IN YOUR MULTITUDE

It's hard to talk about such a deep, magical and special album like this. "In Your Multitude" is nothing less than an incredible journey through the core of the soul, dealing with all the emotions and feelings of the human mind, from a very special point of view. I guess the album cover reveals quite a lot this: the African native man in a wild landscape represents in a way the inner questions of human race about religion and other deep subjects. It's well know that natives use to be very spiritual people, and their lives are closely related to nature. This fits perfectly with Khan's great lyrics and the album's atmosphere.

Musically, "In Your Multitude" develops the melodic metal of Conception in a similar approach to their previous release "Parallel Minds", reaching the top of the genre. It's their most progressive and versatile album. The music is carried by Tore Ostby's powerful guitar riffs, still with a thrashy edge, supported by the heavy drums of Arve Heimdal and Ingar Amlien's hypnotic bass lines. Above them is where Roy Khan shines with his wonderfully dark, intrincate and mysterious vocal melodies. Those used to his singing style in Kamelot might find his voice a little bit weird as first, since melodies are way more complex here. However, once the listener gets used to them, they're the key to open the magical word of this album. Some ocassional keyboards help to create intriguing soundscapes that add even more mysticism. Think of Crimson Glory's atmosphere, especially on their mid-tempo tracks (e.g.: "In Dark Places") and you'll get a close idea of what you'll find here. In fact, echoes of Crimson Glory and Queensryche can be heard through the whole album, though Conception's approach is even more atmospheric, fascinating and challenging.

Tore Ostby deserves an special mention. His guitar playing is absolutely outstanding. Strongly influenced by Al Di Meola, he even experiments with some Spanish Flamenco influences in the impressive instrumental part of the progressive epic "A Million Gods" and the ethereal ballad "Sanctuary". All his solos are worth mentioning thanks to his beautiful guitar tone and an exceptional sense for melody and rhythm. Riffs vary from very heavy, almost thrash sound on the opening track "Under a Mounrning Star" to intrincate and progressive at moments. Tore is also the main songwriter of the band.

Even being quite a heavy album, "In Your Multitude" is all about atmosphere. The album is dark and deeply evocative. The calmer passages on "Some Wounds", "Missionary Man" and the whole title track are among the most emotional pieces of music I've ever heard, sounding at times as a metal version of Pink Floyd. They had in the mid 90's the same kind of atmosphere and emotion that younger bands like Riverside are being critically acclaimed for.

"In Your Multitude" is not an easy listening experience at first. It needs a few listens to catch its magic, even if some of the melodies are pretty catchy, as the choruses from "Under a Mourning Star" and "Some Wounds". Most of these choruses contain exceptionally beautiful vocal harmonies; the best example of this might be "Carnal Comprehension".

This is one of those one-in-a-million albums that not only feauture a great group of musicians and a good production, but also an incredible collection of magical compositions that touch the deepest feelings and emotions of the listener. Highly recommended for every fan of melodic, progressive metal and emotional music. Oh yes, I admit this is my all-times favourite album.