project 86's music is characterized by heavy rock and schwab's "loud, eerie, and atmospheric" vocal style. their sound has been likened to rock groups helmet, rage against the machine, and tool. the adjective "intense" has frequently been used as a description. rick anderson of allmusic called the music "dense and crunchy", while "albuquerque journal" writer ron gonzales declared it a "blisteringly heavy sound." commenting on their musical style, schwab said, "our goal as a band has been to never make the same record twice. the only rule is that there are no rules. if there is a rule, it's that we try not to over-think things, that the music that comes out is honest and real, spontaneous and from our heart."