Chicago's Morningstar have been working the black/death metal corridor since 2015, drawing on the Windy City's storied underground to craft music that channels infernal aggression with the coldly atmospheric darkness the genre demands.

Brand new in 2025, Eureka, Missouri's Mosterhaven practice raw atmospheric black metal with folk underpinnings, their debut effort immediately pointing toward windswept, nature-worshipping extremity with an unpolished, DIY conviction.

Bucks County, Pennsylvania's Mountain Shadow are a newly formed (2024) project spanning an unusually wide stylistic range — atmospheric black metal, folk metal, death metal, doom, and death-doom — suggesting a band intent on using the full palette of extreme metal rather than settling into a single lane. The project's scope and ambition make it one of the more intriguing recent arrivals in the Pennsylvania underground.

East Hampton, Connecticut's Murked arrived in 2023 with an atmospheric black metal approach that draws on New England's grey skies and dense forests for its oppressive, enveloping sound. The project inhabits the more expansive, textural wing of black metal, favoring mood over pure aggression.

A New York-based project founded in 2014, Myrkur weaves atmospheric black metal with folk and post-metal textures, layering ethereal vocals over icy tremolo riffs and acoustic passages to create a sound that is both harrowing and hauntingly beautiful.

Oregon's Møllehøj have cultivated an atmospheric black metal sound since 2012, taking their name from a Danish term and drawing on the genre's ambient, landscape-evoking qualities. The project is among the longer-running acts in the Pacific Northwest's underground black metal community.

Drawing from the landscape and isolation of the Ozarks, Mørk Hest craft atmospheric black metal that feels rooted in the dense, ancient terrain of the interior United States since 2018. The Norwegian-inflected name — meaning dark horse — suits the project's desolate and brooding aesthetic.