Pelican

Chicago-based instrumental metalists (instrumetalists!) Pelican seemed to stay on a nature and changing-seasons theme on 2005's excellently named "The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw." Their upcoming full length City of Echoes is much more about urban isolation, what with titles like "Bliss in Concrete", "Dead Between Walls", and "Far From Fields" gracing the track list. The title cut from City of Echoes is an epic seven minutes long, but instead of soaring or reaching, the song keeps its eyes to the pavement, especially around minute four, when a single, machine-like note saws and sputters.

Download: City of Echos.
This is hands down going to be one of the best instrumental, metal, indy rock, experimental, aka whatever you want to label this music, records of 2007. I stumbled upon this band about 2 years ago on a trip to California, my cousins who i was visiting droped their last records on me and I was stunned. I'll save the time for a review of their last album but I encourage you to pick up their new one when it comes out and the rest of their music catalog through Hydra Head Records. The label also spawned other notable acts like Botch, Cave In, Isis, Jesu, and a ton more. If your into any type of light/heavy instrumental ambient style music you will fall in love with this band.