As the subject implies, that's what I'm looking for, and I haven't found much more than the occasional song on an album here or there. Metallica's Call of Ktulu and Orion are good examples of what I'm looking for. Really anything that might be considered thrash, progressive, NWOBHM, melodic death, power metal, doom...except without the vocals.

While the virtuoso shredmaster is always nice to listen to from time to time, I can find that stuff. But not so much of anything else...Help!

Alot of post metal, like Pelican, Isis, Cult of Luna, etc. are very instrumental. As far as compared to the Metallica songs? I'm not sure...

Arghoslent has several brilliant instrumentals that I HIGHLY recommend: Arsenal of Glory, Incorrigible Bigotry, Hornets of the Pogrom, and Incursions.

Instrumental progressive melodic death/power metal you say? Sounds like T3h Shred Boiz.

You need some Scale The Summit. Top-notch instrumental progressive metal. Their debut is fantastic, but I have yet to check out their newest album.

For instrumental thrash I would recommend Mastery, as I'm sure many others will as well.

Liquid Tension Experiment is a pure instrumental band. If you like Dream Theater you will probably like them. For a very good reason.

Warmen! ... for songs i recomend you a lot Merciless Onslaught - Metal Church

Hermetic Brotherhood sounds like what you're looking for. Instrumental progressive/neoclassical/speed metal, none of this post-metal shit.

Seconding them. Also, be sure to check out 3 Headed Monster, great straight-up power/thrash.

the Instrumental songs which I remember:
-metallica-Orion
-metallica-suicide and redemption
-savatage-Christmas Eve
-shape of despair-sleep mirrored
-death- Voice Of The Soul
-dimmu borgir-perfiction or vanity
-dissection- Nexion 218(it's intro to the album)
that's what I can remember for now.....

Of course the obvious, Yngwie Malmsteen for your Neo Classical Shred. Liquid Tension Experiment has been said, however, Liquid Trio Experiment is worth checking out, too. It's the boys of LTE minus John Petrucci. Kind of an interesting mix without the guitar.

Another obvious would be Apocalyptica, especially their earlier material. As for anything else... I'm going to have to ponder and get back to this.

Apocalyptica

BLOTTED SCIENCE.

Surprised no one mentioned them.....

As far as I remember - Gordian Knot

Also, you can check out James Murphy's solo albums...interesting prog, without wankery

That. I really need to get hold of their albums. Hell I need a bottle opener too and they give one with their debut.

Forest of Fog - Rabenflug (demo) it`s Instrumental Black Metal with good quality

I've found some good stuff using this guy's Youtube compilations as a source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgYJGe3423Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVxPgxgkQsM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrFLlKrqBeY

Some of that is pretty wankerish and too artsy, but be patient and listen through the whole set.

Wood Of Necrophiliac by Living Death. Great Instrumental, but are you looking for bands that write the majority of their work as instrumental, or are the singles being thrown around okay?

Karaboudjan - Sbrodj

Dan Swano totally loses his mind on it a few times


as far as specific instrumental songs, plenty...
Brutality-Violent Generation
Diabolic-Vassago
Demilich-Erecshyrinol
Cannibal Corpse-Relentless Beating & From Skin to Liquid
Monstrosity-The Pillars of Drear
Macabre-Cremator
EntombeD-HellRaiser (unless you count the samples...)
DismembeR-Phantoms of the Oath (wow!!!!!)
Divine Empire-Birth of Legends, The Pain Remains & Reduced to Ashes
Malevolent Creation-Prelude to Doomsday


and of course heaps more!

Not sure if you'll like it, but you might want to check out Vorgrow, a Venezuelan Black Metal band, that, for all it's apparent obscurity and underground'ness proves to be of surprisingly good musical quality. All four tracks from the only released demo are instrumental, and it's the only reason i am recommending this to you (i know a lot of people are put off black metal due to the vocals).

Skogyr-Instrumental pgan Metal. Awesome stuff.

Seconded...

My favourite instrumentals of all time are by "In Flames" - "Man Made God" and "Dialogue with the stars". Both are fantastic melo death songs

Sepultura - Inquisition Symphony
Darkthrone - Accumulation of Generalization
Hypnosia - Gates Of Cirith Ungol
Death - Voice of the Soul

and many more...!!!

Get any The Chasm instrumentals (like the two on Conjuration). They're both long, winding and complex, and even kind of fun to listen to in their mystical Death Metal magic.

Pagan's Mind has the huge "Back to the Magic of Childhood" song, which is a very cool progressive metal instrumental. Nice, long, spacey and perfectly woven into the album.

Into The Lungs of Hell from Megadeth is a personal favourite. I also highly enjoy Maniacal from Cannibal Corpse.

And if you like Orion/Call of the Ktulu, how can you not like To Live Is To Die?!

To Live Is To Die is not instrumental, though.

Ante Cryst, a virtually unknown one-demo-project of Unknown I, the dude from Emit, features all-instrumental songs on it's sole release. It's a bit on the rough side, though.

Yes, but for the most part it is. How can you not include this in instrumentals, even if there is a spoken quote straight from/tributing Cliff?

Bongripper are instrumental sludge. I recommend "Great Barrier Reefer" and "Hippie Killer". Ufomammut are mostly instrumental psychedelic stoner/doom. They have sort of a Pink Floyd sound to them. Electric Magma are stoner metal. The bass is very high in the mix. "Karaoke Bitch Slap" and "Snail The Wah " are completely instrumental while "Coconut Bangers Ball" has vocals on two songs.

Because it's boring and shitty?

Mastery is amazing, do check them out.

INCISOR is a great instrumental thrash band.
http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=121907

Sepia Dreamer are criminally unknown. They're an instrumental prog metal band, but of the darker In Mourning/Opeth variety rather than the LTE variety.

Third. Surprisingly enough, I have the album right next to me on my computer desk and I didn't even think about mentioning them. Wow, I'm slipping lol.

sleep terror has great tunes, if you like fast brutal metal with a of bunch of sudden rythm changes and jazzy parts this is your band

The Forest Speaks is good, but they are -coreish.

Electro Quarterstaff are great if you're into tech death.

lamb of god has a pretty good instrumental called "ashes of the wake" its awesome you otta check it out

They're not classed as Metal (I'd probably disagree but that's another subject) here, but you night like Cloudkicker.

Their releases are available for free download.

The Faceless had an instrumental song off their first album called "Akeldama" that had a very prog-metal feel.
Quite in contrast from the melodeathcore that the rest of the album sported.