Rock, Metal Concept Albums That Bit Off More Than They Could Chew

Here are 10 rock and metal concept albums that bit off more than they could chew!

Concept albums (records whose songs connect via shared themes or central storylines) got their start in the ‘40s, yet the format wasn’t widely adopted by artists and audiences until around the mid-‘60s.

Naturally, tons of rock and metal groups have successfully tried their hand at doing at least one of them, be they world-famous (The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd’s The Wall) or relatively obscure (Insomnium’s Winter’s Gate, Edge of Sanity’s Crimson). Even though they’re larger-than-life endeavors – that usually feature instrumental/melodic/lyrical reprisals, overtures and the like – these LPs often rank as their creator’s magnum opus.

READ MORE: 10 Best Metal Concept Albums

On the other hand, it’s easy – and maybe understandable – for a band to fall short of such towering ambitions (to put it nicely).

Maybe their songwriting and playing are lackluster? Maybe they indulge too much in silly storylines and excessive durations? Or, maybe they just fail to adequately follow-up a masterful predecessor?

Whatever the case may be, the 10 concept albums on this list definitely bit off more than they could chew. That doesn’t mean that they’re totally indefensible or bad, but simply that their reach exceeded their grasp.