Transcript of an interview I recorded with ROY KHAN of CONCEPTION - 20200331. Full article here. MAL-
So good to hear your voice again. Thank you. After leaving Kamelot, how much involvement did you have with music? Tell us what you were doing in that regard if you don't mind. ROY- I had been doing music at a professional level for two decades straight when I left. I felt an intense urge to do something completely different. In the beginning I only sung in funerals and local churches. I have been writing songs and noted down ideas the whole time though. MAL- Where did that time lead you? ROY- In the beginning working a regular job felt great, but after a while I also sensed an increasing longing to go back to what I really believe I was born to do; writing and performing music. MAL- How did it lead you all back together as Conception? ROY- The four of us have had fairly close contact all these years. When Tore and Arve had jammed on a couple of tracks that Tore presented to me at some point. We all figured this could be a new start for Conception and the time felt about right. After that Tore and myself started a series of songwriting sessions that resulted in the EP and now this full length album «State of Deception». MAL- How did it feel to stand in the same room with the other 3 gents and play together again? Did it feel like you were away? And if so, did that make it easier to reconnect or harder? ROY- As I said we have kept in touch all these years and even jammed a little together now and then. Just for the fun of it so it felt very natural being back in the rehearsal room with Tore, Ingar and Arve. MAL- How long before new music came along? ROY- Brand new music was already there when Tore presented the initial ideas. MAL- It's a bit hard to gauge here on the other side of the world but were you trying to do this (getting together again after such a long break) quietly for as long as possible? What was the reaction where you were 'found out'? Did that affect future plans or hasten them in any way? ROY- We were trying to keep the news of our comeback a secret for as long as possible, but the news got leaked a month or so before we were to launch the first crowdfunding campaign. That was not a big deal at that point though. MAL- After such a long time apart from each other, when were the seeds sown to get back together to make music? ROY- Some of the initial ideas go back to early 2000s when Tore and myself lived together in an art collective home in Oslo. This was at a time where we were both occupied with Kamelot and ARK, but now and then we found the time to sit down and just jam together. The basic structure of «Waywardly Broken» was created in this period, but it is hard to pinpoint when the seed to get back together really was sown. In a way we were always together. Even in the periods where we had other bands and projects. MAL- How was that first meeting? Did you have to re-aquaint musically or was it 'continuing where you left off' ? ROY- The four of us go way back. We (and especially Tore, Ingar and Arve) spent insanely amounts of time in the rehearsal room back in the day. I believe that is a key element as to why this band sounds as it does. Thus getting back together now also feels awkwardly natural. MAL- With the EP, was it daunting thinking about releasing new material after a break of 20 years? How was that received? ROY- The pressure we put on ourselves by far exceeds any expectation coming from the outside. Luckily our new music has been very well received. Especially the new album seem to sit well with people. At least that’s the impression I get from reading the first reviews of «State of Deception». MAL- Was there a plan back then (releasing the EP) for this to continue or was that a way to test the water? ROY- The plan was always to do more. We simply want to do things one at a time - step by step. MAL- Was the ravenous fan reaction expected or did it catch you off guard? ROY- We did of course have some expectation as to what the reactions could be like after all the years «off stage», but we were truly overwhelmed when it first happened. MAL- Did the new ideas come together right from the start or was there a settling in period? ROY- Songwriting is in our blood and as mentioned the first ideas were there already before we started working together again. MAL- On the new album Who are the songwriters or is the process shared? Is the songwriting a single room process or are individual band members bringing in song ideas which are then 'fleshed out' by the band? ROY- Musically speaking Tore is the prime mover in this constellation. He normally has pretty clear ideas about how the basic structure for a song should be. I also have my ideas and ways of altering Tore’s initial frameworks. We both play other instruments too. Sometimes we jam things out from start. From time to time Arve and Ingar have also taken part in the song-writing in that regard. Melodies and lyrics is mainly me, but we do of course discuss topics, titles and concepts within the band. MAL- How long did this album take to put together? ROY- The bulk of the song-writing for the EP and this album started in 2016. The production for «State of Deception» lasted about five months. MAL- Where was it recorded? ROY- We record in various locations. A lot is actually done by Tore in his home studio in Stockholm. Drums, vocals and some keys were recorded in Norway and Miro’s stuff is done in Germany. MAL- How is the recording process for you as a band? Some bands seem to enjoy it, others view it as a way to get a product out to get back out on the road. ROY- We enjoy both the creative part of this and the performing part. Can’t wait to get back out there and present these songs live for people. MAL- How important was the fan involvement, the crowd funding? How important is that in general these days? ROY- Crowdfunding and fan involvement has added a new dimension to this for us as a band. It is more fun, we have better control as opposed to being locked in with a label. I also believe it brings an element of «ownership» to our fans whom we anyways are dependent on in the first place if we want this to make financial sense in the long run. MAL- How is the market in your part of the world? I ask with regard to streaming vs physical sales. ROY- Digital is taking over, but there is actually an increasing interest for physical. I am not only talking vinyl as CDs are already trending as «retro» somehow. Believe it or not! MAL- A broad range of musical styles and emotions on the album. I'm comparing 'Of Raven and Pigs' and 'The Mansion' here. They are SO different. Has the time in 'hiatus' helped broaden the band do you think? ROY- We have definitely grown, matured and developed as both musicians and human beings. All this affects our approach to song-writing and how we can optimize Conception as a mean of delivering quality art to the people. MAL- Any stories you can relate about individual songs on the album? Was 'The Mansion' written with Elise in mind right from the start? How did she become involved? ROY- I really like people to interpret themselves, but the lyrics for «No Rewind» e.g. were quite directly inspired by Greta Thunberg’s UN speech last year. I had worked with Elize the last couple of years with Kamelot and knew what a capacity she is vocally. She can pretty much sing whatever, but I knew her voice would fit perfectly for the part she ended up doing on «The Mansion». MAL- Release on April 3rd. You must be excited. Tell me about the build up. ROY- We have been so busy working with PR and preparations for the tour I have barely had time to be excited, but now we are really looking forward to the release on April 3rd. Reactions so far are crazy good so I have very good feeling! MAL- A tour was planned but that has been put on hold for reasons we all know, how has that affected you all on a band and personal level? ROY- We are quarantined these days due to the corona outbreak. All our events and the tour planned for this spring have been postponed and things could have been more optimal, to be honest. It was the only right thing to do though. Right now we are focused on staying safe and healthy and following governmental regulations so we can get out of this situation as soon as possible. MAL- What is the hope for when that passes? What is planned? ROY- The tour is being postponed. We will break the news of changed dates any time soon. People who have already bought tickets simply need to hold on to them as they are still valid for the «new» shows. MAL- It's so good to hear new music together again. I wish you every success with the new album and look on favourably from afar. Good luck and thank you for your time today. ROY- Thanx! Pure pleasure being at your service! Hope to see you out there somewhere…eventually ;-) Comments are closed.
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