Best Metal Concept Albums

My first contact with Sfam was amazing, and I had not even got to the bottom of it. It takes time to understand the album, but the variety and the intricateness of the album make it an absolute need for anyone wanting to know about progressive music. A mind blowing album & story from one of the best bands in prog metal ever.

I've listened to lots of music throughout my entire life... nothing really compares to the awesomeness of the instrumentalists of Rudess, Myung, Petrucci, and Portnoy, and the unique emotion jerking vocals of James LeBron.

There is no doubt that "Operation: Mindcrime" should be known as the best metal concept album ever made. Being a die hard Iron Maiden Fanboy, I feel that this albums blows away Seventh Son of a Seventh Son without a question. There is not one bad song on this album. This is Queensruche at it's best. This album is so amazing, it almost converted me into becoming an anarchist. The production is outstanding, the harmonies from metals great Geoff Tate blow me away every time I listen to Operation: Mindcrime, and the storyline is fantastic. Though, it does get a little slow during the ten minute "Suite Sister Mary. " Other than that, Operation Mindcrime should be known throughout the world as the best metal concept album of all time. Hell, it was #2 on a list of regular concept albums, except Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon won that list.

It was EXTREMELY difficult to choose between this and the sublime "Still Life" by Opeth. I gave it to maiden though, on the basis that this album inspired many metal concept albums which proceeded it. Each song can stand on its own, and become even more amazing when one listens to the album in its entirety. Arguably maidens best, and one of the best metal albums of all time.

I bought this album in 88 and I still listen to it. Enough said.

Actually, this is a concept album. It's not only a tribute to deceased former bass player Cliff Burton, but nearly every song on the album is anti-war/government. Plus, every song is long, with very technical arrangements and lengthy instrumental sections.

Great story in the lyrics to the songs. You guys should really take a look at it. It will blow your mind.

First album I listened to when I discovered King Diamond. I cannot get enough of this album. I even got to see them perform this album live and in its entirety back in 2015. Abigal Is not my favorite album from King Diamond, it's very hard to choose. But I know you will love this album. I have never been disappointed any album released by The King.

Unlike a lot of these, there is a lot to this album. It actually tells a story, which not many of these albums can claim to have. It doesn't matter if the style is all over the place at times, it still makes a consistent theme, which is a lot more than a lot of concept albums can claim.

This is the album that'll sell non-believers on. mastodon. It may not be there most ambitious but I find it a great escape. Kind of like sitting down to read a book.

Beautiful, intense and epic. Can't get enough of Hansi's vocals - Thorn, Into The Storm, Nightfall.
Hansi is not only one of the greatest singers, he is probably the best story teller on this list - for example, Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill); Nightfall.

Scenes from a memory is definitely the best but this one needed some love. Its incredible. Other great contenders for me would be Crack the skye and the black halo.

An album about a wolf-like man climbing a mountain to place a crystal skull at the summit to (this is what I've read) reach the next step of human evolution, sure why not. Amazing story telling that rivals all books I have read, because if you think about it books are 90-98% filler. However this album is less than 10% filler, and that's just setting the mood for each of the songs. The plot furthers with each song except for pendulous skin which is about Joseph Merrick. Every song is heavy and have great writing. Plot heavy songs like "Circle of Cysquatch" and "Siberian Divide" are great and do not have a bad thing about them. I only have four problems with this album; 1: Why hasn't anyone made a cartoon dedicated to this album and its story? 2: Why couldn't have been longer? 3: Why doesn't it have an extremely large fan base that rivals those of Star Trek and My Little Pony? 4: It never explains how it ends leaving us on a cliff hanger that will most likely never be explained. These are all minor problems with the exception of 4, but other than that this album damn perfect.

Great album! Not the best in the list, but is still amazing! The human equation (or really any ayreon album) has an epic story line, scenes from a memory is one of my favourites, iron maiden, symphony x, kamelot, opeth, therion... Gah! There are just too many great albums by great bands to choose a best!

Although I prefer Horror Show and Night Of The Stormrider as concept albums, this album is still pretty great in my opinion!

Blind Guardian's 2015 album is flawless (symphonic metal). Epic, epic and epic.
The perfectionists from Blind Guardian worked on this album for 5 years and it paid off. Some of the songs had 8 versions to choose from for the final selection.
My favorite songs from this album are: The Ninth Wave, The Throne, The Holy Grail, Sacred Mind.

More prog rock than the albums before this. I like that.

How is this not above Leviathan at least... It is by far their best album

It's an anti-war album, released in 1995. It was pretty cool that an American band wrote a concept album dealing with a Serb boy and a Muslim girl who fall in love. The story of the album also focused on the Bosnian War, which was ongoing at the time.
My fave songs: Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24), Dead Winter Dead, Doesn't Matter Anyway, I Am, One Child, Mozart and Madness (instrumental).

I feel like Epica should be included in this because they are part of the same story, but anyway, it has masterful instrumentation and phenomenal vocals coupled by an amazing variation on one of the greatest pieces of literature ever. Not only is this an amazing complete album, but it lacks the drawback of many concept album in that its songs do a great job as stand alone pieces and not just within the scope of the entire album.

Simply the best!
A concept album loosely based on Goethe's Faust. Continuing the story introduced in Epica, it is the second and final record in Kamelot's two-part concept about Ariel.
Kamelot's amazing vocals and superb instrumentation is simply amazing

One of the best concept albums of the decade. Corey Taylor created an amazing story that rivals some of the best concept albums.