Jingle.Boy's Top 50 Concept Albums - The Top 2 to wrap things up

[Dr. DTVT]

Good album, and I would agree that Glynn might be a better fit than Wilson at this point, which I think the new album cements that POV.

[jingle.boy]

Good album, and I would agree that Glynn might be a better fit than Wilson at this point, which I think the new album cements that POV.

agreed

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

The Crimson Idol and Legends of the Shires. 2 amazing albums there 

[jingle.boy]

Ok... 1/2 way now. 

25. TSO / Christmas Eve and Other Stories [1996]

For some ungodly reason, I forgot this one when I first made my list.  Maybe because it falls in that 'grey' area of not *exactly* fitting into my definition of "concept" album, but fuck it, it's just too damned good not to include.  I hope most of the Americans reading this have had a chance at some point in the last 15 years to see a TSO concert (I think my first was back in 2006).  It's quite a spectacle.  Haven't gone in about 7-8 years, but once you've seen a few of these, you aren't going to see much new.  Another one I'm going to plagiarize from my Top 50v1:

Born from Savatage after Christmas Eve, Sarajevo 12-24 garnered some mainstream attention in the mid 90s, TSO’s first release is a concept telling a story of an Angel coming to earth, searching for something good in humanity, and witnesses a child trying to find her way home for Christmas.  With a blend of rock, classical, orchestral, prog, and metal, this album is not just to be listened to at Christmas time.  Mixed into the story are 4 acoustic Christmas themed instrumentals, and 4 blazing instrumentals with melodies that will give you chills while demonstrating the proficiency with which the band blends rock and orchestra together.  Arranging familiar Christmas songs into the story is done magnificently.  Seven different lead vocalists grace the album, giving a different and unique experience for the listener.  Vocally, it’s got so much range – harmonizations, choirs, opera, duets, gospel and inspirational solo’s.  Several songs give me goose bumps every time I hear them – Old City Bar and This Christmas Day in particular. 

And this album is so good, you need not wait for December to play it.

Fave Song - Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24 (skip to 2:35 if you don't care for the narration).

[wolfking]

Decent album the Threshold.  Didn't have a real last effect, but I am a pretty casual Threshold guy.

Even though I love Savatage, I could never dig anything from TSO.

[wolfking]

Fave Song - Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24 (skip to 2:35 if you don't care for the narration).

Backs up TSO for me when the best song is the Savatage one.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Man, I'd forgotten how early that came out.  Savatage was one of the first prog metal bands I discovered after DT in '99, and somehow my memory was telling me that TSO didn't come out until after then, but I guess it just took slightly longer to find them.  I remember my mother somehow coming across that song, and I was amused that she liked it, given that it was Savatage members, and the heaviest thing she liked prior was Journey.  I think they single-handedly tricked a bunch of people into enjoying some heavy metal. 

[Dr. DTVT]

Dead Winter Dead by Savatage should be in this slot.  Just sayin.

[SoundscapeMN]

agreed.

[jingle.boy]

Dead Winter Dead by Savatage should be in this slot.  Just sayin.

Sign up and do your own list then!

Savatage vocals just never clicked with me.

[wolfking]

Safe to say I agree with them too. 

[jingle.boy]

24. Epysode / Fantasmagoria [2013]


This one is Part 2 in what’s supposed to be a 3-part story that is a doozy of a psycho-analytical thriller - and 10 years later, we're still waiting for part 3 (I seem to recall much of the vocals were recorded in 2014, but Sam Arkan had some terrible health issues for the better part of the last decade… although did recently confirm on FB when I questioned him, that Epysode is not entirely dead).  On this one though, yours truly (and at least a couple other DTFrs) are in the liner notes as pre-buyers, and I'll be right there again when Part 3 is announced.

Sam and partner-in-crime Julien Spreutals (keyboards) assembled a killer musical cast, and recruited a whole new set of vocalists over the first album.  Just take a look at the line up and you’ll know you’re in for a treat: bombastic keys, slashing guitar riffs, thundering bass, thrilling drums and top notch vocals delivered by an impressive ensemble led by the distinctive voice of Tom Englund (Evergrey) featuring on 5 songs.  Also featuring Matt Marinelli and Ida Haukland, this album was also my gateway to Borealis and Triosphere, and of course further cemented my love of Evergrey.  Amazing riffage, fantastic solos from Simone Mularoni (DGM, Sunstorm and a metric shit-ton of guest spots and sessions appearances)
All 5 vocalists mesh together extremely well, delivering combinations of all, whether it is two or three vocalists on each track, mixing it up musically to bring out the best of their abilities. 14 tracks coming in just over an hour, it is paced perfectly and lasts exactly as long as it needs to (). Musically, it's metal af with some massive and aggressive riffage coming out of Arkan and Mularoni, pounding rhythms (thanks to Mike LePond of Sympnony X) and double-bass beats (courtesy of Léo Margarit from POS), a handful of softer moments, mid-paced tracks with powerful and catchy melodies, prominent bass and just the right amount of keys/synths and orchestral elements, and a couple of appropriately placed ballads.

Fave Song - Forgotten Symphony

[wolfking]

Yeah, this is a good one.  You introduced me to this band and this is probably my fav out of the two, easily.  Lots of great stuff going on here.  I haven't listened to it in a long time, should rectify that.  Simone really rips up on some of these too as you mentioned.  Some elite level soloing.

[jingle.boy]

Slight delay - thanks bronchitis!

23. Trond Holter / Swing of Death [2015]


I mean c’mon… it’s Jorn Fucking Lande (just giving Tim the opportunity to meme his response).  Jorn Lande has always been a force to be reckoned with in the world of heavy metal, often sounding like the bastard love child of Ronnie James Dio and David Coverdale.  I'm really surprised I didn't put him in my Top 25 vocalists list.

I would have to say that this album is the most unique on this list in terms of story AND the music.  Virtually every single track has its own distinct sound and style.  There is an amazing fusion of styles across the board – there is nothing ‘samey’ about this anywhere.  Is it Rock?  Yes. Is it Metal?  Yes.  Is it Proggy?  Yes.  Is there some Jazz and Swing?  Do I hear Spanish influenced flamenco guitar playing?  Hell yes to all of it.  All in all, it’s both metal AND groovy af.

Hands of God starts out with Jorn sounding as menacing as he always does while laying out the framework of the story. There really isn't much to it musically, but it is an excellent way to help people on their journey through the concept. Enough albums are labeled as a concept and don't really begin the story very well. Jorn and Trond are well on their way even in the introduction in portraying a storyline that can easily be followed.  It comes with a lot of usual conventions typical to Jorn's handiwork, namely rocking riffs with a heavy edge, plenty of gravely and sleazy shouts out of the helmsman with maybe a hint of soul, and a mid to upper mid-tempo feel that inspires a fair amount of foot tapping. However, it also comes with a fair amount of Neo-classical detailing, acoustic guitar and piano interludes like an occasional visit to the ball in between a bloody feast, Although their are some darker elements to it, its actually a pretty upbeat album. Swing of Death is actually a pretty accurate title for the album and is very descriptive of the music. The title track is incredible, although a heavy metal song it has a bit of a swing element to it that kind of gives you the illusion that you're in a time centuries ago, dressed elegantly, and ballroom dancing with a beautiful maiden - or four. There are frequent appearances of amazing backing vocal contributions (and duets) from Lena Flřitmoen (I'd never heard of her before, and don't know if she's done anything meaningful since) that accompanies Jorn's power voice quite nicely.

The follow up Vlad the Impaler (with Nils Rue of Pagan's Mind on the mic) was pretty damned good as well, but not on the same level as this one.

Fave Song - Queen of the Dead

[Evermind]

I mean c’mon… it’s Jorn Fucking Lande (just giving Tim the opportunity to meme his response).

The picture of Jorn he always uses is actually from this album, I think it's from the music video of Walking on Water.

[jingle.boy]

I mean c’mon… it’s Jorn Fucking Lande (just giving Tim the opportunity to meme his response).

The picture of Jorn he always uses is actually from this album, I think it's from the music video of Walking on Water.

Too funny!

[wolfking]

For later day Jorn, this is a surprisingly great album.  Holter rips on some of these solos too.

[Bolsters]

Wasn't expecting to see this appear but definitely approve.

[TAC]

I mean c’mon… it’s Jorn Fucking Lande (just giving Tim the opportunity to meme his response).

The picture of Jorn he always uses is actually from this album, I think it's from the music video of Shitting on Water.

Nice!

[jingle.boy]

I mean c’mon… it’s Jorn Fucking Lande (just giving Tim the opportunity to meme his response).

The picture of Jorn he always uses is actually from this album, I think it's from the music video of Shitting on Water.

Nice!

Well played, my friend.

[wolfking]

Wasn't expecting to see this appear but definitely approve.

You sir need to post more.

[jingle.boy]

Wasn't expecting to see this appear but definitely approve.

You sir need to post more.

This.

Nice to see you popping in here, Dave. 

[jingle.boy]

22. Consortium Project / V:Species [2011]


Fun fact … Ian Parry (founder, writer, composer of this pentalogy of albums), was a member of Arjen's first band - Vengeance - in the 80s.  Originally, this was just supposed to be a trilogy, but then blossomed into a pentalogy due to the positive reception, and plenty of writing ideas still in his head. The dude is pretty prolific - at least in terms of quantity - Species was his twenty-first album in twenty-five years

Best and easiest if I just quote my original writeup around this pentalogy - which was #6 in my Top 50v2.  I don't rate it that highly anymore, as I just don't spend as much time with them as I did when that list was being composed.

Offering to do an album review here and there for LadyObscure had its perks.  One of them was the introduction to Ian Parry.  I thought I’d heard of his band Elegy before, but I had not.  So, when Nem linked me to Enemy Within, within the first 30 seconds, I instantly knew I had to check this out.  Upon finding out that this was a 5-album concept, I was floored.  Then I listened to them... and was blown away.  These five albums (starting with Criminals and Kings released in 1999, and concluding with Species mid-2011) weave a complex and very intricate tale from what could be a parallel universe, or how ours turns out depending on how a variety of global-reaching cultural, social and economic issues unfold.  Each album builds upon the story of the previous album, and takes the listener through centuries of events of how mankind evolves:

I: Criminals and Kings is a reflection on our current generation
II: Continuum in Extremis picks up a century later, with mankind split by our genders – men living in asylum, women evolving to a higher plane, and dominating society
III: Terra Incognita …. after the depletion of the ozone, while women have secluded themselves in a biosphere, its safety is threatened, and a search for a new world begins
IV: Children of Tomorrow recounts how this society started on the path it did, and an unspeakable truth hidden for generations
V: Species (the final chapter of this epic tale), has a single scholar searching for mankind’s true origins, and ends up “on a final epic journey into outer space met with dire consequences the world has never known.”

Overall, these 5 albums are filled with a fantastic blend of guitar and keyboards… neither grabbing one's attention over the other for too long.  There are little guitar and keyboard licks and wails placed appropriately against the main riffs and melodies which had me listening to the songs over and over again just to try and catch what I missed the first (and second, and third…) time around.  Parry’s singing portrays all the right emotions - anger, rage, pain, fear - to pull you in to (and through) the storyline.  Combined with the fact he has excellent range with some fabulous screams and long notes, as well as the emergence of some excellent female leads starting in the third album, the strength of the vocals alone were quite an unexpected surprise.

Over the course of these five albums Parry was able to draw on some very household names in prog for these albums - Stephan Lill (Vanden Plas, guitars), Casey Grillo (Kamelot drums), Kris Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation, bass), Markus Teske (Red Circuit, Keyboards), Arjen Lucassen, Thomas Youngblood (Kamelot, guitars), Günter Wernö (Vanden Plas, Keyboards), Patrice Guers (Rhapsody, bass), Ivar de Graff (Within Temptation, drums), and some fantastic (albeit unknown) female vocalists.  If you’re a fan of ANY of these bands, I highly suggest checking at least some of this series out.  Any Ayreon fans should also check this out, as it’s very much similar to his compositions, and that style of musical and lyrical writing.

Fave Song - Enemy Within - cheesy-assed video; excellent song.

[pg1067]

Is that a Roger Dean cover?

[wolfking]

I have one album from this project......from memory it was pretty good.

[jingle.boy]

Is that a Roger Dean cover?

I have no freakin clue.

[Adami]

I have no idea what a great majority of these albums are, but was pleasantly surprised to be quite familiar with Swing of Death. It regularly gets listened to, at least on shuffle, and I love it. The style is weird and cool and the girl is amazing along with Jorn. Obviously the lyrics are cheesier than a Frenchman's artery, but they don't bug me at all.


Edit: They did a follow up with Nils?!?! ON IT!

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Aha, an artist I wasn't sure was on DTF's radar, though the Arjen parallels make it an easier sell.  I have sampled a bit of the Consortium Project albums, but don't know them that well.  The one that I discovered him through was actually his solo album Visions, because Judith Rijveld, one of my favorite vocalists, from Kingfisher Sky, does a small amount of lead vocals on a couple tracks, as well as backing ones on other tracks on that album and a couple Consortium Project albums.  Her husband, Ivar de Graaf (mentioned in that writeup), also from the same band, does drums on a few cuts.  I ought to check the others out more thoroughly sometime. 

[jingle.boy]

^ Yes, you ought to give them a go. 

I hope you enjoy Vlad, Adami. 

[jingle.boy]

21. Green Carnation / Light of Day, Day of Darkness [2001]


I'd seen DTF chatter about this for a long time, but never took the step to commit 60 minutes to a single song - until they were announced to be playing it at PPUSA in 2016.  Naturally, I needed to sample it. 



The opening chord sets the sombre tone and ambience that is deserved for the story about to unfold.  And or the next 60 minutes, you are enveloped in a kaleidoscope of sounds that surely captivates anyone with the good sense to listen to this song/album. What is amazing is the fact that it manages to hold your interest - more than just holds your interest, for it truly mesmerized me… and still does to this day. I mean, how can it not?  This song has every element of story-telling and musicianship one would expect in a concept album - and a whole host of things I would normally not love, for its riffs are what most would consider goth or doom-metal, and then there's those pesky growls - but in this instance (as I've always said), I can appreciate them (sacre bleu!) when they're tasteful, minimal, and with a purpose.  But the music transcends its own style.  And the lyrics/story.  I mean, :'( the roller coaster of emotions that Tchort takes the listener on with this album are unparalleled.

I don't suspect that Green Carnation is normally my cup of tea, but wow is this song/album something else.  Inspired by the death of founding member Terje Vik Schei's (Tchort) daughter and dedicated to his son, this is a wonder to behold.   I suppose it didn't need to be a single track, but it is what it is.  There are quite clearly different sections to the piece. 
- At the 4:45 mark, we get the first of many different angry and aggressive riffs - and this one will become centrepiece of the music.
- The symphony makes its first appearance just before the 11 minute mark
- At 13:20, the music goes full tilt, and the spoken style of the lyrical melodies are chilling.
- The tone turns sombre and dark again around 17 minutes, and then in a sense becomes a bit of it's own poetic lullaby at 21:45 - both musically and lyrically.
- Then picks up again at 30:20 just to come to the end of the first act with a very a distinct 'pause' in the album at 32:40 for everyone to just kind of exhale and take a moment (nearly 15 minutes of moments), including a glorious 2-minute guitar solo towards the end of those moments
- At 47 minutes , it's as if the band says "Ready?  Cuz you better buckle up bitches, time to finish this bastard off", building up to the concluding reprisals that will close out the album.
- The final 4 minutes just reeks of the motif of lighting up a smoke after a glorious climax - while tugging at the heartstrings one final time with samples of Tchort's baby.

When watching it at PPUSA, I was sitting with Nick, and he clearly had not done the advanced research I'd done.  About 15 minutes into the performance, he nudges me to show me his phone - it was an Amazon check-out receipt of the CD.  This album is definitely worthy of "instant purchase" status.

Fave Song - yes

P.S.  You'd think with a writeup this big, it would rate higher.  Maybe it should.  But the song/album is so powerfully emotive - moreso than any other album on this list - there was a lot to say.

[wolfking]

This made it to number.......14 or something in my top 50 years ago.  It may even be higher now.  It's simply one of the greatest 60 minutes of music I've ever heard.  It's a masterpiece.

[Kwyjibo]

This is one that I know and like. Great record. 

[wolfking]

If anyone wants to watch me cover the solo I put a video up......11 years ago! 

https://youtu.be/JyPsLYQ63QQ

I got comments from Bjorn who composed and played the solo, the singer Kjetil and Anders the drummer.  Absolutely honoured.

[Kwyjibo]

I remember you putting up that vid, was good back then and us still good now. I'm mightily impressed and slightly jealous, I was never a 10th that good. 

And you had a Pain Of Salvation shirt, that's always a good thing. 

[wolfking]

Thanks mate.  That POS shirt is still my night shirt.  A bit big now but still gets worn each night.