10 Greatest Hard Rock Concept Albums

For many hard rock fans growing up in the early 2000's, the emo movement tended to have a lot of cringiness. Though some of the bands were boasting some great guitar riffs and impressive songs, the scene felt more like a gimmick than an actual form of music. While My Chemical Romance were originally dyed in the emo wool, The Black Parade turned them into one of the biggest names in hard rock overnight.

Rather than put together another collection of songs like Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, The Black Parade was Gerard Way's bold look at mortality. Chronicling the last few days of The Patient, the entire album is an extended period of our hero's life flashing before his eyes. As he contemplates his uncertain fate, he reflects on his relationship with his lover ("I Don't Love You"), his already doomed relationship with his mother ("Mama"), and even the possibility of him going to Hell ("House of Wolves," "Sleep").

The story alone is golden, but the music is also phenomenal, with the band taking on an aesthetic that rivals Queen and turning it into some of the most hard hitting rock music of the millennium thus far. There's no denying the darkness behind this record, but the world does seem to shine that much brighter whenever you actually get around to playing it.