When done correctly, concept albums are the best thing in music that bands can do in their career. The creativity and the concept message that deals with the  music is what I enjoy the most. A band that  works hard to make something that lets fans figure out the message and let them notice everything they can find in the music and the lyrics. It can bring goosebumps and moments of “fuuuck” when finding little clues in songs.  It brings fans together to discuss their own opinions of what the message is.

This is my top 5 concept albums

1) The Wall – Pink Floyd

I think you’d expect that Pink Floyd would be first on this list but what can I say? Pink Floyd are a brilliant band and so is this album.  An album built on the story of a character called Pink, exploring the issues of abandonment , and his personal crisis, and through growing up on drugs and such, he makes a wall dividing himself from the world and himself. Songs that are clear and bring subject to this are “In the flesh, The Trial, The happiest days of our lives, Another brick in the wall part 1, 2 and 3”, the music in ABITW 1, 2 , 3 especially gives that sort of emotional sounds in the album

2) Metropolis part  2 – Dream Theater

This album is actually my favourite Dream Theater record. It is a 9 scene album story about Nicholas who enters in to an hypnotic state and goes on through an adventure through his dreams. The story is progressive and the music also keeps you interested and focused, intrigued to what happens to the character. A song that stands out that brings out the story is “The spirit carries on” and it gives you a sense of what Nicholas is going through.

3) The Afterman Ascension and Descension – Coheed and Cambria

One of the best things of Coheed and Cambria, is that they have developed their whole career on a concept and that is why they’re one of my favourite bands and how they could keep improving and building their story in to something epic.  The newest album The Afterman: Ascension and Descension is a story that you will always feel mind blown when listening through out both of the albums. The artwork is another thing that clearly associates well with the songs. You will always look for the messages in the songs. The story of the album follows The Amory wars but starting from the beginning. I enjoyed the stories and how the lyrics link up so well in songs especially in Domino the Destitute , and all the entities. Descension follows Ascension and you see the progress of the story and how well it binds together.

4) House of gold and bones part 1 and 2 – Stone Sour

One of the things I love about this double album, is how you can continuously find something about the story through music and lyrics. The music flows with eachother and with some songs you, you can follow  back and understand what is going on, this is when you realise how clever and creative this album is. Such as A rumor of Skin is a response to Do me a favor particularly in lyrics, musically it is the same with other songs. The double album is consistent and constantly talking back at eachother. The story is about a man called Zero who finds himself at a crossroads and he has to make decisions with the constant burden of barriers to find the right way.

5) The Human Equation – Ayreon

Just like Coheed and Cambria, Ayreon’s whole career is based on concepts but each album is a different story. It is a double album, that tells the story of a character called Me who is stuck in a coma for 20 days  following a car accident and . Each song has a different format with each character talking to eachother, some guest vocalists includes James Labrie and Mikael Akerfeldt , it represents each day of the coma and encountering what represents as his feelings. The music is epic and gives the listener a chance to experience what the story is about. Songs that stand out especially are Isolation and Childhood.

Here’s a playlist of songs I put together from all albums listed