Intricate Progressive Metal / Rock, Shred out of Texas.

Columbus guitarist Rob Johnson has been developing his craft since 2009 at the crossroads of neoclassical shred and progressive metal, where technical velocity meets compositional ambition. His solo work draws on the lineage of players like Malmsteen and Petrucci but filters it through a distinctly contemporary sensibility focused on melodic clarity alongside precision.

Miami guitarist and bandleader Rodrigo Herrera launched this project in 2023 at the intersection of progressive and groove metal, drawing on South Florida's rich Latin musical culture and fusing it with the polyrhythmic complexity of progressive metal and the locked-in heaviness of groove. It's a project defined by instrumental sophistication and a clear sense of rhythmic identity.

Technical progressive metal solo project from San Antonio.

San Francisco's Rubicon has been refining a progressive and power metal hybrid since 2015, drawing on the Bay Area's rich technical metal heritage while reaching for the soaring, melodic ambition that defines the power metal tradition. Their music balances intricate composition with driving, anthemic energy.

Illinois act Ruby Rockatansky, formed in 2022 and named after a Mad Max character, combines the complex song structures of progressive metal with the raw momentum of thrash — a nervy, cinematic take on both genres that leans into tension and velocity in equal measure.

Epic Progressive / Power Metal from Austin.

Palmdale, California's Ryan Wolanski is a one-person project weaving together symphonic orchestration, progressive complexity, and metalcore's melodic aggression into a densely layered solo output since 2017.

Rêx Mündi is an American black metal project operating since 2011, drawing on the rawness and esoteric atmosphere that define the genre's underground tradition, with an identity rooted more in concept than geography.