I teased this last year, and even put my list together - but then I got sidetracked by listening to all of my music from the 2010s, month-by-month the last year (I flamed out after taking until mid-November to complete my listen of 2020 music). So, time to finally launch this fucker - 10 years to the day that I fired off my last Top 50 album list... which seemed serendipitous. A couple of guidelines here … First, "concept album". To me, this means an album that tells a story, complete with a definable plot and distinct characters. Albums that follow a theme or common thread are out of scope for this list. So, The Wall = Concept Album; Wish You Were Here and Dark Side of the Moon? Not a Concept Album - at least for my purposes here. Capiche? Maybe I should be calling this the Top 50 Rock Operas, but I think there are a few albums here that fall don't quite fit that bill (distinct "acts"; protagonist/antagonist + broader supporting cast etc…)
Second, it's quite likely that I'm going to 'miss' including some albums, simply because I was unaware they were 'concept albums'. For instance, I almost didn't even consider I Am Anonymous, because I hadn't clued in to the fact it was a concept album. There will surely be others I forget to include here on that basis.
Next, I'm not always going to dive into a deep review of the story / concept, for some of the lower ranked ones I haven’t spent enough time with to get to truly and deeply "know". Others I have a lot to say, others not as much. It is what it is.
Also, more than a handful of these appeared on my original, and v2 Top 50 list, so I'm likely to re-hash those posts, perhaps adding a couple of quick additional/current thoughts about those entries. Some will rank higher/lower (ie, inconsistently) with how they previously rated - that's a matter of how well they've aged, and/or how I rate them as a concept album, and not just on the merits of the music.
And now for something completely different...if there's one thing I'll never be accused of, it's being single minded in my tastes…
I can't help but think this was partly directed at me. And I ain't bothered, I know I'm GUILTY on this account! And unashamedly so. I'll just quote myself from my Top 50 v2:
Like my first top 50, there ain't a lot of variety here – this list will be about as diverse as a ‘60s Klan convention. I know what I like, and I stick to it. I said it to open my first Top 50, and it's worth repeating. You won't find any bands/albums that require the words "post" or "core" to describe their style/genre.
I'll also add to that by stating there won't be any j-<anything> or k-<anything>
(luv ya RJ). A quick scan of this list shows it leans WAY HARD to prog & metal as opposed to classic or more traditional prog. Just so you know what's in store.
One more thing ... some of these are multi-album stories. In some cases I've lumped them together as a single entry; in others, I separated individual albums, ranking them individually. I know it's inconsistent, but oh well.
Finally, anytime I use the term "filler", it's meant just to imply songs that are 4* and not 5*. Nothing on any of these albums is "filler". In the framework of Concept Albums, every single one of these are all "killer".
When I link my "Fave Song" from the album, do people have a preference for the source? YouTube or Spotify?
First up, a few quick Honorable Mentions. Some of which originally made it on to this list only to be bumped upon additional reviews; others which I really would have liked to find a spot for them, but for various reasons, I just couldn't.
50. Spheric Universe Experience / Back Home [2022]
49. Odd Dimension / The Blue Dawn [2021]
48. Sixx A.M/ /The Heroin Diaries [2007]
47. Seventh Wonder / Tiara [2018]
46. My Chemical Romance / The Black Parade [2006]
45. A.C.T. / The Last Epic [2003]
44. Kamelot / Epica; The Black Halo [2005]
43. W.A.S.P. / The Neon God: Part 1 - The Rise; Part 2 - The Demise [2004]
42. Marillion / Brave [1994]
41. Tangerine Circus / The Conspiracy Chronicles [2015]
40. Ayreon / The Source [2017]
39. Flaming Row / Mirage - A Portrayal Of Figures [2014]
38. Absolute Priority / Hunter [2012]
37. Rhapsody / Dawn of Victory [2000]
36. Marillion / Clutching at Straws [1987]
35. Affector / Harmagedon [2012]
34. Teramaze / Her Halo [2015]
33. Styx / Paradise Theatre (1981)
32. The Chronicles Project / When Darkness Falls [2015]
31. Stargate / Beyond Space and Time [2012]
30. Royal Hunt / Paradox [1997]
29. Transatlantic / The Whirlwind [2009]
28. Hemina / Venus; Nebulae [2016; 2014]
27. W.A.S.P. / The Crimson Idol [1992]
26. Threshold / Legends of the Shire [2017]
25. Trans Siberian Orchestra / Christmas Eve and Other Stories [1996]
24. Epysode / Fantasmagoria [2013]
23. Trond Holter / Swing of Death [2015]
22. Consortium Project / V:Species [2011]
21. Green Carnation / Light of Day, Day of Darkness [2001]
20. Seventh Wonder / Mercy Falls [2008]
19. V: The New Mythology Suite / Symphony X [2000]
18. Spock's Beard / Snow [2002]
17. Mind's Eye / A Gentlemen's Hurricane [2007]
16. Mindmaze / Resolve [2017]
15. M.I.GOD / Specters on Parade [2019]
14. Ostura / The Room [2018]
13. Symphony X / Underworld [2015]
12. Dream Theater / Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory [1999]
11. Vanden Plas / Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld (Path 1); Netherworld II [2014/2015]
10. Ayreon / Into the Electric Castle [1998]
9. Avantasia / The Scarecrow [2008]
8. Anthriel / The Pathway [2010]
7. Beyond the Bridge / Old Man and the Spirit [2012]
6. Daydream XI / Circus of the Tattered and Torn [2017]
5. Pink Floyd / The Wall [1979]
4. Epysode / Obsessions [2011]
3. Queensryche / Operatione: Mindcrime [1988]
2. Flaming Row / Elinoire [2011]
1. Ayreon / The Human Equation [2004]