World Metal Instrumentals Part II
February 26, 2007 by Jo Minor
The Call Of Ktulu by Metallica (America)
Taken from Ride The Lightning
Ride The Lightning has got to be the band’s finest display of songwriting, as all 8 songs in the album are extremely well written and executed. The birth of this instrumental piece took shape from departed bassist Cliff Burton’s interest in the writings of H.P. Lovecraft - a master of fictional writings. At just under 9 minutes long, The Call Of Ktulu is a progressive piece that was also performed live by the band with an orchestra during Metallica’s S&M DVD recording to raving reviews by music fans.
Requiem by Opeth (Sweden)
Taken from Orchid
It would be difficult to pinpoint and highlight just one instrumental from a band known for intricate instrumentals, but the Swedish Melodic Death Metal kings have a masterpiece in their hands in the form of Requiem. Clocking at just over a minute long, Requiem is a captivating arrangement of acoustic and bass guitars; their strings gently plucked to reveal a haunting and memorable melody. Other such instrumentals from this famed band include Patterns In The Ivy, Ending Credits, Hours of Wealth and Epilogue.
The Wanderer by Emperor (Norway)
Taken from Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk
At just under 3 minutes long, this gem by Norwegian Black Metallers Emperor stands as the only instrumental track in Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk - arguably their best album to date. By using distorted rhythm guitar work and employing the services of the band’s drum wizard Trym, The Wanderer is a lot different from other instrumentals in the genre - the guitars and drums create a solid sonic foundation for the main synthesizer tune, thus creating a nice blend of melancholy and intensity.
1776 by Iced Earth (America)
Taken from Something Wicked This Way Comes
This brilliant instrumental stands as the only one in the album, and its Civil War-era tune (forgive me for not knowing the name of the original tune!). Complete with a flute melody, 1776 (obviously referring to the year America attained its independence) is a great and highly refreshing track to listen to. The band is not famous for coming up with instrumental tracks, but they have successfully covered Iron Maiden’s Transylvania - among other Iron Maiden tracks - perfectly. While we wait patiently for the band’s newer material to emerge, we can never get bored of listening to tracks like 1776.
She Mourns In A Lengthening Shadow by Cradle Of Filth (England)
Taken from V Empire or Dark Faerytales In Phallustine
Haunting, yet equally entrancing, it would take a million words to describe just a second of the endless beauty captured by this instrumental track by one of England’s best known Metal exports Cradle Of Filth. In the vein of a motion picture soundtrack, the piece utilizes clever orchestral arrangements that support the main synthesizer tunes present in the song. It’s sad to see that the band has long forsaken their practice of including meaningful instrumental tracks, such as this masterpiece, into their newer albums in favor of simpler, catchier tunes.
Hopeless Optimism by Warmen (Finland)
Taken from Unknown Soldier
Warmen started off as a side project of Children Of Bodom’s keyboard wizard Janne Warman, but soon began grabbing the attention of Metal fans worldwide after some brilliant albums. While the band’s songs and albums may vary rather drastically (Warmen has had a plethora of guest musicians on board throughout its years alongside the permanent members) all 3 albums of the band are linked together through Janne’s distinct passion for classical music and Power Metal. Hopeless Optimism is a 5-minute long instrumental opus which is progressive, powerful and melodic - trademarks of any good Power Metal song.
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