A-Z is an American hard rock and progressive metal supergroup formed in 2020, the project of former Fates Warning and Warlord drummer Mark Zonder — the band name standing for Alder through Zonder. The core lineup features Fates Warning vocalist Ray Alder, bassist Philip Bynoe (Steve Vai, Warlord), guitarist Joop Wolters, and keyboardist Vivien Lalu, releasing their self-titled debut on Metal Blade Records in 2022 with artwork by Hugh Syme. A sophomore album, A2Z², followed with guitarist Nick Van Dyk (Redemption) and Simone Mularoni (DGM) joining the collaboration, continuing in a melodic, AOR-influenced progressive metal direction.

Alter Bridge is an American hard rock and heavy metal band formed in Orlando, Florida in 2004, built from the nucleus of post-Creed members Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall, and Scott Phillips, joined by vocalist Myles Kennedy. Their second album Blackbird (2007) marked a significant critical breakthrough, and subsequent releases including Fortress (2013) and The Last Hero (2016) debuted in the Top 10 on charts in both the UK and US. The band is defined by Tremonti's dual-guitar attack and Kennedy's operatic range, placing them at the heavy end of the mainstream American rock spectrum.

Andrew W.K. is an American musician and entertainer, born Andrew Wilkes-Krier in Michigan in 1979, who built a career around maximalist party rock fusing heavy metal riffing, glam energy, and pop melodicism. His 2001 debut I Get Wet on Island Records, anchored by the anthemic "Party Hard," became a cult classic and established his persona as an unironic apostle of positivity and excess. He has released six studio albums through 2021, including God Is Partying, while also maintaining a career as a motivational speaker and public figure.

Another Day Dawns is a hard rock trio from Lehighton, Pennsylvania, founded in 2010 by drummer Nick McGeehan and guitarist Tyler Ritter, with vocalist Dakota McGeehan completing the lineup. Their sound draws on post-grunge and alternative metal, citing influences ranging from Foo Fighters to Avenged Sevenfold, and the band built a regional following through support slots alongside Avatar, Buckcherry, and Cold. Their debut EP, Stranger, was recorded at Dark Horse Studios in Franklin, Tennessee and produced by Joe Rickard.

Art of Anarchy is an American hard rock supergroup formed in 2011, built around brothers Jon and Vince Votta and featuring high-profile rotating vocalists. Their self-titled debut (2015) prominently featured late Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland, though the nature of his involvement was publicly disputed; Scott Stapp of Creed replaced him for the band's second album in 2017. Later lineups brought in Jeff Scott Soto (Sons of Apollo, ex-Journey), alongside guitarist Ron Thal (Bumblefoot, ex-Guns N' Roses) and bassist John Moyer (Disturbed).

Chum formed in Huntington, West Virginia in 1992, founded by vocalist and guitarist John Lancaster and drummer Chuck Nicholas following the dissolution of their previous band Guru Lovechild. The band released their debut album Dead to the World, recorded beginning in November 1995, which circulated in the regional hard rock and heavy metal underground. Their early output also included two self-financed cassette EPs, Postblisstheory and Godgiven, both from 1994.

Edge of Paradise is a Los Angeles-based heavy metal band formed in 2011 by vocalist Margarita Monet and guitarist Dave Bates. Known for blending melodic metal with industrial and classical elements built around Monet's broad vocal range, the band released their debut Mask in 2011 before signing with Napalm Records. They have toured extensively with Lacuna Coil, Symphony X, DragonForce, and Amaranthe, releasing six albums through Prophecy (2025).

Formed in 2005 by cousins Landon Milbourn, Tyler Baker, and Brandon Qualkenbush in tribute to Baker's brother who died that year, Goodbye June relocated from their home state to Nashville, Tennessee in 2009 and built a reputation on a roots-oriented hard rock sound drawing from AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, and the Black Keys. Their 2017 label debut Magic Valley on Interscope was followed by Community Inn and See Where the Night Goes, the latter reaching number one on the UK Rock Chart in 2022. The trio have accumulated over 110 million Spotify streams and contributed music to a national Budweiser campaign.

Gunfire 76 is a side project of Wednesday 13 vocalist Joseph Poole, formed in North Carolina in 2009 alongside guitarist Todd Youth as an outlet for unadorned rock and roll influences including KISS, the New York Dolls, and The Stooges — stripped of the horror themes that define Poole's main act. Their debut album Casualties & Tragedies was released in October 2009, and the project toured the UK and US in its early years. The band represents a more straightforward, glam-inflected rock register distinct from Poole's primary catalog.

Portland, Oregon's Hoaxed formed in 2020 as a dark rock duo of vocalist and guitarist Kat Keo and drummer Kim Coffel, later expanding to a trio with the addition of bassist April Dimmick. Their debut full-length Two Shadows followed in 2022, and the Relapse Records album Death Knocks arrived in 2026, blending gothic rock atmospherics with hard rock melody and metal heaviness. The band draws from a range of influences from classic gothic rock to occult rock, with Keo's vocals and the group's moody dynamics placing them alongside a resurgent wave of dark rock acts.

Formed in 2015, Jim Breuer and the Loud & Rowdy is the musical project of veteran stand-up comedian Jim Breuer, backed by a band featuring producer and guitarist Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and Volbeat. Their 2016 debut Songs from the Garage on Metal Blade Records channels the classic hard rock of AC/DC and Judas Priest, with AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson contributing guest vocals to two tracks on the album.

Kill Devil Hill is an American heavy metal supergroup assembled in 2011, anchored by Pantera bassist Rex Brown and Black Sabbath/Dio drummer Vinny Appice alongside vocalist Dewey Bragg and guitarist Mark Zavon. The band released a self-titled debut in 2012 and Revolution Rise in 2013, drawing on a classic heavy rock template shaped by the members' histories in foundational metal bands. Subsequent lineup changes — including the departure of Appice and later Brown — continued through the band's third album Seas of Oblivion in 2023.

Kings of Mercia is a hard rock supergroup formed in 2021 by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos, whose melodic songwriting found its counterpart in the voice of Steve Overland of British AOR veterans FM. Rounding out the lineup are drummer Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who) and bassist Joey Vera (Armored Saint), giving the project considerable pedigree across classic rock and metal. The band debuted with a self-titled album in 2022 on Metal Blade Records, followed by Battle Scars in 2024.

Denver, Colorado outfit MF Ruckus began in 1997 as a three-chord punk band before evolving into a hard rock and heavy metal act with Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden among their touchstones. Albums including The Dirty Half-Dozen (2013) and Thieves of Thunder (2016) earned the band a loyal regional following and European touring opportunities. Their fourth album The Front Lines of Good Times Vol. I was released in 2023 via Glory or Death Records after the band weathered extensive personal losses and industry setbacks during the pandemic era.

Formed in Red Bank, New Jersey in 1989 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Wyndorf, Monster Magnet helped establish the template for stoner rock with their debut Spine of God (1991) and Superjudge (1993). Their 1998 album Powertrip crossed into mainstream success, earning a gold certification and placing the single Negasonic Teenage Warhead on heavy MTV rotation. Wyndorf remains the sole consistent member across eleven studio albums, and the band is widely credited as one of the genre's founding acts.