Instrumental US prog rock trio Lux Terminus released their second album, Cinder, last month. The band feature keyboardist Vikram Shankar (who also features in Silent Skies and performs live with Pain Of Salvation), bassist Brian Craft and drummer Matthew Kerschner. The trio released their debut album, The Courage To Be in 2018
"Cinder, for us, is a musical reflection of our core vision as an artist," the band say. "We aim to create instrumental music where the piano and keyboards are at the forefront, breaking free from their usual role as a supporting element in progressive metal. It’s crucial that melody, dynamics, and emotion remain at the heart of the songwriting, even as we push technicality and ‘djenty’ heaviness to the limit. Cinder is about burning with intensity and risk—creating passionate, vibrant art that challenges both personal limits and conventional boundaries."
Shankar took time out of his busy schedule to choose his five favourite instrumental prog albums for you to enjoy...
1: PLINI - HANDMADE CITIES (2016)
A modern classic, and with good reason. Plini manages to strike a remarkable balance between technical mastery and thoughtful melodicism, and the melodies and moods throughout the album are truly stunning. I also love the warm, organic production, which manages to have a contemporary level of punch but still sound satisfyingly natural.
2. DAVID MAXIM MICIC - WHO BIT THE MOON (2017)
Like the above, Who Bit The Moon is one of those albums that blends instrumental excellence and melodic storytelling - a quality that I strive for in my own writing with Lux Terminus as well. David Maxim Micic’s style has a cinematic grandeur that I find extremely captivating, and his writing is always intelligent and mature.
3. PLANET X - QUANTUM (2007)
My own personal taste typically leads me to favor progressive music that emphasises atmosphere and melody, but Quantum’s formidable brilliance is impossible to deny. All instrumentalists are firing on all cylinders, and the level of mastery on all of the Planet X records holds up remarkably well today - an impressive feat considering the quantum leaps (no pun intended) that seem to occur in the technical sphere with each passing year.
4. INTERVALS - CIRCADIAN
One of the most special aspects of Intervals for me is the electrifying energy of the writing. While hitting several marks that many fantastic modern prog artists do, such as heaviness and instrumental skill, they also manage to create a certain infectious character, both in the melodic writing and in production and arrangement, that makes Intervals music captivating for me even when I find myself fatigued by progressive music (it happens to the best of us!).
5. JORDAN RUDESS - RHYTHM OF TIME
As far as I’m concerned, Jordan’s solo albums are iconic for us modern keyboard players, with dazzling virtuosity living alongside passionate artistry. Whether playing extremely technically or with soulful maturity, Jordan exudes a genuine love for the craft of music making that is palpable in every note. In that regard I could likely nominate any of Jordan’s solo albums to include in this list, but the writing on Rhythm of Time has a certain ‘spark’ that I find simply undeniable.
