So this is for all prog heads out there (progressive metal/rock) and for us to discuss our fondness of concept albums! Oftentimes, I get a lot of my inspirations from these kinds of records and it sort of reflects what I feel/listen to and oozes onto the paper(screen) So here are my favorites: Dream Theater's scenes from a memory Mastodon's crack the Skye The Mars Volta's Frances the mute The stories inside the music are so epic that I can't help but wonder how they thought of it! What are your favorites??
Those are good. Have you heard Ayreon's The Human Equation. That's excellent. Marillion's Misplaced Childhood is great. Also, Opeth's Still Life is a great album.
I've heard of Ayreon but I haven't heard that album. Is that the one where the tracks are labeled as day 1, day 2 etc? And opeth' still life is so good I had to buy the whole album on iTunes recently lol.. The story is kinda sad/depressing but I love the classic jazz sound to some of the songs. Epic album.
Yes, that''s the Day 1, Day 2, etc. album. That's my favorite one by Ayreon. Also, Spock's Beard has a cool concept album called Snow. I suppose someone should mention Pink Floyd, but I'll mention Animals instead of The Wall. Great album. The aforementioned Marillion has a song called Grendel that could be half a concept album by itself. Lyrics shift from Hrothgar's people to Grendel's POV. Midnight suns bid moors farewell, retreats from charging dusk Mountains echo curfews bell, signal ending tasks, They place their faith in oaken doors, cower in candlelight The panic seeps through bloodstained floors as Grendel stalks the night. Earth rim walker seeks his meals, Prepare the funeral pyres, The shaper's songs no longer heal the fear Within their eyes... (not sure all the lyrics in the video are correct, though)
My favorites are The Who's two masterpieces, Tommy and Quadrophenia. Quadrophenia is one of my top three favorite albums of all time. Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick in on my list as well. The French Canadian band Harmonium had an album called L'Heptade. They performed it live in Vancouver and released the live version as Harmonium En Tournee. It's a conceptual work most people here would never have heard of, because (I guess) it's all sung in French. En Tournee is, however, one of the most dazzlingly creative and beautiful albums I've ever heard, and is another in my top three.
I like the first three you mentioned. I've seen Tull live three or four times over the years. I'm listening to the live Harmonium album online starting....now.
Does Within Temptation count? The Unforgiving was one of the biggest inspirations for my Doctor Who fanfic's vigilante serial killer protagonist.
I heard it, epic tune! The sound reminds me a little of Opeth's heritage album and octavarium by Dream Theater. My brother is a fan of spock's beard but I never looked into it. I might just do that too.
Dark Side of the Moon by the Floyd. Also Meddle now I come to think of it, though whether it constitutes a concept album or not, I'm not entirely sure. Just for the song Echoes alone though. . .
I don't feel like Arcade Fire's The Suburbs counts, but to me it tells a story of suburbia and desire and frustration and adulthood, so I usually consider it one.
Another vote for Misplaced Childhood, and The Suburbs. Feels conceptual enough to me. And one for The Hazards Of Love, by The Decemberists. For some reason it's incredibly satisfying to hear a band say "No, just because we do 9-minute mini-operas about whales doesn't mean we're a prog band. This is the kind of thing we'd do if we were a prog band..."
Not necessarily prog, but definitely a concept album, is what I've got for you power metal fans here. The Black Halo, by the band named Kamelot, features guest appearances of Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir and Simone Simons from Epica amongst others. Its story is heavily inspired by Goethe's Faust. Here's the first track:
Tommy. Now that dates me. I sat on my black shag rug in my dorm room and listened to that album over and over and over ...reading the lyrics from the back of the album cover and singing along with the songs—and ignoring the thumping beneath my floor, through the cement block walls, and the ceiling and the door. Those were the days. You know, these days I can't get a stereo big enough to transmit that BLAM near the start of Pinball Wizard. And it doesn't come across on a CD at all. No wonder people are going back to vinyl.
My girlfriend left me, and with thirty pounds remaining in the entire world, I purchased 'Doolittle,' 'Wish You Were Here' and this classic: Spent two weeks laid on a bed, tears rolled down my cheeks 'How I wish you were here How I wish you were here HOW I WISH YO WERE HERE ...boo hoo, boo, wail, sob...'
