Good Instrumental Metal?

So, I'm sitting here, listening to Jade Warrior - instrumental prog. It's pretty pastoral stuff that periodically jars up and gets noisy.

Actually, let me stop right there and say that, for folks who dig stuff like the mellower passages of the first King Crimson album, the Jade Warrior album "Waves" might be in their wheelhouse.

Anyway, back on topic - I've found a few acts that manage a pretty alright instrumental form of metal. Frank Klepacki's stuff - both his game soundtracks and "regular albums" blends techno, funk, and metal pretty well. Two Steps from Hell and E.S. Posthumous kind of get close at times too, but both are more electronic than metal.

Can anyone recommend any good bands for just barnstorming, instrumental metal? Think along the lines of Faith No More's "Woodpecker from Mars" and the like. Maybe a bit more aggressive than Satriani's stuff without just being a bed for noodly guitar wankery.

Have I excluded everything in the market yet?

Eagle Claw from Austin is an instrumental only metal band. I saw them open for The Sword and they were a good pairing with them.

If you have Spotify, there is an entire channel dedicated to Instrumental Metal. I've heard some wicked cool stuff on there, however I didn't take notice of band names. But you won't hear typical Satriani-type stuff. This is heavy duty instruMETAL.

Pelican
Russian Circles
If These Trees Could Talk
Karma To Burn

These bands are what some would call post-metal with the exception of Karma To Burn who are more stoner rock type stuff.

I'm probably not the best to answer, because I love all of Shrapnel's neo-classical, shredding, guitar wankery instrumental albums...but one dude that stands above the rest to me is Joey Tafolla. His first album, 'Out of the Sun', is more traditionally neo-classical shredding, but his second album, 'Infra-Blue', is more original sounding. Bluesy metal shredding or something. He smokes.

Sweet. I've got some names to investigate!

I don't mean to talk down on shredders. I think what I'm looking for is a more aggressive version of the excellent "mood music" I've found in the electronic, prog, and orchestral fields. Give me a five minute riff-fest that gets the blood pumping and lets me fill in some blanks mentally.

I'm a big fan of Satriani, but sometimes his music borders on "too busy," in much the same way I prefer Buckethead when he's going acoustic or at least low key.

Most of the stuff I heard on the Spotify channel was not guitar shred fests. It was guitar-based, sure, but not just flashy wankery. The only down-side was that it wasn't solely instrumental bands, it was bands that played instrumentals.

You will hear stuff from Pelican that is only instrumental, followed by Metallica's 'Call of Ktulu'.

I dont know if these albums would be to busy for ya but...

Chastain...Instrumental Variations
Michael Schenker..Adventures of the Imagination, Electric Instrumental

Something else that you might possibly dig on if already not aware of is Jeff Loomis' solo stuff. I do not care for Nevermore in the least, but I really enjoyed his 2008 solo record, 'Zero Order Phase', though I never got around to checking out his second.

He's more aggressive probably than the 80s/early 90s shredders...though I don't know about the mood music thing. Heh.

nevermore wrote:

Pelican
Russian Circles
If These Trees Could Talk
Karma To Burn

These bands are what some would call post-metal with the exception of Karma To Burn who are more stoner rock type stuff.

All great bands of which I own everything of. I'll add:

Animals As Leaders
Mestís
Mastery
Mastodon has Crack The Skye in instrumental as does Periphery of their S/T.
Dream Theatre has some as well
Marty's post Megs stuff
Rust In Peace has an instrumental version floating around as does Cryptic Writings (5 songs)


There's more but I'll stop there.

Yuri Gagarin (quite accurately) describe themselves as heavy space rock rather than metal, but deserve a mention on account of the fact that they are awesome.

A band named after the first man in space? Haha! Kewl!

The Atomic B*tchwax album The Local Fuzz is one 42 minute long instrumental track. More stoner rock than metal, but a fun listen nonetheless.

Boris2008 wrote:

Yuri Gagarin (quite accurately) describe themselves as heavy space rock rather than metal, but deserve a mention on account of the fact that they are awesome.

Checkin' them out on the Tube of You. Good stuff. I could listen to more of this when the mood is right.

nevermore wrote:

Pelican
Russian Circles
If These Trees Could Talk
Karma To Burn

These bands are what some would call post-metal with the exception of Karma To Burn who are more stoner rock type stuff.

I'll second Russian Circles
Also for a more Stoner-ish vibe there's Hypnogog (mostly instrumental jams with a little vocals)

Vinnie Moore – guitar
Tony MacAlpine – keyboard
Tommy Aldridge – drums
Andy West – bass (batman?)

I grew up on this particular LP - damn 30 years old -
I thought this release sounded a lot like Racer X's 'street lethal' -
and I was a big fan of that release ( Paul Gilbert ) -
Some keyboards too -

I'm a fan of Malmsteen - and his style - esp during
when vocalist Joe Lynn Turner joined his band as well as Bob Daisley on bass.
That year, Malmsteen was in a serious car accident, smashing his V12 Jaguar E-Type into a tree and putting him in a coma for a week.
Nerve damage to his right hand was reported.
During this time, Malmsteen's mother died from cancer.
In April 1988 he released his fourth album Odyssey.
Odyssey was his biggest album so far, in part due to the success of its first single "Heaven Tonight".
Shows in Russia, Soviet Union, during the Odyssey tour were recorded,
and released in 1989 as a fifth album Trial by Fire: Live in Leningrad.

This LP always seemed like it's younger brother.
Vinnie was 21 years old at the time.

Speaking of Tony MacAlpine.....
Maximum Security is a great album also.

Red Sparowes but they are more Post Rock and also Caspian.

Just bought the Tony Macalpine cd on ebay !
Thanks for the heads-up !
Summer night car action !

Glower wrote:

Just bought the Tony Macalpine cd on ebay !
Thanks for the heads-up !
Summer night car action !

The 1st Mastery album is instrumental thrash. Very cool band!

Lurideath wrote:

The 1st Mastery album is instrumental thrash. Very cool band!

I agree. Haven't played this one in awhile. I should remedy that.

what about Blotted Science?



or Plini?


maybe even Intervals?

All excellent bands, Noah. I must admit I haven't gotten around to buying any Intervals but I like it.

akeldama wrote:

All excellent bands, Noah. I must admit I haven't gotten around to buying any Intervals but I like it.

Thanks man. Intervals is a band I dig, but I don't listen to too much. I think I actually prefer the album they did with vocals, though (A Voice Within).