10 Greatest Ever Rock Concept Albums

Full of pessimistic lyrics and bleak themes, The Black Parade focuses on a character known only as The Patient, who is dying of cancer in hospital. Over the course of the album, The Patient lapses between gleeful apathy and crippling despondency concerning his death, as the futility of life and the impact he had on others changes his outlook on his inevitable passing. A deeply raw and emotional narrative, My Chemical Romance are able to balance the dark subject matter with trademark style of alternative rock to create a truly unique concept album that has become a highlight of the band's discography.

From the opening track, "The End.", The Black Parade conveys a theatrical atmosphere, cleverly paying homage to other concept albums that came before it. From here, The Patient's disheartened mindset is further explored in tracks like "Dead!", "This Is How I Disappear" and "Cancer", where rapid drumming, booming guitars and Gerard Way's howling vocals effectively convey the despondency that the main character is feeling. Alternatively, tracks such as "The Sharpest Lives", "House of Wolves" and "Disenchanted" portray The Patient as feeling more less concerned about the consequences of death, disregarding the sadness he previously felt.

The album closer, "Famous Last Words", differs in the fact that it ends The Black Parade on a more positive, albeit ambiguous note, as the listener is allowed to decide the ultimate fate of The Patient. The highlight of the album is without a doubt the title track, "Welcome to the Black Parade", which is not only one of the high points of the band's catalogue as a whole, but also effectively summarises the album's key themes of death, loss, fear and remembrance.

The Black Parade is a truly stellar concept album, with a compelling narrative and engaging music to tell it. Side note: playing the opening piano notes of "Welcome to the Black Parade" out loud WILL set off a litany of fans that revere this album highly. You have been warned.