10 Amazing Hard Rock Concept Albums

As the '80s were starting to kick into high gear, most of the prog rock bands of old had seemed to be left in the dust. Though you had Yes and Genesis that had career comebacks in the era of MTV, that was normally just because of their willingness to play the game of pop music rather than actually stick to the sounds they were known for. Queensryche were unapologetic about their prog side though, and Operation Mindcrime felt like The Wall for a new generation.

With a heavy emphasis on narrative this time around, this entire record follows the story of a man falling on hard times, going through life and immersing himself in the world of drugs and excess and trying to make sense of it all. Though some of the ballads on here like Eyes of a Stranger may have just been a great song for people more in tune with the Iron Maiden stripe of metal music, that's just the tip of the iceberg here, using interludes to set the mood and Geoff Tate giving a voice to these characters on songs like The Needle Lies and Spreading the Disease.

While there are pieces of genius spread across most of this album, you have to be warned that this is not necessarily for the faint of heart. For as operatic as the record sounds, you're about to venture into some really dark places, and you best be ready when the seedier side of life shows itself.