North Sea Echoes is a collaborative ambient rock and progressive metal project formed by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos and vocalist Ray Alder. Their debut album Really Good Terrible Things was released in February 2024 via Metal Blade Records, presenting a quieter and more introspective sound than either musician's primary band, with moody, atmospheric compositions augmented by drummer Gunnar Olsen of Puscifer on selected tracks. The project represents a deliberate step away from the heavier progressive metal framework of Fates Warning in favor of subdued texture and emotional directness.

Nova Collective is a progressive metal and jazz fusion project founded in 2014 in Raleigh, North Carolina, by Dan Briggs of Between the Buried and Me and Richard Henshall of Haken, alongside drummer Matt Lynch and keyboardist Pete Jones. Their 2017 debut The Further Side on Metal Blade Records showcased intricate, fusion-informed compositions that drew on progressive rock, jazz, and world music without leaning on extreme metal aggression. The project stands as a showcase for instrumental musicianship among players already established in the progressive metal world.

Nuclear Power Trio is an instrumental progressive metal band from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2017 by Greg Burgess, Nick Schendzielos, and Pete Webber. The band performs in character as caricatures of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, framing technically demanding, often comedically titled instrumental compositions within a satirical conceit. Albums including A Clear and Present Rager and Wet Ass Plutonium (2023) demonstrate genuine instrumental facility beneath the high-concept presentation.