FLOW

Conception introduced some new aspects such as more mechanical rhythms, lots of synths and a slightly industrial feel and vocals. While they managed to do so with grace, it's an album that doesn't measure up to the preceding ones.

The album starts ok with a couple of nice tunes such as Gethsemane, Angel and Reach Out. The sound is more polished, taking away some of the edge from this band. A Virtual Lovestory and Tell Me When I'm Gone grow old pretty quickly. There's even some alternative rock influence on Flow, which start almost like the Cure's Inbetween Days.

Halfway in, the album sinks in under its lack of ideas and daring. Cry and Hold On are ballads loaded with cliché sentimentalism. The two closing tracks Cardinal Sin and Would it Be the Same are also too tame and too derivative of Black Sabbath's period with Toni Martin (especially Cross Purposes). Conception never matches the power of Sabbath to make these songs really work.

With a limited number of decent tunes that work for an occasional listen, the album hardly registers above average. It might still be enjoyable for fans of the band but to anyone else I can only recommend to hunt after the debut album.