roy’s vibrant voice again and to know there’s a future in his music career, so I came in with very low expectations (which is probably the opposite of what happened for most listeners). But I’m quite happy to say the expectations have been surpassed, it’s a strong record and it makes me anxious to see what comes next.