Supergroup A-Z returns with their sophomore album ‘A2Z2‘ out on June 6th, 2025 via Metal Blade Records. Started by legendary drummer Mark Zonder (Fates Warning, Warlord) and along with former Fates Warning bandmate Ray Alder on vocals, ‘A2Z2‘ reaches a new level from their stunning debut in 2022.
Alongside Mark Zonder and Ray Alder are guitarist Nick Van Dyk (Redemption), bassist Philip Bynoe (Steve Vai/Ring of Fire/Warlord), Italian guitarist Simone Mularoni (A2Z2 mixing/mastering, DGM, Empyrios) and keyboard player James Waldo (Alcatrazz/New England).
This time around, A-Z break new ground adding some progressive elements into the writing while maintaining in-your-face riffs and memorable melodies.
The album opener “Fire Away” is a hard-hitting tune that features a melodic but aggressive vocal performance with an anthemic chorus that gives way to the song “Running in Place”, which is chock full of melody and vocal harmonies.
Track 3 “Nothing is Over” is the first single on the album and truly represents the entire album perfectly. It’s heavy and ballsy and probably features Alder’s nastiest vocal performance in his career!
The next song “A Wordless Prison” is easily my favorite on the album. It has a beautiful slow intro giving way to a killer bass line and then explodes into some pretty metallic riffage, and once again a killer chorus and an amazing solo section.
The next track “The Remedy” is another potential single and one of my personal faves with one of the best choruses on the entire album. There are some pretty odd time signatures in the verses but still staying focused. Also keep an ear out for the bridge melodies before the solo section—just mind-blowing!
“Reaching Out” keeps the album flowing perfectly, showcasing mid-tempo rhythms giving way to a heavy bass section. This could have easily been the second single on the album, but instead they released “I Am Numb”, which is another representative album track. The chorus might be the most addictive on the album as I find myself singing this randomly throughout the day.
The next track “This Chaotic Symphony” is my second favorite on the album, demonstrating angelic vocals and chock full of dynamics with some of the heaviest riffs on the album as well. This is without a doubt a standout song.
“Learning to Fly”, being the second to last song on the album, shows no sign of the band running out of fresh ideas and actually reminds me of something Ray Alder might do if this was on an Engine album (one of Ray’s previous solo projects)—and oh yeah, features a blistering guitar solo as well.
The album closes out nicely with “Now I Walk Away”, which has a slow intro and is definitely more of a melancholic power ballad that Ray bleeds his heart out on.
To wrap this up, ‘A2Z2’ is a complete masterpiece that blends melodic hard rock with progressive metal and truly demonstrates that the band are true veterans of their craft and are showing no signs of slowing down.
Where do they go from here? I don’t know, but I guarantee A-Z are merely scratching the surface of their overall potential. I can only dream of seeing them perform these songs live and what an experience it would be. Stay tuned as I feel the best is still yet to come—if you can believe that!
Rating: 9/10
A2Z2 Tracklist:
1. Fire Away 4:37
2. Running in Place 4:58
3. Nothing is Over 4:18
4. A Wordless Prison 6:04
5. Reaching Out 4:16
6. The Remedy 5:06
7. I Am Numb 4:03
8. This Chaotic Symphony 5:10
9. Learning to Fly 4:38
10. Now I Walk Away 5:39
A-Z lineup:
Ray Alder – Lead and Backing Vocals
Philip Bynoe – Bass Guitar
Nick Van Dyk – Guitars
Simone Mularoni – Lead Guitars
Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards
Mark Zonder – Drums
A-Z Online
https://www.a-zband.com
https://www.facebook.com/AthruZBand
https://x.com/AthruZBand
https://www.instagram.com/athruzband
