Rock/Metal Operas

[Coon]

Well, I'm a HUGE fan of Rock/metal operas. Sometimes this kind of releases get confused with concept albums: to make it clear I'll use and example:

Orwarrior is a CONCEPT album, but NOT a metal.
You need to have several characters and several singers to interpretate them to have a rock/metal opera, so probably the best known exampler for this nowadays is Avantasia. I'll make a list of the albums this kind I own:

Avantasia I, II, III (waiting for IV and V to be released this year)
Ayreon's whole carreer
Aina
Daniel Liverani's Genius I, II, III
Gary Hughes' Once and Future Kind I, II
Elfiskaya Rukopis I, II (This was EXTREMELY difficult to find)
Soulspell - A Legacy Of Honour (waiting for the II to be released this year)
Leonardo - The Absolute Man
Neverland - Reversing Time (A new one is coming this year)
Pandea - Soylent Green
Nikolo Kotzev - Nostradamus (one of the best albums I ever heard, waiting for Draconia to be released in 2011 or 2012)
Caamora - She (amazing album)
Andrew Lloyd Webber's - Jesuscrist Superstar (both in english and spanish)
Bajel - Bajel (South american - spanish, not the best effort ever exactly...)
Xystus & US Concert - Equilibrio (quite a good album)
Edgar Allan Poe: Legado de Una Tragedia (Spanish release, really interesting if you're into ehavy & power metal)
TSO complete carreer (in special Beethoven's Last Night and Night Castle are wonderful)
Merlin: The Rock Opera
Dawnrider - Fate Is Callin I (wonder if there would ever be a part II)
Pictorial Wand - A Sleeper's Awakening
Pictorial Wand - Face Of Our Fathers

I'm looking forward the release of:

Samuel Arkan - Origins
Opera Diabolicus - 1614
Charlemagne - By The Sword And The Cross (With Christopher Lee!!)

Searching the net and in particular the ProgArchives, I knew about a "collective" named Colossus Projects, that basically picks prog artists and bands from the finnish scene and make up prog rock operas based upon classic movies and books (and also tribute's in which I'm not interested). There are a few that seems to be great and particulary interesting:

Dante's Inferno: The Divine Comedy Part I
Dante's Inferno: The Divine Comedy Part II
The Spaghetti Epic - I, II, III
Odyssey - The Greatest Tale
The 7 Samurai - The Ultimate Epic
The Colossus Of Rhodes
Kalevala - Finnish Progressive Rock Epic
Colossus Project - The Empire & The Rebellion (YES, it's based in Star Wars)

The thing is that I tried to get in contact with this people but I was unable (getting no answer from the myspace) Do you know a trustfull place where I could buy this albums?

And by the way, tell us what you think of this kind of releases, your favourites, and, please, if you know of any I haven't mention and you consider it worthy, let me know!

 

[Postmodernist]

Try out Waltari "Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die!".

 

[Ollo-San]

all Chaostar's album. (the Chris Antoniou's project, Spectic Flesh). It's not really Metal but truly Opera

 

[Coon]

Thanks! I'll check those albums and let you know.

 

[Postmodernist]

PS: Also keep in mind Jesus Christ Superstar classics

UPD: ... and perhaps Soviet rock opera "Junona and Avos"


If you don't manage to find it I can get it for you.

 

[Kenneth R.]

wow you are much more knowledgeable on these than me! Have you tried lasercd.com yet as a source?

 

[Coon]

Dante's Inferno: The Divine Comedy Part I (Inferno)
Dante's Inferno: The Divine Comedy Part II (Purgatorio)

FINALLY I was able to get these...it was aroun 35 euros each, but well, is a total amount of 8 CDs of prog music. I'll lay my impressions asap.

 

[Morticia NL.]

Savatage- Streets:a rock opera should for sure be on your list
You could also say that Savatage's Dead Winter Dead (concept album on the war in Yugoslavia, they used music from Mozart and Beethoven) and Wake of Magellan qualify.

And how about Symphony X who put music to the story of the Odyssey on their 'the odyssey' album?

 

[Chanakya]

^
Doesn't the SX album come under the concept-esque album? I mean, sure there isn't really a concept, it still is in a narrative form and tells a story, but goes against David's definition of a Rock Opera.

@ All of the above-

I hadn't heard much of Rock/metal opera and thanks to this, I've learnt about many amazing artists.

 

[Coon]

Savatage- Streets:a rock opera should for sure be on your list
You could also say that Savatage's Dead Winter Dead (concept album on the war in Yugoslavia, they used music from Mozart and Beethoven) and Wake of Magellan qualify.

And how about Symphony X who put music to the story of the Odyssey on their 'the odyssey' album?

Thanks for the suggestions, but of course I know about this albums, which I would say are much more into the contept-esque album. I mean, you can say your album is a "rock opera" 'cause it tells a story, etc, but to me you need several characters and several "actors"(here better say singers) to play them, if you get my point.

Anyway, Savatage is one of my all time favourite bands with Edge Of Thorns and Gutter Ballet as my favourite albums, followed by Streets, Dead Winter Dead and Sirens. Cris Oliva was a genius I will always miss. RIP. But as said, Streets, etc, are to me much into the concept albums, as Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime and Operation Mindcrim II (which are kind in the frontier of both, since they're pretty much concept albums, but still got minimum appearences by two other characters).

Regarding Symphony X, The Odyssey is my fav album from them, together with The Divine Wings Of Tragedy. I also enjoyed Paradise Lost, although some people say it's not such a solid release, to my ears it's quite worthy. Russell Allen is vocal God.

 

[Chanakya]

^
Exactly!! So many people bitch about Paradise Lost while I absolutely love it. Just as usual, it has a very strong vocal performance and yes, Russell Allen is a God ! Though I can understand why people don't like it as much as the older ones as Michael James Romeo's performance was nowhere close to his best.

 

[Morticia NL.]

I can only say I whole heartedly agree about the Paradise Lost album and Russel Allen. Seeing the guy perform was nothing short of a miracle. The notes he hits without making huge effort... o la la!

And Savatage used to sing with 3 people on stage during shows. This was mostly during the Wake of Magellan tour in 1996.

 

[Coon]

I can only say I whole heartedly agree about the Paradise Lost album and Russel Allen. Seeing the guy perform was nothing short of a miracle. The notes he hits without making huge effort... o la la!

And Savatage used to sing with 3 people on stage during shows. This was mostly during the Wake of Magellan tour in 1996.

Yeees, they were Zach Stevens, Jon Oliva (also keys) and Chris Caffery(also guitars). They did it this way just to have the most accurate performance in relation with the studio, but not like if they were performing a play or something.

It's differente when it comes to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, where Jon Oliva, Chris Caffery and many many many many others are involved, and Zach was eventually involved in the past too.

 

[Chanakya]

Talking about Jon Oliva, some idiot edited the wikipedia page on him, that he was dead.

I used to be a 4 year old back then When put in perspective, I wish that I was born 5-10 years earlier.

 

[paradoxile]

how come no one mentioned Pain of salvation's "BE"?

 

[Coon]

how come no one mentioned Pain of salvation's "BE"?

Of Course, "BE" is a great album. I should put in the "half way" albums as Queensryche's OM, being not entirely a concept album not entirely a rock opera neither.

 

[lozanoje]

I do not usually like Rock Operas, exceptions are Ayreon works and Avantasia.

But just to add something: there is a project of two spanish non-metallers guys (Jacobo García and Joaquín Padilla) to write an album about the life of Edgar Allan Poe.

It is called EDGAR ALLAN POE – LEGADO DE UNA TRAGEDIA (Tragedy's Legacy) and it has been recorded by 50 different musicians along 2 years and 3 record studios.

The album speaks of life and death of the american writer, and it is the first (spanish) attempt of joining this huge amount of (spanish) musicians working in the same direction.

The result? It is more close to Avantasia than Aina or Kotzev, for sure (speaking about heavyness, so to speak), I had the chance to listen to it, but not so deeply. I've read a lot of positive reviews, but honestly I do not trust too much in those two guys (they are known for being components of Iguana Tango, a poppy band of the late 90's with imho not so much merit).

Oh, another problem: it is fully in spanish.

This is the cast of characters and musicians, mainly people coming from well-known bands.

Review here:
http://www.metalzone.biz/php/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=872

PERSONAJES: (CHARACTERS)

Leo (Stravaganzza) Edgar Allan Poe
Tony (Sangre Azul) La Muerte
Fernando Garcia (Victory, Godiva) Talento de Poe
Joaquin Padilla (Iguana Tango) Conciencia
Patricia Tapia (Nexx) Virginia (Esposa de Poe)
Beatriz Albert (Ebony Ark) – Tuberculosis
J.F. Bejarano (ex Cuatro Gatos) John Allan (tío de Poe)
Lele Laina (Topo, Asfalto) – Dickens
Jose Luis Jimenez (Topo, Asfalto) Dickens
Oscar Sancho (Lujuria) – Tabernero
Alfred Romero (Darkmoor) – Marcel Hölle. Enterrador
Nacho Ruiz (Perfect Smile, ex-Arwen) Coronel del ejército
Elisa C. Martin (Dreamaker) – Marie Louise Shew
Dani Aller (Ars Amandi) Soldado del ejército
Michel Molinera (Stafas, Canallas) – Borracho
Arancha (Stafas) – Prostituta
Ignacio Prieto (Atlas, Eden Lost, Reina de Corazones) Auguste Dupin
Jacobo Garcia (Iguana Tango) Padre de Poe
Kiko Hagall (Inn Trance, ex Beethoven R) – Reverendo Brandsby
Carlos Pina (Panzer) – Charles Fenno Hoffman
Falaise Jans Cercueil. Enterrador 2

BATERÍAS (DRUMMERS)

Carlos Espósito (Stravaganzza)
Javier Martín (ex Antigua)
Kike Enriquez (Iguana Tango)

BAJISTAS (BASSISTS)

Angel Arias (Barón Rojo)
Niko del Hierro (Saratoga)
Augusto Hernández (PielyHueso, ex Hamlet)
Daniel Criado (Skizoo, XXL)
Rafael Requena (Dr. Snake)
Jacobo Garcia (Iguana Tango)

GUITARRISTAS (GUITARISTS)

Pablo Garcia (Warcry)
Jorge Salán (Mago de Oz)
Paco Laguna (Obus)
Carlitos (Mago de Oz)
Jero Ramírez (ex Saratoga)
Pajaro (Sobredosis)
Manolo Arias (Atlas, Ñu, Niagara)
Luis Cruz (Topo)
Juanjo Melero (ex Sangre Azul, Universo Violento)
Ruben Villanueva (Ebony Ark)
Abel Franco
Paco Moreno (Ars Amandi)
Mario Garcia (Iguana Tango)

TECLADOS (KEYBOARDISTS)

Hugo Bistolfi (Rata Blanca)
Javi Diez (Arwen)
Daniel Serrano (Nonno)
Juan Guruceta
José Villar

COROS (CHORUS)

Lara Fernandez
Alex Lopez

 

[lozanoje]

Mmmm, now I'm thinking about this, does Explorers Club's fits your definition of Rock Opera? Guess it doenst.

lozano

 

[Postmodernist]

Explorer's Club is pure prog I guess.

What about operatic metal or metal arrangements of opera?
Like, Rhapsody = kinda operatic power metal; True Symphonic Rockestra = power metal arrangements of opera.

 

[Coon]

Lozanoje, if you read my list in the first post of this topic, you'll see I've already mention the Edgar Allan Poe: Legado de una tragedia opera but thanks for the interest.

Por cierto, eres de Metalzone? Jajajaja, you soy David de Metalcry!!