Review Summary: Deceptive simplicity.
Can you imagine an esteemed math professor being asked to explain a simple mathematical concept, like a quadratic equation? Such a request might be quite confusing for our hypothetical scientist, but at the same time refreshing. To be brought down to Earth, to recall the basics, to think of one’s own interpretation of a commonly used formula or theorem. That could be wonderful exercise even for the most sophisticated brains.
I like to think that this was the approach Conception had in mind when writing songs for “State of Deception,” or at least that’s what the album sounds like. The band ventures even further into, so to speak, “lighter” genres, which is kinda logical progression from the sound of “Flow” and “My Dark Symphony” EP. Indeed, “Flow” is the most obvious reference point here, although that album was significantly heavier, but also far less diverse. “State of Deception” is still quite riffy, but this time the riffs are not really rooted in metal. The band takes a full step into the hard rock and glam territory, although stopping short from going into AOR. The one significant difference is that on “Flow” the band often followed the established rulebook, while here they add a lot more of their own quirk to the tried-and-true genres.
And it is the most oddball songs that work best in the context of the whole album. Some of the songwriting decisions made here just shouldn’t work in theory, or maybe they wouldn’t have worked if not for Roy Khan. Who else could have delivered those weird spoken-word sequences in verses of “Of Raven and Pigs” with such conviction? Yet, Khan’s street preacher energy combined with intense riffing and the noise of an excited crowd in the background create an urgent and compelling atmosphere. As a rule, the faster and more intense songs work best on “State of Deception,” perhaps because they are also the weirdest of the bunch. “She-Dragoon” is a passionate and energetic number with its impact once again increased tenfold by the artistry of Roy Khan’s vocals, while “No Rewind” features a delightfully wacky guitar solo that sounds quite literally like a chainsaw. My only complaint is that a great and unusual solo like that could have lasted longer.
Indeed, sometimes the band pulls the plug on all the weirdness which means that some of the songs are neither here nor there. “Waywardly Broken” starts with Roy Khan delivering the first few lines in the most venomous way possible, which hints at possible continuation of the barely controlled madness showcased in “Of Raven and Pigs.” But then, the song progresses into more-or-less a standard rock ballad. Similarly, “By the Blues” is the most obviously glam-inspired song with big riffs and an even bigger chorus, but it misses that weird touch present for the majority of the album. The one “traditionally” sounding song that works without a hitch is the gorgeous ballad “The Mansion” with its soaring melodies, wise and relatable lyrics, and pitch-perfect performance from both Khan and Elyze Ryd who pops in for a small yet important cameo.
Overall though, Conception expertly avoids the trap of releasing just another standard retro rock album. The band is too classy for that. Their songwriting remains unique and all the songs still retain that inexplicable Conception flavor. One more good example of that is “Anybody Out There,” which reminds me of playful rock oldies such as “Boris the Spider” by The Who or “Skeletons in my Closet” by Alice Cooper. However, as soon as the chorus hits, the orchestral arrangement and Khan’s operatic voice takes the song into a more epic direction. It’s a very characteristic song for the album, in the sense that the band uses the inspiration from those old songs as a foundation to create something that sounds unmistakably like Conception and nobody else.
At the same time, while I am mostly on board with the album’s artistic direction, it’s still clear that the band is capable of so much more. “State of Deception” stands like a sandcastle built by a genius architect. It is constructed with due effort and inspiration, meticulously planned and intrinsically designed… and yet it will not last even a single night before crumbling and being washed away by the sea. There is a crowdfunding campaign launched by the band for a new album, and we’ll see what will come of it. However, as of now, those classic Conception albums from the nineties remain unchallenged.
