For example, Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall part 1 and part 2.
Dream Theater has a song called Metropolis Part 1. Originally they didn’t plan to have any additional parts, but it worked out that eventually they decided to follow it up. Instead of a single song, they did a whole album: Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory. And I think it’s their best work.
Also In the Presence of Enemies Part I and II
Sandstorm by Darude has a song right before it on his album called “the calm before the storm” and I actually enjoy it quite a bit.
Darude Sandstorm lore? Wow lol I’ll keep this on my list to listen too 😂
Primus has the four Fisherman’s Chronicles songs.
- John the Fisherman
- Fish On
- The Ol’ Diamondback Sturgeon
- Last Salmon Man
Another thing that might count as an example is that Wings’ Band on the Run and Helen Wheels both mention a character named Sailor Sam.
Edit: Added to post.
It’s post-Primus but Les also has Rumble of the Diesel about fishing. Dude just loves fishin
David Bowie wrote a continuation to “Space Oddity” (“Ashes to Ashes”) and the original also inspired a few songs by other artists that directly reference it (“Major Tom (Coming Home)” by Peter Schilling, “Hallo Spaceboy” by Pet Shop Boys).
major tom also shows up in the music video for blackstar
Tool Parabol - Parabola
Sounds interesting, I shall listen to this 😎
They’re not that popular compared to Pink Floyd or David Bowie, but there’s a band called The Dear Hunter that have 5 albums called Act I through Act V that are one continuous story of a guy’s life.
So in that sense every song on those albums are a sequel and prequel to every other, but some of the musical themes and motifs are more obviously reintroduced, referenced, and re-applied in new contexts as the albums go on.
They have albums that aren’t those 5, which are not in the canon, by the way.
What’s your favorite color? I’m torn between green and orange.
Honestly, I was kinda “meh” on the colours 😅
At first I thought it was maybe a “I like their earlier work” sorta thing, that can sometimes happen with bands, but when I looked up the release dates I was surprised to discover the spectrum came out between III and IV, but I like III and love IV and V, so I guess it’s not that!
I guess maybe the identity of the Acts is just enough that they have something colours lack for me? I don’t know what, but they’ve never grabbed me. Oh well, such is taste!
That is fair, They vary their style a lot, which I think is pretty cool, but when you like one thing and they change it…
After a while, I’ve come to learn why a lot of the popular artists have hundreds of songs but only 1-5 of them get played on repeat.
Yeah, I dunno, I like variety. And it’s not like the Acts are all one style, there’s quite a bit of variety within. I think the colours just felt… soulless? I didn’t hate them, I just listened all the way through and not a single track sparked anything in me. Again, it was okay, it didn’t offend me, but there just wasn’t anything there for me.
But that’s okay! I’m glad you dug it, and maybe I’ll give it another shot someday and realize I was wrong all this time!
Tool - Parabol / Parabola
Tool - Intermission / Jimmy (although probably among their less popular songs)
Tool… Lost keys and Rosetta Stoned
Will give these a listen, always down for listening to different genres 👍🏽
Metallica has the unforgiven, unforgiven 2, and unforgiven 3
Rush: Cygnus X-1 books I and II. More of a two-part story, but kind of fits the question.
From the band Grandaddy (across about 15 years of releases):
I like it when songs are connected to each other, like a big storyline kinda of thing, thank you for the recommendation 😎
Jed’s Other Poem is so fucking good
Megadeth with Hanger 18 and later in their career Return to Hanger.
I’m not sure if this exactly fits what you’re looking for, but the following 5 albums by The Dear Hunter are connected through a shared storyline [1]:
- Act I: The Lake South, The River North [2]
- Act II: The Meaning of, and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading [3]
- Act III: Life and Death [4]
- Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise [5]
- Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional [6]
References
- Type: Article. Title: “The Dear Hunter”. Publisher: “Wikipedia”. Published: 2025-07-04T01:59Z. Accessed: 2025-08-03T05:27Z. URI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dear_Hunter.
- Type: Text. Location: ¶2.
Most of the band’s albums, starting with their 2006 debut album Act I: The Lake South, the River North, are concept albums and a part of a common storyline, planned to conclude with a sixth installment. The most recent addition is 2016’s Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional. Additionally, they have released albums unrelated to the Acts; […]
- Type: Text. Location: ¶2.
- Type: Album. Title: “Act I: The Lake South, The River North”. Author: “The Dear Hunter”. Publisher: “Spotify”. Published: 2007-05-22. Accessed: 2025-08-03T05:29Z. URI: https://open.spotify.com/album/7k0iFGkqIWyOBZBaBCAYg7.
- Type: Album. Title: “Act II: The Meaning of, and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading”. Author: “The Dear Hunter”. Publisher: “Spotify”. Published: 2007-05-22. Accessed: 2025-08-03T05:29Z. URI: https://open.spotify.com/album/3bxQpENBvT3gHgM9Q7Z20K.
- Type: Album. Title: “Act III: Life and Death”. Author: “The Dear Hunter”. Publisher: “Spotify”. Published: 2009-06-23. Accessed: 2025-08-03T05:29Z. URI: https://open.spotify.com/album/5B5cJTkPpZRzKMWegoKE78.
- Type: Album. Title: “Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise”. Author: “The Dear Hunter”. Publisher: “Spotify”. Published: 2015-09-04. Accessed: 2025-08-03T05:29Z. URI: https://open.spotify.com/album/0TCkVVN1AfEtMP3IjVD1Zi.
- Type: Album. Title: “Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional”. Author: “The Dear Hunter”. Publisher: “Spotify”. Published: 2016-09-16. Accessed: 2025-08-03T05:29Z. URI: https://open.spotify.com/album/72N545TE36DqJHiyE0YLGE.
ELP’s Karn Evil 9 is a pretty epic trilogy.
The first impression part 2 is what got played most often on the radio, but personally i think part 3 is where it shines.
360 and 365 from Brat By Charli xcx
Also, Haken’s full albums Virus and Vector are prequels to the song Cockroach King from their album The Mountain.
I just recently learned that Mother Mother released “Hayloft II” in 2022, 14 years after the banger “Hayloft”
