3 is an American progressive rock and metal band formed in Woodstock, New York in 1994 by guitarist and vocalist Joey Eppard, his brother Josh Eppard on drums, and bassist Chris Bittner. The band built a reputation through intensive touring, including dates supporting Porcupine Tree, and signed with Metal Blade Records, releasing The End Is Begun in 2007 and The Ghost You Gave to Me in 2011. Their music blends melodic hard rock with progressive architecture and introspective lyricism, placing them alongside acts like Coheed and Cambria in the American progressive rock underground.

OSI (Office of Strategic Influence) was an American progressive rock and metal project formed in 2002 by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos and ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore, who described their aim as bridging progressive metal and electronica — two genres he called 'almost natural enemies.' The project released four studio albums — Office of Strategic Influence (2003), Free (2006), Blood (2009), and Fire Make Thunder (2012, Metal Blade Records) — featuring rotating contributors including Mike Portnoy and Gavin Harrison on drums. OSI operated largely as a remote studio collaboration, with members tracking material independently before coming together for final assembly.

Thomas Giles is the solo project of Tommy Giles Rogers Jr., vocalist and keyboardist for progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me, who has used the alias to explore territory incompatible with his main band's aesthetic. Pulse (2011) on Metal Blade Records launched the project formally, followed by Modern Noise (2014), Velcro Kid (2016), and Don't Touch the Outside (2018), each drawing on electronic music, synth-pop, and experimental rock over increasingly pure departures from metal. Rogers has described the project as a space for material that cannot fit within Between the Buried and Me, giving it a deliberately open-ended, genre-agnostic character.

Trioscapes formed in Greensboro, North Carolina in 2011 around the axis of Between the Buried and Me bassist Dan Briggs, saxophonist Walter Fancourt, and drummer Matt Lynch. The trio plays instrumental music that draws equally from the Mahavishnu Orchestra, King Crimson, and Return to Forever, filtering jazz fusion through a post-metal sensibility. Their debut Separate Realities (2012) and follow-up Digital Dream Sequence were both released on Metal Blade Records.

Tuesday the Sky is a solo project launched in 2016 by Jim Matheos, guitarist and primary composer for progressive metal band Fates Warning. The project produces largely instrumental music that draws from ambient, post-rock, and electronica — citing influences such as Brian Eno, Boards of Canada, and Explosions in the Sky — and stands in marked contrast to Matheos's heavier main band work. Three albums have been released: Drift (2017), The Blurred Horizon (2021), and Indoor Enthusiast (2025), all through Metal Blade Records.

Zombi is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania instrumental duo formed in 2001, consisting of Steve Moore on bass and synthesizers and Anthony Paterra on drums. Drawing from the horror-soundtrack work of Goblin and John Carpenter alongside the progressive ambitions of Tangerine Dream and Rush, they construct dense, synthesizer-driven space rock using only analog electronics and a rhythm section. Their catalog includes multiple critically regarded albums across Relapse Records and their own imprint, with Cosmos (2004) and Surface to Air (2009) standing among their most acclaimed works. The band is widely credited with reviving interest in the intersection of progressive rock and analog synth horror music.