Conception

Conception is a Norwegian power/progressive metal band from Raufoss, originally active from 1989 to 1997, during which they released four studio albums. The band reunited in 2018, twenty years after originally disbanding with a new single and EP. History The band began when guitarist Tore Østby joined three local musicians, who were playing covers of metal bands for their own enjoyment. Tore ended up getting ambitions of beginning his own work and started writing original material. Around the same time, the band acquired Dag Østby as their vocalist and the band named themselves "Redrum". The band was active for only a few months before the three local members left abruptly. Tore and Dag recruited Werner Skogli as the band's drummer as well as Tranberg alumnus Freddy Samsonstuen for bass guitar. With a fresh new line-up, Tore chose the band's name "Conception", for which their first rehearsal on 5 November 1989 began the foundation of the band, continuing to practice and refine their sound. The following year, the band hired engineer Nils Harald Mæhlum to record their first demo which had a strong base in thrash metal. Not long after the band recorded their first demo tape, Werner left the band and Nils Harald Mæhlum suggested Arve Heimdal who jammed with Tore after a listen to the demo and become the band's drummer. After recording a second demo with the same producer, Freddy Samsonstuen left the band, and Ingar Amlien was hired as the band's bassist following a jam session with Østby and Heimdal. The band continued rehearsing, occasionally performing to small audiences in Dag's garden to overcome the band's stage fright. The band performed publicly for the first time on 22 December 1990 at the Sentrum Kino in Dokka as part of a local festival titled "MEGAROCK", in which they were noted as the best performers that evening, resulting in more shows from the band soon following. Following successful performances, the band prepared to record a single to release. Tore began to experiment in other types of music which in turn began to alter the band's direction of music to a melodic, progressive style, which in turn from the demands, made it clear that the band wanted a different singer. With the new music direction the band wanted to take, Dag Østby quit, and the band began auditioning new singers, eventually settling on Roy Khan, a classically trained opera singer from Elverum.