10 Metal Concept Albums That’d Make Great Movies & TV Shows
Concept albums have been a beloved part of popular music for generations, both in terms of records exploring particular themes/topics and records centering around fictional tales. Naturally, that applies to metal, especially in the latter case. After all, what’s better than a collection whose narrative is as weird, brutal, and/or affective as the music and vocals used to represent it?
Be it Helloween’s Keeper of the Seven Keys fantasy saga; Symphony X’s investigation of Atlantis and astrology on V – The New Mythology Suite; or Kamelot’s tragic and tumultuous Silverthorn, the genre is chock full of compelling plots featuring rich characters, appealing situations, and significant messages.
In fact, some of these LPs—such as the 10 featured below—are so entertaining/emotional that they deserve to be adapted into major films or T.V. shows.
Granted, such versions may not live up to what we’ve been imagining for several years (if not decades), but with the right casting, budget, and creative talent behind them, they’d certainly be worthwhile ways to honor the material while reaching newer and broader audiences.
Dream Theater – Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999)
Murder, star-crossed romance, reincarnation, hypnosis, and retro noir storytelling. All of that—and more—are what make Dream Theater’s greatest LP (and one of the greatest progressive metal albums of all time) worthy of a cinematic treatment. Specifically, we envision a BBC miniseries or Mike Flanagan-helmed movie doing justice to the ingeniously complex and highly emotional chronicle of a man named Nicholas undergoing regression therapy to understand, confront, and resolve his connection to the 1920s murder of a woman named Victoria. What results is a heartrending glimpse into multigenerational homicide whose twist ending alone would surely stupefy and devastate audiences.
Queensrÿche – Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
Operation: Mindcrime improved upon everything that made its two predecessors so promising. That includes Queensrÿche’s songwriting/storytelling as much as it does their melodies and instrumentation. Nearly 40 years later, its sad sociopolitical account of drug addiction, brainwashing, anarchy, cultism, and assassination resonates as much in modern America as it did back in the Ronald Regan and George H. W. Bush eras. Plus, given how popular romance dramas and dystopic thrillers remain, there’s no doubt that it’d be a hit in theatres or on television.
Now, whether it should incorporate anything from its unnecessary and divisive sequel is another question entirely.
Nocturnus – The Key (1990)
Nocturnus’ The Key presents a bonkers and blasphemous occult/sci-fi story centered around a cyborg who goes back in time to assassinate Jesus Christ—yes, you read that right—and prevent Christianity. Clearly, there’s a bunch of different ways a movie version could go. The best option would be a tense and atmospheric thriller in the vein of Alien or The Terminator. (The Key’s artwork even seems inspired by H.R. Giger.) Conversely, it could be a tongue-in-cheek trashy independent blockbuster like what Wild Eye Releasing puts out. Either way, if it does well, sequels Paradox and Unicursal could be refashioned, too.
Devin Townsend – Z²: Dark Matters (2014)
Deconstruction’s ironic quest to understand reality via the devil’s cheeseburger would be fun to see; yet, it’s Ziltoid’s need to rule the universe while ingesting coffee that ranks as Devin Townsend’s ultimate concept. Using 2007’s Ziltoid the Omniscient as a prologue (or for scattered flashbacks), a full-fledged interpretation of the alien puppet’s mission to conquer the world, defeat the War Princess, and reconcile with his brother (Captain Spectacular) would be a hell of a good time. You could have Stolen Babies’ Dominique Lenore Persi and Fozzy’s Chris Jericho, respectively, reprise their roles, and have Bill Courage return to narrate.
Indeed!
Mastodon – Crack the Skye (2009)
Some people may prefer 2004’s Moby Dick-inspired Leviathan or 2006’s hallucinatorily rustic Blood Mountain; but, it’s 2009’s Crack the Skye that stands as Mastodon’s musical and fictional peak. Surveying astral projection, echoes of Brann Dailor’s deceased sister (Skye), and remnants of Tsarist Russia, it would be a touchingly trippy ride. Actually, the band’s already done the work of providing a stylistic direction via the official music videos for “Oblivion” and “Divinations.” Why not double down on that aesthetic by doing something that mixes the surrealism of Alejandro Jodorowsky, Darren Aronofsky and/or David Lynch with the grounded vision of Ridley Scott?
Iron Maiden– Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
Among other things, Iron Maiden are known for referencing outside entertainment in their work. It’s no shock, then, that 1988’s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son took from Orson Scott Card’s Seventh Son novel to explore the folklore of—you guessed it— the seventh son of a daughterless family who has clairvoyance and other magical powers. The LP also taps into death, reality, the meaning of dreams, and other transcendental themes, giving it a lot of engrossing potential to be adapted into a classically bizarre yet poignant Terry Gilliam movie or a show run by Bryan Fuller or Noah Hawley.
Opeth – Still Life (1999)
Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth and Robert Eggers’ The Northman would be great theatrical templates for the Shakespearean tone of Opeth’s Still Life. After all—and like the group’s similarly superb My Arms, Your Hearse and Ghost Reveries—the LP’s eloquent tale (revolving around vengeance, tragic love, and antiquated Christian banishment) is enthrallingly complex, emotional and visceral. Viewers would be enraptured by the explicit violence and genuine heartache of the protagonist’s plight. Maybe Opeth mastermind Mikael Åkerfeldt could have a cameo, or at least compose a fitting original soundtrack in the vein of what he did for Netflix’s Clark.
Between the Buried and Me – The Parallax II: Future Sequence (2012)
Between the Buried and Me’s whole “Parallax” saga—which stretches back to The Silent Circus’ two-part “Lost Perfection”—would be acknowledged to varying degrees. Since 2012’s The Parallax II: Future Sequence is their only full-length chapter, though, it’d get the spotlight. A sci-fi epic about two “Prospects” stranded at sea or in space who connect while searching for new homes and purposes, it could look and flow like Denis Villeneuve’s recent Dune opuses. (Or, like Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski.) Just imagine all the awe-inspiring visuals, plot twists, and cliffhangers that they could pull off.
Edge of Sanity – Crimson (1996)
Dan Swanö is a metal legend for numerous reasons, such as his associations with Bloodbath, Katatonia, Opeth, and Evergrey. Of course, his own pioneering extreme metal ensemble (Edge of Sanity) is highly revered, too, especially for 1996’s Crimson. Like its slightly less beloved 2003 sequel, Crimson II, Crimson is a single 40+ minute suite detailing the miraculous birth of a royal child into a futuristic world that’s otherwise been devoid of new births for many years. Consequently, she gets wrapped up in imperial power struggles, rebellions, and unholy allegiances. Picture HBO’s Game of Thrones meets Alfonso Cuaróns Children of Men.
King Diamond – Abigail (1987)
An absolute staple of the style, King Diamond’s first concept album—1987’s Abigail—was already turned into a gorgeously macabre graphic novel in 2022. Without a doubt, it successfully represented the band’s eerie chronicle of a young couple who move into a haunted mansion and must wrestle with infidelity, murder, and the rebirth of a dead child (Abigail). Thus, it’d make sense to copy those illustrations for an entirely animated version. Alternatively, the creators could somehow merge live action and comic book visuals into something like Sin City, Kill Vill: Vol 1, or Cool World. Honestly, the possibilities are endless.
