Easton, Maryland black metal project with five releases since 2014. Their catalog — from early raw works to the more polished Influencing Machine in 2024 — traces a decade of evolution from the Eastern Shore, an unlikely outpost for atmospheric black metal on the Chesapeake Bay.

Lexington black metal project from the Kentucky underground.

Watertown, Massachusetts black metal project whose 2013 EP Bedroom Songs strips the genre to its most intimate and vulnerable. The ellipsis in the name and the domestic setting of the title suggest a deeply personal approach to extreme music.

Black metal project that migrated from Raleigh to Columbus, Ohio. Their 2020 debut features a Greek-language title — The Forbidden Carnival — hinting at Mediterranean literary influences channeled through American black metal.

Minnesota black metal project whose 2023 EP Resplendent Apparitions at the Dawn trades in atmospheric, nature-obsessed black metal. The lush title contradicts the genre's usual bleakness, suggesting a more transcendent vision of extremity.

North Carolina black metal project shrouded in anonymity. Named after the genus of geese — an unusual choice for black metal — their single untitled release offers nothing but the music itself.

Black metal project that began in Los Angeles before relocating to Plainfield, Connecticut. Their debut Through the Burning Glass and a live recording from KXLU radio showcase a band comfortable in both studio and live settings, carrying West Coast black metal aesthetics to New England.

Bradenton, Florida black metal and hardcore punk hybrid delivering caustic extremity since 2021. Three EPs including the politically charged Prescribed Burning blend crust punk urgency with black metal atmosphere from the Gulf Coast.

Danville, California deathcore and grindcore pioneers with roots stretching back to 1998. Six releases across a decade make them one of the earliest American deathcore acts, predating the genre's mainstream breakthrough from the East Bay suburbs.

Eugene, Oregon black metal entity whose 2015 self-titled EP channels the Pacific Northwest's primeval forests into raw atmospheric extremity. A single statement of intent from the Willamette Valley underground.

New York City black metal project with six releases since 2022, including modular synthesis sample packs that blur the line between metal and electronic experimentation. Named after the red supergiant star, their music reflects a cosmic ambition rare in the underground.

Paramount black metal project from the California underground.

Raleigh/Cary, North Carolina death metal and progressive project named after the second ring of the ninth circle of Hell in Dante's Inferno. Their 2018 debut Horrors channels literary horror through technically accomplished extreme metal from the Research Triangle.

Ypsilanti, Michigan black metal project with a prolific seven-release catalog since 2013. From self-titled EPs to splits, they've built a substantial body of atmospheric black metal from the fringes of the Detroit metro area, their invented name adding to the enigmatic presentation.

New York black metal project.