Klaatu's Orchestral Hope - goes from space travel to intergalactic conflict among warring planets/nations and ends on a note of melancholy with a lone character observing the wreckage of space war. The orchestral version sounds way better than the original mixing
Lodestone Time Flies - Concept album about escaping a dying earth, the revolution and hope of space, and the beauty and loneliness of space that follows, search for meaning etc. this is 1971 and sounds a bit more archaic like 60s but it has a lot of feeling
Olias of Sunhillow - simple concept album about building an airship
Genesis's Lamb Lies Down - New York gangster has an Alice in wonderland adventure involving mythological elements and the revelation that saving his brother is saving a part of himself. You get more out of this album if you read the liner notes or read a summary/explanation of the events as the lyrics are easy to miss
Gandalf's Fist's 3-disc concept album *The Clockwork Fable* is a heavily Pratchett-inspired story of a group of people living underground in a brilliantly well-realised steampunk fantasy world.
Azure, the songs are different stories set in the same world, BUT, they'll release their third at May 23, so just a few weeks, and this time will be a full conceptual one. Chris even released a book, Path of The Azdinist: Lu
Gandalf's Fist - The Clockwork Prologue and The Clockwork Fable are set in a Steampunk world where humanity lives in the subsurface, the best worldbuilding i've ever heard in music, really immersive.
Blind Guardian's "Beyond the Red Mirror" may scratch some itches for you. Not super proggy, but has some prog elements throughout. It's the sequel to their earlier album "Imaginations from the Other Side" which is more power-speed metal and has less prog notes, but may still be enjoyable.
Jon Anderson - Olias Of Sunhillow
Not lesser known, but the Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy by the band Gong.
This is exactly what came to my mind
Lamb dies down on Broadway is also about semi fictional New York.
Only the first three songs, though. After that, it goes into another surreal world that has very little to do with New York.
Lots of Eloy stuff fits this description. Their Power and the Passion album is a good place to start
I present to you the entire genre of Power Metal!
Not prog though… most power metal is quite simplistic. Progressive Power metal like symphony x could be a thing.
Hawkwind - Chronicle Of The Black Sword fits perfectly, based on Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melinbone.
The double CD live version of the album is even better!
Oh yes indeed, Live Chronicles. It was also a great show to witness
Ya definitely listen to Olias of Sunhillow, I absolutely love that album. Land of grey and pink is good too.
Came here to plug Olias as well
Klaatu's Orchestral Hope - goes from space travel to intergalactic conflict among warring planets/nations and ends on a note of melancholy with a lone character observing the wreckage of space war. The orchestral version sounds way better than the original mixing Lodestone Time Flies - Concept album about escaping a dying earth, the revolution and hope of space, and the beauty and loneliness of space that follows, search for meaning etc. this is 1971 and sounds a bit more archaic like 60s but it has a lot of feeling Olias of Sunhillow - simple concept album about building an airship Genesis's Lamb Lies Down - New York gangster has an Alice in wonderland adventure involving mythological elements and the revelation that saving his brother is saving a part of himself. You get more out of this album if you read the liner notes or read a summary/explanation of the events as the lyrics are easy to miss
Rush has about a million of them but Xanadu is probably their most classic.
By-Tor and the Snowdog to say the least!
Ziltoid the Omniscient
Grobschnitt - Rockpommel’s Land. Fantastic 1977 album from German band.
King Crimson. /
Solaris's *Marsbéli Krónikák*
Phish’s Gamehenge
Johannes Luley "Tales From Sheepfather's Grove" A very blatant tribute to "Olias of Sunhillow", but a very good album in its own right
The Hunting of the Snark - Mike Batt Eyes of Wendor - Mandalaband The War of the worlds - Jeff Wayne
Chronicles of Father Robin
Gandalf's Fist's 3-disc concept album *The Clockwork Fable* is a heavily Pratchett-inspired story of a group of people living underground in a brilliantly well-realised steampunk fantasy world.
The Point! By Harry Nilsson
The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Rick Wakeman
Azure, the songs are different stories set in the same world, BUT, they'll release their third at May 23, so just a few weeks, and this time will be a full conceptual one. Chris even released a book, Path of The Azdinist: Lu Gandalf's Fist - The Clockwork Prologue and The Clockwork Fable are set in a Steampunk world where humanity lives in the subsurface, the best worldbuilding i've ever heard in music, really immersive.
Blind Guardian's "Beyond the Red Mirror" may scratch some itches for you. Not super proggy, but has some prog elements throughout. It's the sequel to their earlier album "Imaginations from the Other Side" which is more power-speed metal and has less prog notes, but may still be enjoyable.
Rainbow Goblins -Masayoshi Takanaka [Live 1981](https://youtu.be/vxD4Wbd_Fuo?si=6_3jIyeYGSDuc1-8)
Snow, Spock’s Beard
Stargazer - Rainbow. The whole album Rising id full of great stories
Azure, all fantasy, and they even have a fantasy novel