33 of My Favourite Instrumental Albums - A Journey from Ambient to Metal

Written: 25th and 26th January 2025

Instrumental music has always been a part of my listening and I have been thinking for a while that I could write a piece discussing my favourite albums. Due to the wide range of sounds that this listening covers, I decided (after some deliberation on how to approach this) that I would not put together a ranking (such as a top twenty or thirty) but a purposeful journey through the different styles of music and some of my favourite albums from each genre.

One note to make is that I have deliberately not included soundtracks or scores (I am considering writing further articles about those) or classical music (another area of interest). I started with the ambient magnificence of Stellardrone and just kept going slowly moving through different genres eventually decided to stop at thirty albums. There are other releases or bands from each genre I could have included but it might have stretched to fifty or sixty albums by that point! Thus, the list progresses from ambient all the way to black metal via electronic, post-rock, progressive rock and progressive metal with a couple of other surprises along the way. For those bemoaning the lack of jazz, I have tried, I really have and while I appreciate the skill involved, it is a style of music that has never clicked with me, at least not across an entire album.

The playlist (my favourite track from each album) linked at the end of the article allows the listener to begin with the quietest music and listen as far as they wish. On the odd occasion (of which I am fully aware), a few of these albums have tracks with vocals but they are the exception rather than the norm and each release is mostly known for its instrumental qualities. Anyway, they are my own rules I am breaking! 😊

I hope you enjoy my odyssey through a realm of instrumental listening. It is an eclectic collection to say the least but these are all albums that I enjoy on a regular basis.

Stellardrone – Light Years (2013)

Known for his ethereal and expansive compositions, Stellardrone (Lithuanian artist Edgaras Žakevièius) meticulously crafts ambient soundscapes inspired by the cosmos. Every one of his albums is of interest and I could have named several in this list. Each track on Light Years evolves slowly over time, providing a sense of journey and progression through space. Edgaras utilises a range of lush, atmospheric layers, a combination of synthetic drones, gentle arpeggios and subtle rhythmic patterns. An artist I return to regularly, he has a talent for balancing simplicity with complexity, constructing music that is both meditative and thought-provoking.

Favourite track: Eternity

Edgar Froese – Pinnacles (1983)

To fans of electronic music, Edgar Froese needs no introduction. Like most, I came to his solo work through the avenue of Tangerine Dream. Having become a follower of that band in the late eighties, the most recently released album under his own name was this one. Blending the use of analogue and digital synthesizers, the music does feel rooted in the era of its creation but also evokes a sense of continuity. The album sparks my sense of curiosity and adventure as if wandering through unknown territories: it is named after The Pinnacle limestone formations of Western Australia.

Favourite track: Specific Gravity of Smile

Jean Michel Jarre – Équinoxe (1978)

There are several other albums I could have chosen to put here including the hugely popular and influential Oxygene or the experimental Zoolook. As one of the most prominent artists in electronic music for five decades, Jarre deserves his legendary status. From his innovative soundscapes to his spectacular live performances, he is a trailblazer who continually pushes the boundaries of musical expression and visual spectacle.

Favourite track: Équinoxe, Part 3

Kraftwerk – The Man Machine (1978)

Like several of their albums, Kraftwerk’s The Man Machine stands as a paragon of electronic music and a genre-defining classic. The scrupulous synthesis of mechanistic and minimalistic rhythms embodies the quintessence of the band’s pioneering ethos. However, it is also an album of variety from the melding of the avant-garde with the sensibilities of pop on The Model to its tribute to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis on a track of the same name, encapsulating the industrial vigour of an imagined future.

Favourite track: Spacelab

Vangelis – Albedo 0.39

Vangelis was one of the first names I put down when considering drafting this article and it would be impossible to imagine such a list without him. As the incredible music he composed for Blade Runner was inadmissible (music which would most definitely make an appearance should I ever write my piece on favourite film scores), this one came to mind next. With a title rooted in planetary science, the album has a thematic focus on celestial phenomena and the enigmatic nature of the universe. Albedo 0.39 traverses a myriad of styles: from the restrained elegance of Sword of Orion to the hypnotic splendour of Alpha.

Favourite track: Alpha

Tangerine Dream – Force Majeure (1979)

This album was among the first three or four I heard by Tangerine Dream. Having heard and enjoyed Tangram and Exit, sixteen year old me was surprised to say the least when my Mum returned from the market one day in 1988 with the clear vinyl copy of Force Majeure pictured above. A chance find, she had remembered the band’s unusual name and bought it for me. Little did she know it was an album that was to change my musical world. I had enjoyed those first two albums (I appreciate them more fully these days) but this one completely blew me away. More progressive and guitar based in places than some other albums by the band, it was the perfect time for me to hear it based on other music I was discovering at the time. It remains my favourite of their releases, sitting in my top ten albums of all time by anyone.

Favourite track: Force Majeure

Public Service Broadcasting – The Race For Space (2015)

One of my favourite albums of the last ten years, the effortlessly entertaining Public Service Broadcasting use archival footage and broadcasts combined with modern instrumentation. With the samples serving as anchors, they construct their music around them. With each album tackling a different theme, the result is music that is both educational and deeply beguiling, transforming historical narratives into compelling, contemporary compositions. Live (read my review of their Aylesbury concert last year here), their shows become a fully immersive, almost interactive experience.

Favourite track: The Other Side

The Shadows – 20 Golden Greats (1979)

It was difficult to know where to place this album in the list in terms of fluidity for the playlist but this seemed like as good a place as any. It is impossible to deny Hank Marvin’s influence on a generation of musicians and when guitarists such as Brian May, David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler and Tony Iommi (plus many others) cite you as an early influence, you obviously did something right. An album my Dad played when I was a child, it was probably my introduction to instrumental music and that copy (which now sits in music collection) still receives a regular spin. In this instance, I make no apology for choosing a compilation as a lot of The Shadows’ early tracks were from a time when singles did not always feature on albums.

Favourite track: The Savage

Sky – Sky (1979)

A fusion of classical precision and rock energy, Sky brought together a remarkable collection of musicians: John Willims, Herbie Flowers, Tristan Fry, Franics Monkman and Kevin Peek each contributing their unique expertise. Together, they created a sound that continues to captivate new listeners. Their second album – Sky 2 – might be even better but I include their debut here as it was the one that first brought them to my attention.

Favourite track: Carillon

Mike Oldfield – Ommadawn (1975)

While Tubular Bells remains an iconic release (and another spectacular album), it is Ommadawn that is engrained in my musical soul. Another that would rank extremely highly in my favourite albums of all time, it mixes folk, rock and world music into a seamless adventure. Rich in emotional depth, it is full of poignant and introspective qualities. Haunting melodies and dynamic arrangements lead to a range of feelings: from melancholy to euphoria. It is a masterpiece. As an aside, when Oldfield released Tubular Bells II, I did not have the same concerns that it would live up to expectations as when he released Return To Ommadawn. Both turned out well as it happens!

Favourite track: Part Two (just!)

Camel – The Snow Goose (1975)

Over the next few albums, this list looks at several that fall into the genre of progressive rock. A masterful showcase of musicianship and instrumental storytelling, The Snow Goose is inspired by Paul Gallico’s novella of the same name. Andy Latimer would easily sit in my top five of progressive rock guitarists and here his expressive playing and ability in shifting seamlessly between delicate acoustic passages and soaring electric solos demonstrates his versatility and technical prowess. With recurring motifs and thematic development’s that mirror the novella’s progression, each member of the band contributes to a cohesive and evocative whole.

Favourite track: La princesse perdue

Pink Floyd – The Endless River (2014)

Without question, there will be some (even some Pink Floyd fans) that would disagree with the inclusion of this album in the list. Many believe this should not count as a proper release by the band but could have perhaps been included as a bonus for an anniversary of The Division Bell, for example. I fully concede it does not in anyway rival the band’s classic albums but upon its release, I revelled in the opportunity to witness David Gilmour’s guitars and Rick Wright’s keyboards interplay in gorgeous harmony once more. There is a fan made release – Forever and Ever – that combines the best of this with that of The Division Bell that is definitely worth checking out should you be so inclined.

Favourite track: Sum

Rick Wakeman – The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973)

A notable release in the realm of progressive rock, The Six Wives of Henry VIII melds classical influences with rock instrumentation to create a distinctive and ambitious concept album. Wakeman’s virtuosic keyboard’s skills are on full display as he employs a range of instruments. The mix of genres – from baroque to progressive rock to jazz fusion – adds to the album’s overall impact by creating a multi-dimensional experience. The different wives, their personalities and Henry’s relationship with each of them is well represented on each track.

Favourite track: Catherine Howard

Steve Rothery – Ghosts of Pripyat (2014)

Steve Rothery is my favourite guitarist of all time. A delightfully subtle player who values colour and emotion over dramatics and fireworks albeit he can stoke the fires when he wants to. Putting together a fabulous band, Rothery finally released his first solo album almost thirty years after EMI first suggested the idea. Ghost of Pripyat is a wonderfully constructed album, each track imagined as cinematic pieces based on a certain theme. Examples of this include White Pass, which is about the Alaskan gold rush of the late 1890s and Yesterday’s Hero, a warning of the danger of forgetting those who risked their lives for our freedom. While the studio album is an excellent listen, live, the tracks take on new life and much increased power. Read my review of one of his solo shows here.

Favourite track: White Pass

Iris – Crossing The Desert (1996)

Crossing The Desert focuses on the guitars and keyboards of Sylvain Gouvernaire. Following Ghosts of Pripyat, this is another related album as it features Pete Trewavas on bass and Ian Mosley on drums. Gouvernaire is heavily influenced by Steve Rothery (albeit a little more musically savage in places) but that is no bad thing. Ranging from heavy progressive passages to lighter acoustic interludes, this is always an enjoyable listen. There were hints at a second album but it never saw the light of day.

Favourite track: War

Jet Black Sea – The Path of Least Existence (2013)

An album that would find its way onto my list of favourites since the turn of the century, The Path of Least Existence’s power lies in its ability to draw in and hold the listener captivated for its entire length, without them realizing just how much time has passed. The duo of Michel Simons and Adrian Jones (Nine Stones Close) set no boundaries with the musical themes and styles they wish to explore - all within the context of an instrumental album. Partly progressive and partly electronic, it has moments that remind the listener of The Doors, Dead Can Dance, Tangerine Dream and Pink Floyd. Read my full review of the album here.

Favourite track: Outnumbered

Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven (2000)

This list takes a distinct turn towards post-rock at this point and first to mention is this influential double album from Canadians Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Characterised by sprawling compositions (it is made up of four multi-part epics) and orchestral arrangements, it defies conventional song format allowing the music to develop organically. It inspired others in the post-rock genre to explore expansive and unconventional soundscapes while holding a socio-political undertone, reflecting the band’s anti-capitalist beliefs.

Favourite track: Storm

Ulver – ATGCLVLSSCAP (2016)

Culled from multi-track recordings made at twelve different improvisatory live performances (later enhanced and edited in the studio), ATGCLVLSSCAP (named after the initial letters of the twelve signs of the zodiac) is testament to Ulver’s ingenuity and musical dexterity. Blurring the lines between live performance and studio production, it retains the immediacy of the former while benefitting from the precision of the latter. A labyrinthine journey through sound - from electronic to drone to post rock to post-metal - it is richly textured and dynamically varied. Even at eighty minutes long, it retains its appeal throughout and displays Ulver’s ability to transform ephemeral moments into enduring works of art.

Favourite track: Glammer Hammer

God Is An Astronaut – All Is Violent, All Is Bright (2005)

An album of gravitas and ethereal luminosity, All Is Violent, All Is Bright is regularly mentioned by fans as one of the band’s best albums and it is probably the one I go back to most. Serene chord structures mix with burgeoning crescendos and moments of fragility to create an album of magical equilibrium. The instrumentation is a confluence of intricate guitar, pulsating basslines and percussive dynamism. Esoteric and transcendental, it is one of my favourite post-rock albums from any band. Twenty years later, they are still producing great music: read my review of last year’s Embers here.

Favourite track: Suicide by Star

This Patch of Sky - These Small Spaces (2017)

On These Small Spaces, This Patch of Sky make interesting use of restraint. They have their moments of power but these are only used when they are truly in the best interest of the song, not merely because this is what is 'expected' of post-rock. There is also impeccable use of cello (played by the supremely talented Alex Abrams) and it is often this instrument that adds the shade and colour to the music.

Favourite track: Her Beating Wings

If These Trees Could Talk – Red Forest (2012)

If These Trees Could Talk enchant with their music inviting listeners into mystical forest of emotion and introspection. Red Forest is a sylvan odyssey, a deep dive into the heart of nature’s enigmatic beauty. From exquisite ambience to powerful rock, the band cover a range of moods within their deeply inspirational music. Much missed, they took a lengthy hiatus before releasing the standalone single Trail of Whispering Giants in 2024, their first new music in eight years. Hopefully, this is a sign of more to come.

Favourite track: They Speak With Knives

Distant Dream – It All Starts From Pieces (2017)

Merging progressive rock, post-rock and post-metal, Polish band Distant Dream have become one of my favourite instrumental bands of recent years. Varying the musical ground covered across the albums ensures it does not become stagnant. There is a sense of longing threaded throughout the album but like the best post-rock / metal, the tracks build well and never feel forced in their execution.

Favourite track: Waiting for Silence 

Russian Circles – Station (2008)

The second album by Russian Circles is a masterclass in instrumental storytelling, where each track unfolds like a chapter in an epic tale. Each member of the band fully contributes to the album’s overall sound with Brian Cook’s bass felt deeply throughout. His lines are not only supportive but pivotal, often taking the lead in driving the compositions forward. Station moves through a range of auras and moods, balancing distorted riffs that conjure a sense of determination, with quieter moments that urge contemplation.

Favourite track: Harper Lewis

Jeff Beck – Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop (1989)

The next few albums in the list focus on guitarists and the first to mention is the extraordinary Jeff Beck. Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop serves as sonic emporium where the ordinary rules of guitar playing are gleefully dismantled and reassembled into something wonderful. Like a mad scientist playing with a laboratory of sound, Beck is the eccentric genius. Sometimes a whirlwind of mechanical precision and sometimes a celebration of organic fluidity, it benefits magnificently from the input of Tony Hymas and Terry Bozzio.

Favourite track: Stand On It

Joe Satriani – The Extremist (1992)

By this point in his career, Satriani had already produced three wonderful albums but this was my introduction to him and it remains a favourite. His ability to traverse genres and emotions with such finesse highlights his technical wizardry and melodic ingenuity. From the bombastic War to the mellifluous Friends, Satriani’s guitar sings with a voice that ranges from lyrical to ferocious, demonstrating his virtuosic control over dynamics and phrasing.

Favourite track: The Extremist

Steve Vai – Passion and Warfare (1990)

After his time in David Lee Roth’s band, Joe Satriani’s one time student Steve Vai, joined Whitesnake and six months after they released Slip of the Tongue, Vai released Passion and Warfare, making me a confirmed fan of his solo material. From mid-1990, he was allowed to perform two tracks from it during Whitesnake’s set, which I witnessed at Donington 1990. While those tracks felt a little out of place in that setting, Passion and Warfare is an album where every track is a portal to different facets of Vai’s musical universe. Still his magnum opus, it journeys from the gentle (the first part of Blue Powder) to the celebratory (Liberty) to the sublime (For The Love Of God), highlighting his abilities as a writer as well as a guitarist.

Favourite track: For The Love of God

Matt Stevens - Lucid (2014)

At the time of release, Lucid found guitarist Matt Stevens stretching his wings and introducing a more experimental side to his playing and composing. Featuring progressive elements, folk, acoustic embellishments and a vast array of textures, Lucid is an eclectic album that confounds expectations with each track. At heart is a rock album but imbued with colourful variance: from the mysterious Coulrophobia to the twelve minute multi-faceted The Bridge.

Favourite track: Coulrophobia

Liquid Tension Experiment – Liquid Tension Experiment 2 (1999)

Supergroup (an overused term but perfectly applicable here) Liquid Tension Experiment released their second album just a little over a year after their debut. Covering a range of sub-genres during its lengthy running time, Liquid Tension Experiment 2 gives every member of the band (John Petrucci, Jorand Rudess, Tony Levin and Mike Portnoy) the opportunity to display a wide variety of skills. There is also a delightful spectrum of feelings and nuances at play from the highly experimental Chewbacca to the exquisite Hourglass.

Favourite track: Another Dimension

Intervals – The Shape of Colour (2015)

Harnessing the best elements of djent and progressive elements, Aaron Marshall delicately balances the moments of technicality with those the melodic embellishments. At a sharp thirty-four minutes, The Shape of Colour is a vital and exciting album throughout with a versatile Marshall using each note as brush stroke to paint his sonic pictures. He employs a variety of guitar tones, from clean, ethereal sounds to aggressive, distorted riffs, each chosen to stimulate specific emotions.

Favourite track: Meridian

Walking Across Jupiter – Scent (2013)

Russian band Walking Across Jupiter also utilise a combination of djent and progressive metal. They supplement this with moments that could easily fall into post-metal or post-rock. The use of keyboards is well considered and used to enhance the atmosphere rather than smother it in this consistently interesting album that does not simply rely on a single technique to engage the listener. Like most music of this genre, it needs to be listened to carefully in order to get the best from it.

Favourite track: Observable Universe

Animals As Leaders – The Joy Of Motion (2014)

With a crystalline production capturing the minutiae of each performance, The Joy of Motion is testament to the boundless creativity and technical prowess of Animals As Leaders. Bass lines emerge with a subterranean growl that anchors the compositions, juxtaposing beautifully with the celestial guitar work. It oscillates between frenetic staccato bursts of intensity and well positioned moments that almost approach serenity.

Favourite track: Another Year

Oscillation of Void – In Night’s Embrace, The Woods We Shun (2024)

I wanted to include something completely up to date in this list and the debut album from this atmospheric black metal band fits the bill perfectly. Oscillation of Void is a side project for Blacforje, whose other instrumental band Nahtram plays a more orchestral melodic style of metal. The traditional icy tropes of black metal are here but they are interwoven by the use of deep synths which, at times, add a layer of warmth to the music.

Favourite track: Cerulean Tears

Conquering Dystopia – Conquering Dystopia (2014)

And so, we reach the final (and heaviest) album, and if you have read this far, thank you – this was a lengthy piece to put together! In 2014, Jeff Loomis (Nevermore), Keith Merrow, Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse), and Alex Rüdinger (The Faceless) joined forces to form a new progressive / technical death metal band. On – surprisingly - their only album to date, Conquering Dystopia produced a brilliant record at the first attempt. Combining barrages of intense riffs with segments of soaring melody, Conquering Dystopia sounds like a band that have been playing together for years.

Favourite track: Ashes of Lesser Men

Listen to my Instrumental Albums playlist below (my favourite track from each album) and take the journey from Ambient to Metal. Tracks by Iris and Jet Black Sea are not included as they are not currently on Spotify.