Concept Albums - What are your favorites?

[AngraRULES]

I was discussing the theme with a friend of mine who's a huge music fan, but not necessarily a metal head. He was aware that a lot of our music had huge concepts and wanted to know more. So I gave him a few examples and got curious to know... what are your favorites?

Some of the things I considered when deciding were the music, the atmosphere (does the production fit the concept?), the story/concept itself, how crazy/intricate it is, etc...

I have too many to list, but will start with a few that come to mind right off the bat somewhat in order:

Angra - Holy Land
Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory
Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane
Orphaned Land - Mabool
Angra - Temple of Shadows
Opeth - Still Life
Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle Earth
Savatage - Streets
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime

 

[espz]

Operation Mindcrime was my gateway drug. Then came Streets and Scenes from a memory.
If you want concept that's maybe not totally metal...anything by Ayreon or any Arjen project really!
And the other A....Avantasia

 

[Diabolik]

Voivod - DImension Hatross and Nothingface.
Avantasia The Metal Opera part 1 and 2.

 

[Harvester]

Angra - Holy Land
Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory
Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane
Orphaned Land - Mabool
Angra - Temple of Shadows
Opeth - Still Life
Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle Earth
Savatage - Streets
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime

Nice start. "In Search of Truth" is missing though!

 

[DuchessOfDork]

I love the first 2 Avantasias. I listened to them about a bazillion times.

 

[AngraRULES]

Nice start. "In Search of Truth" is missing though!

Shit, you're right.

Look at you getting back at me when I called you out on missing Kingcrow's Plegethon a few months ago...

 

[General Zod]

Top 10:

Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black
Opeth - Still Life
Symphony X - V: The New Mythology Suite
Iced Earth - Dark Saga
Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade Of Gray
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son
Evergrey - In Search of Truth
Pyramaze - Legend Of The Bone Carver

EDIT: Wow... how did I forget Towers of Avarice?

 

[cslebn]

Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory
Fates Warning - APSOG
Pain of Salvation - Entropia (over PE1 and BE)
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Shadrane - Temporal
Evergrey - ISOT
Orphaned Land - Never Ending way of ORwarriOR
Protest the Hero - Kezia (Fortress and Scurrilous are great but the story and lyrics are better in this album as well as being more raw and at times catchier)
Redemption - The Fullness of Time (does this count? That suite is so awesome)
Ayreon - Any

 

[Braxil]

The ones I can think of that get a thumbs up from me in all three categories of concept, music, and atmosphere are:

Pain of Salvation - All of the first 3 but especially TPE
Payne's Gray - Kadath Decoded
Zero Hour - The Towers of Avarice
Mechanical Poet - Handmade Essence/Woodland Prattlers
Eternity X - The Edge
Angra - Holy Land
Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle-Earth
Iced Earth - Night of the Stormrider

 

[mattbrood]

1. Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
2. Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory
3. Evergrey - In Search of Truth
4.Savatage - Streets
5. Avantasia - The Metal Opera I &II

 

[AngraRULES]

Matt, surprised you didn't list the Old Man and the Spirit by Beyond the Bridge as #1.

 

[Andir]

What about the classics? (Shakespearean that is)

Jag Panzer - Thane to the Throne
Rebellion - Shakespeare's Macbeth - A Tragedy in Steel

I always mention these albums as examples of the quality of 'European' style metal to people whose only knowledge of metal is crappy American mainstream scream metal

 

[AngraRULES]

What about the classics? (Shakespearean that is)

Jag Panzer - Thane to the Throne


I always mention these albums as examples of the quality of 'European' style metal

I find it ironic that you use an American band to describe European style metal...

 

[Harris The Epic]

You wanna talk about classic concept albums?

 

[TribunalRecords]

Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Savatage - Streets: A Rock Opera
The Who - Quadrophenia
Drive-by Truckers - Southern Rock Opera

 

[Andir]

I find it ironic that you use an American band to describe European style metal...

I realize that, but Jag Panzer was always bigger in Europe/Japan than at home - a sad commentary on the American metal scene

 

[mattbrood]

Matt, surprised you didn't list the Old Man and the Spirit by Beyond the Bridge as #1.

Well played sir, well played.
Maybe in 20 years, but I stuck with the classics for now. But still my favorite album of 2012! . And how could I forget Seventh Wonder's Mercy Falls? Amazing

 

[Mynock]

Iced Earth - Dark Saga
Kamelot - Epica/The Black Halo
Vanden Plas - The Seraphic Clockwork
Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory
Opeth - Still Life
Orphaned Land - Mabool
Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle Earth

 

[Comic Book Dude]

It begins and ends with the Ayreon saga for me.

 

[Fury of Polaris]

Iced Earth - The Dark Saga/Night of the Stormrider
Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle-Earth
King Diamond - Abigail/Them
The Shadow Theory - Behind the Black Veil
Fairyland - The Fall of an Empire/Score to a New Beginning
Heavenly - Dust to Dust
Opera Diabolicus - 1614
Wolverine - Cold Light of Monday
Carach Angren - Where The Corpses Sink Forever
Ayreon - Into The Electric Castle/The Human Equation

Lots of other good mentions from other people so far too. I'm a big fan of a good concept album