In the world of metal, few things are more celebrated than the concept album. In this Loud List, we count down our picks for the 10 Greatest Metal Concept Albums.

Concept albums are far more difficult to undertake than the traditional record filled with standalone tracks. You’ve got to tell an epic story from beginning to end, crafting the music to accentuate the equivalent of a sonic novel.

You’ll find some of the most masterful concept albums on this list, including two that are considered perfect: Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime and King Diamond’s Abigail. Throughout the decades, both records have remained as the benchmark for all concept albums, challenging any modern band to tell a story with the same tact.

We’ve got an eclectic mix of classic and modern metal bands in this list. Sitting with longtime classics, concept records from acts like Opeth and Mastodon made the cut, but which ones?!

Check out the 10 Greatest Metal Concept Albums above!

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