10 Greatest Hard Rock Concept Albums

At the end of the 80's, the idea of another heavy metal band rising to prominence was starting to get a bit stale. Sure, bands like Guns N Roses were subverting the typical hair metal formula, but where was the ambition of the metal bands from the 70's? The answer: Queensryche.

Originally just a straight ahead heavy metal band, Queensryche rose to prominence off of the strength of Operation Mindcrime, which turned them into prog metal giants. As opposed to other concept albums that write songs around a singular theme, this record actually has a story to tell, with a protagonist going through the seedy underbelly of his city, where he becomes hooked on heroin, turns to political activism, and eventually ends up losing the love of his life through his actions.

Though this album was pretty gutsy coming from a relatively new band, the experiment paid off in spades as tracks like "I Don't Believe In Love" and "Eyes of a Stranger" became staples of the band's discography. The album has not only garnered legendary status, but has been spoken in the same conversation as Pink Floyd's The Wall. With the band even releasing a sequel to it years later, Operation Mindcrime is still the most complete storyline that the 80's metal scene has ever told.