I was just wondering.. I don't think I ever saw a topic about concept albums here, so I decided to make one myself.

So what I want with this, is for you to discuss your favourite concept albums. Tell me about the subject, the lyrics, if it corresponds musically with the concept, etc, just talk about it. Maybe we can get some recommendations too.

I'll just advance that the best albums for me are Metropolis Pt 2 from Dream Theater, In Search of Truth from Evergrey, and The Human Equation from the master Arjen (Ayreon).

Pff the concept album that kicks ALL other concept albums' ass is without a doubt Queensrÿche - Operation Mindcrime. It is super to the three you mentioned in every way. Operation Mindcrime has pure emotion to it whereas the three you mentioned are just icecold and lack any emotion whatsoever. Well-played, that can't be denied but that's it. Nothing more.

What means concept album album where lyrics are about one think?

Written by Bad English on 14.08.2008 at 22:33

What means concept album album where lyrics are about one think?

lol yeah k7

About the Queensrÿche album.. I've heard so much about it, but I never got the chance to listen to it.. I'm gonna have to try that one for sure.

King Diamond is as far as I'm venturing into the concept albums thing. Not much of a fan of prog and most concept albums are prog.

In that case Marcel are write good album, and I DONT BELIVE IN LOVE best anti love song ever, realy awsoem album
For me I can say sauch album, because I cant think one right now maybe Arryan Path - Road to Macedonia, because its all about ancient greek life beggining of civilisation , but otherwise I cant think album what I like so much to mention here, those what you mentioned I dont like them

Oh.. I forgot to mention 2 Kamelot albums: Epica and Black Halo. Great albums, great lyrics, it's just awesome and so intense. The story is basically based on Goethe's Faust.. I've never read the book, but if I have the chance one day I'll read it.

my favourite concept albums(which are in my top 10 list of all-time favorite albums) are:

Iced Earth- Night of the Stormrider - very complex, an EXTREMELY dark atmosphere, 200 riffs in one song... excellent
Ayreon- The Human Equation - great stuff, the vocals are perfect, the music is very melodic, intricate, complex, an extremely interesting album, Day 11 is always a joy to listen to

i think you already know about these 2, but i'll be back later with more information on them and what i like about them.

I often don't like concept albums, since they tend to fall in boredom quick - especially prog metal concept albums.
however there are exceptions like Ulver's Bergtatt.

Written by VPeter on 15.08.2008 at 00:47

I often don't like concept albums, since they tend to fall in boredom quick - especially prog metal concept albums.

I agree, most concept albums are chockful of fillers and getting boring quickly.

There was a thread I started a few years back on concept albums, but I guess it is long dead and gone, so thanks for starting one. Concept albums have always sort of been my forte with music. Trying to decide my favorite concept albums is really tough, since there are so many that I really adore.

My tie for first place it really a tough one between Operation: Mindcrime and Metropolis pt II: Scenes From a Memory. I have a really sick obsession with both albums. Right behind them I would rank Remedy Lane and The Human Equation.

As of late, my big album has been The Shaming of the True. This album by Kevin Gilbert was released three years after his death and is breath-taking. It was completed by Nick D'Virgilio of Spock's Beard and released in 2000. It is a story of a young rock musician who battled the demons of fame and fortune to finally find peace at last.

But people on this site love lists, and love to bash other people's lists. So here is mine:


So go ahead and bash away!

Written by VPeter on 15.08.2008 at 00:47

I often don't like concept albums, since they tend to fall in boredom quick - especially prog metal concept albums.
however there are exceptions like Ulver's Bergtatt.

I agree about prog metal, thay are boring, songs are to long and to complicated for me, those albums, usualy I like first album from old prog bands like Dream Theatre

Im not shore if Blind Guardian counts but all BG early works are about Tolkey, only one about taht theme what I like

My favourites are:

Iron Maiden Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Perfection if it weren't for "Can I Play With Madness". Bruce vocals are on top and the whole band wrote timeless melodies I still listen to on a regular basis seven years later. Catchy, melodic and very epic.

Opeth My Arms Your Hearse
The first time I heard this one I was stunned. And to think of it, I already was a big Opeth fan back then! Opeth as Opeth should be, ends with "Epilogue" which is one of the most beautiful tunes I've ever heard.

Dream Theater Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes from a Memory
I still can't put any words on this album. It's impossible to describe how genious it is. Also contains my favourite drum solo ever in "Scene Nine: Finally Free".

Queensrÿche Operation: Mindcrime
One of the catchiest album I own. Most songs are like impossible to get out of your head and let's not talk about the amazing "The Mission".

Which one is best? I really don't know. Opeth's maybe? That's the only one which is perfect from beginning to end.

No King Diamond love at all ?

I'm confused ......

I have to say King Diamond is one of the few who does concept albums right.

Definitely agreed with Warman! My Arms Your Hearse is one of the best ones I know! That album really draws you in.

Secrets of the Moon- Carved in Stigmata Wounds, if you've digested the album you know what its about. And it splits into three parts, Prophecy, Destiny and Extinction. The whole things ends brilliantly with the title song 'Carved in Stigmata Wounds' and 'Dust' just carries it from there.

Antithesis is supposed to be over 'Death' but its not quite AS interesting as CISW.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 14.08.2008 at 22:31

Pff the concept album that kicks ALL other concept albums' ass is without a doubt Queensrÿche - Operation Mindcrime. It is super to the three you mentioned in every way. Operation Mindcrime has pure emotion to it whereas the three you mentioned are just icecold and lack any emotion whatsoever. Well-played, that can't be denied but that's it. Nothing more.

Ok.. I've downloaded Operation: Mindcrime to see if its worth buying. I haven't had much time to concentrate on the lyrics yet, so I don't know much about the story, but musically so far I'm loving this thing and I feel that I'll be hearing this for at least a few days straight. One thing I sense so far, is a lot of hidden messages throughout the album about the concept, am I wrong?
Anyways, I'm gonna order this cd soon.. I'm really interested in this It's already growing no me

The Human Equation by Ayreon is a must here, hehe.

Well since it can be a really louse concept to make it a concept album [I guess], for diversity's sake, here's Reinkaos by Dissection. I've heard a lot of fans say they're disappointed with the album in contrast to the band's earlier work, but I think it fucking kicks ass. Decent musicianship for the genre and a few well employed effects make it easy listening.

Lyrics-wise, it deals with some of the TotBL cosmology and invokes chaos, as the title suggests.

apart from those already said I love savatage's Dead Winter Dead...it's a concept about Jugoslavian war during the 90's in which moving, wonderful lyrics are perfectly added to the music which goes from the symphnic metal to the heavy to the classical.

What about Orphaned Land's "Mabool." I must admit I have never read the lyrics, but the album deals with a certain story of The Flood. As far as music in general, it's a masterpiece.

I'm kinda new to metal (only been into it for about 2, almost 3 years.) but I just listened to Ayreon's first album and I have to say it's amazing. I have to listen to it more to really sink my teeth into it but the delivery of the lyrics, the use of the keyboards, the vocals... everything is spot on. I must listen to more of Lucassen's work.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 14.08.2008 at 22:31

Pff the concept album that kicks ALL other concept albums' ass is without a doubt Queensrÿche - Operation Mindcrime. It is super to the three you mentioned in every way. Operation Mindcrime has pure emotion to it whereas the three you mentioned are just icecold and lack any emotion whatsoever. Well-played, that can't be denied but that's it. Nothing more.

What do you mean when you mention they have no emotion?

my favorites are Powerslave or any of the Windir albums (theyre about Arntor, they count). their superior musicianship and passion are why i pick them as my favorite.

Written by LeChron James on 18.08.2008 at 03:11

my favorites are Powerslave or any of the Windir albums (theyre about Arntor, they count). their superior musicianship and passion are why i pick them as my favorite.

What's the concept to Powerslave? I really can't see a storyline to it at all. Not even with the wildest of imagination. Just to name three songs: Aces High, Powerslave, Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.
First one about world war II dogfighting, second about ancient Egypt, third the adaptation of a famous poem by Samuel L. Coleridge.

Written by Number Juan on 18.08.2008 at 02:36

I'm kinda new to metal (only been into it for about 2, almost 3 years.) but I just listened to Ayreon's first album and I have to say it's amazing. I have to listen to it more to really sink my teeth into it but the delivery of the lyrics, the use of the keyboards, the vocals... everything is spot on. I must listen to more of Lucassen's work.

Good to know metal is growing more and more m/ And you like Kenshin!
Yeah you should try more of Arjen's work.. I tell you he's a real master. And if I'm not mistaken, all Ayreon albums are connected to the same story.

Written by Dark Blood on 18.08.2008 at 11:57

Good to know metal is growing more and more m/ And you like Kenshin!
Yeah you should try more of Arjen's work.. I tell you he's a real master. And if I'm not mistaken, all Ayreon albums are connected to the same story.

All of the Ayreon albums, except Actual Fantacy, are connected.

Written by Dark Blood on 18.08.2008 at 11:57

Written by Number Juan on 18.08.2008 at 02:36

I'm kinda new to metal (only been into it for about 2, almost 3 years.) but I just listened to Ayreon's first album and I have to say it's amazing. I have to listen to it more to really sink my teeth into it but the delivery of the lyrics, the use of the keyboards, the vocals... everything is spot on. I must listen to more of Lucassen's work.

Good to know metal is growing more and more m/ And you like Kenshin!
Yeah you should try more of Arjen's work.. I tell you he's a real master. And if I'm not mistaken, all Ayreon albums are connected to the same story.

Yeah Kenshin is a great character

Anyway, yeah Arjen Lucassen is an incredibly creative mind. I'm gonna go listen to the Final Experiment again.

The Universal Migrator in my opinion are the best ones out of Arjen's work...

I think every album is somewhat a concept album, but I think my favorite concept albums must be Burzum's especialy Filosofem which talks about existance and meaning in life, some of the lyrics are taken from the Lord Of The Rings such as the line: "I wonder how winter would be, with a spring that I shall never see" from Erblicket Die Töchter Des Firmaments and :"suddenly life has new meaning" in Dunkelheit

Frankly I think Operation Mindcrime is garbage, I've never actually been able to actually sit down and listen to the whole thing. It's so tedious and corny, too little solid material spread way too thin, and I don't think the idea of metal as musical theater is a great one. It just takes itself too seriously, this stuff should be left to Pink Floyd or The Who - bands working with a medium much more suited to this approach.

Personally I'm a fan of Axis Of Advance's Strike and Pig Destroyer's Prowler In The Yard. Some less conventional ones such as Black Funeral's Az-I-Dahak also come to mind (not a concept in a storytelling sense but intended as ritual) and Pantheist's Amartia which is pretty much only tied together by addressing the seven deadly sins track by track (but it works great, for example "Greed" actually somehow sounds like what it's about). And I also want to mention Fireaxe's traditional metal four-hour monster of a concept album Food for the Gods, it's a little excessive and overambitious but still solid. Not really designed for one sitting though I'd say.