Hardcore has a long tradition of side projects from people who made their names somewhere else, and The Barbarians of California might be the least likely of the current crop. It's Aaron Bruno, the voice of AWOLNATION, fronting a punk-and-metal band drawn largely from his own circle: guitarists Eric Stenman and Zach Irons, drummer Linden Reed, and bassist David Amezcua. Founding drummer Isaac Carpenter has since moved on to Guns N' Roses.
Their debut, And Now I'm Just Gnashing My Teeth, came out in 2024, and MEGATONS followed in 2026. Bruno told Rock Sound the band's spirit owes something to the Dead Kennedys, alongside his love of Sepultura and Slayer, and that sarcasm and humor have become his new heavy. They've already worked arenas on a Deftones tour, opened a four-band bill with Converge and Poison the Well, and opened for Guns N' Roses in Florida.