Metal Story Tellers

[icarusburns]

Growing up I used to hear all of the cliche's regarding my taste for all things metal:
[kid on bus and his interpretation of metal lyrics]: "KILL YOUR MOTHER KILL YOUR BROTHER!!!"
[kid in class talking about kids who listen to metal]: "Those kids who listen to heavy metal must be dumb because heavy metal is all about the same thing...death and killing" (meaning serial killer type sh*t).

It is obvious that these people never tried to listen to, or understand metal lyrics.

Here in the U.S., song writers like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen are considered great American story tellers of our time. My question is, what makes a great story? Give some examples through metal. They can be stories based on history, current or past social situations, or even fictional stories that take the listener to another place.
One of the easiest, and most misinterpreted by those who don't care to open their eyes and ears: Metallica's Creeping Death.

 

[EspaDa]

whats this thread about. greatest lyricists in metal?

 

[HamburgerBoy]

The classic John Arch-era Fates Warning albums are all about telling stories. Candlemass at their best, Black Stone Wielder and A Sorcerer's Pledge in particular. First two Mercyful Fate albums. A significant amount of the Iron Maiden discography. Most great trad metal is big on storytelling. Sabbat (UK) from the thrash side of things being another big one. Really there's so much storytelling metal out there it's

Dark Millennium's Ashore the Celestial Burden might be my favorite album of all in that respect, nominally doomy death metal but heavily indebted to 80s trad/doom. Every song has an arcane/mystic vibe around it, a little overacted maybe and not subtle, but in a metal context that's how I like it, and they knew how to create characters and frame them within a given moral problem. Not preachy, yet still with a clear motive and argumentative purpose.

(Incidentally, I just now learned that they released a new album last year and no one told me about it. Apparently people hate it but that's usually a good sign for me, especially when people hate a new album for being weird/different rather than a rehash.)

whats this thread about. greatest lyricists in metal?

The title reads "Metal Story Tellers" and the op contains text about metal songs that tell stories rather than fitting into the stereotypes of being just offensive/violent venting, so I dunno, I think the thread is about Pantera or something.

 

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Check out concept albums like this one, where the entire album is one big story.