Conception (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1989 in Raufoss, Norway |
| Founder | Tore Østby |
| Defunct | 1997 (initial disbandment) |
| Fate | Reunited in 2018 |
| Headquarters | Raufoss , Norway |
| Products | Studio albums, EPs |
| Website | www |
Conception is a progressive power metal group originating from Raufoss, Norway. Initially active between 1989 and 1997, they produced four studio albums during that period. After reuniting in 2018, the band has released an additional studio album and an EP.
1989–1997: Formation and early career
The band was established by guitarist Tore Østby alongside local musicians who initially focused on metal cover songs. Following some early changes in personnel—including vocalist Dag Østby and drummer Werner Skogli—the group adopted the name "Conception" in November 1989. Their first demo was recorded with engineer Nils Harald Mæhlum, which coincided with further lineup shifts: Arve Heimdal took over drumming duties from Skogli, and bassist Freddy Samsonstuen was succeeded by Ingar Amlien.
Conception’s initial gigs built a local fanbase, leading to their public debut at the 1990 "MEGAROCK" festival. As their sound evolved toward a more melodic and progressive direction, Østby sought a new vocalist, recruiting classically trained opera singer Roy Khan from Elverum. With Khan onboard, they completed their debut album, The Last Sunset, which they released independently under their own label "Conception Self-Financed".
The album’s title track reached number three on Norway’s Norsktoppen chart in 1992 and received positive reviews across Europe. That same year, they contributed the song "Black on Black" to a Norwegian metal compilation. In 1993, after signing with German label Noise Records, Conception released their sophomore album Parallel Minds, which was quickly followed by a reissue of their debut. Their discography continued with In Your Multitude in 1995 and Flow in 1997.
Conception stood out in the power/progressive metal genre through Østby’s flamenco-inspired guitar techniques—later showcased in his project Ark—and Khan’s operatic vocal style.
1997–2005: Disbandment and brief reunion
The group disbanded in 1997. Vocalist Roy Khan joined the American symphonic power metal band Kamelot, contributing to several albums before leaving in 2010 due to health concerns and retiring from music. Meanwhile, Østby concentrated on Ark, a progressive metal outfit formed in 1999 with Jørn Lande and John Macaluso; Ark dissolved in 2002 but reunited briefly between 2009 and 2011. Bassist Ingar Amlien founded the death metal band Crest of Darkness, which had released six studio albums by 2018 and remained active. Drummer Arve Heimdal retired in 1999 but returned temporarily for Conception’s reunion in 2005.
In 2005, Conception reunited for performances at major events including ProgPower USA on 16 September and Norway’s Scream Magazine’s "15 Years & 100 Issues Festival" on 1 October, featuring the final five-member lineup.
2018–present: Revival and new releases
Speculation about a comeback surfaced in April 2018 following reports of rehearsals in Gjøvik and fan photographs. Shortly before this, Roy Khan had uploaded a solo track to YouTube—his first since 2010—which was unrelated to Conception.
The band officially announced their reunion via Facebook and revealed plans for a new EP titled My Dark Symphony, released on 23 November 2018. This revival included the classic four-piece lineup with Heimdal and Khan returning from retirement. After the EP launch, Conception played two reunion concerts in Gjøvik and participated in three European festivals during summer 2019.
On 20 February 2020, they announced their fifth studio album State of Deception, which came out on 3 April 2020. The lead single "Waywardly Broken" premiered on 6 March accompanied by a lyric video. Later, a music video for "No Rewind" was released on 22 May 2021. On 6 June 2021, an expanded edition of State of Deception was announced for release in 2022; this edition includes live recordings, re-recorded tracks, new material, and the live single "Cry". On 5 February 2022, the band unveiled "Monument in Time" from this deluxe edition.
Their first European headline tour in over twenty years—initially planned for April 2020—was postponed until 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also performed a special North American show at ProgPower USA XXI in June 2022. On 9 September 2022, Conception reissued their first four albums.
On 1 July 2025, Roy Khan disclosed that the band had composed multiple songs intended for their upcoming studio album.
Band members
Present lineup
- Tore Østby – guitar (1989–1998, 2005, 2018–present), keyboards (1989–1992, 1995–1996, 2018–present), lead vocals (1990–1991)
- Ingar Amlien – bass guitar (1990–1998, 2005, 2018–present)
- Arve Heimdal – drums (1990–1998, 2005, 2018–present)
- Roy Khan – lead singer (1991–1998, 2005, 2018–present)
Touring musicians
- Lars Christian Narum – keyboards (1996)
- Lars Andre Kvistum – keyboards (2019–present)
- Aurora Amalie Heimdal – backing vocals (2019–present)
Previous members
- Freddy Samsonstuen – bass and keyboard duties (1989–1990)
- Werner Skogli – drums (1989–1990)
- Dag Østby – lead vocals (1989–1991)
- Hans Christian Gjestvang – keyboards (1992–1994)
- Halvor Holter – keyboards (1994)
- Trond Nagell-Dahl – keyboards (1994–1995, 1996–1998, 2005)
Timeline
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Colors =
id:Vocals value:red legend:Lead_Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:Keyboard value:purple legend:Keyboards id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums
LineData =
at:12/13/1991 color:black layer:back at:09/14/1993 color:black layer:back at:05/03/1995 color:black layer:back at:04/01/1997 color:black layer:back at:11/23/2018 color:black layer:back at:04/03/2020 color:black layer:back
BarData =
bar:DOstby text:"Dag Østby" bar:Khan text:"Roy Khan" bar:TOstby text:"Tore Østby" bar:Gjestvang text:"Hans Gjestvang" bar:Holter text:"Halvor Holter" bar:Nagell-Dahl text:"Trond Nagell-Dahl" bar:Samsonstuen text:"Freddy Samsonstuen" bar:Amlien text:"Ingar Amlien" bar:Skogli text:"Werner Skogli" bar:Heimdal text:"Arve Heimdal"
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4) bar:DOstby from:01/01/1989 till:12/31/1990 color:Vocals bar:Khan from:06/30/1991 till:06/30/1998 color:Vocals bar:Khan from:09/01/2005 till:10/30/2005 color:Vocals bar:Khan from:04/01/2018 till:end color:Vocals bar:TOstby from:01/01/1989 till:06/30/1998 color:Guitar bar:TOstby from:09/01/2005 till:10/30/2005 color:Guitar bar:TOstby from:01/01/1989 till:12/01/1989 color:Keyboard width:3 bar:TOstby from:06/30/1990 till:12/01/1990 color:Keyboard width:3 bar:TOstby from:06/30/1995 till:06/30/1996 color:Keyboard width:3 bar:TOstby from:01/01/1991 till:06/30/1991 color:Vocals width:3 bar:TOstby from:04/01/2018 till:end color:Guitar bar:TOstby from:04/01/2018 till:end color:Keyboard width:3 bar:Samsonstuen from:start till mid-1990 color:Bass bar:Samsontuen from late-1989 till mid-1990 color=Keyboard width:3 bar:Amlien from mid-1990 till mid-1998 color:Bass bar:Amlien from late-2005 till end-2005 color:Bass bar:Amlien from early-2018 till:end color:Bass bar:Gjestvang from late-1990 till mid-1994 color=Keyboard bar=Holter mid-1994 to late-1994 color=Keyboard bar:Nagell-Dahl late-1994 to mid-1995 and mid-1996 to mid-1998 and late-2005 to end-2005 color=Keyboard bar=Skogli start to mid-1990 color=Drums bar=Heimdal mid-1990 to mid-1998 and late-2005 to end-2005 and early-2018 to end color=Drums
</timeline>
Discography
- Albums in Studio
- The Last Sunset (1991)
- Parallel Minds (1993)
- In Your Multitude (1995)
- Flow (1997)
- State of Deception (2020)