Springfield, Missouri's Copulatory Wounding operate in the slam death metal zone, delivering the genre's signature rhythmic brutality and guttural vocal performances with full commitment to the form. Their sound is suffocatingly heavy, built for the underground pit rather than the mainstream.

St. Charles, Missouri's Corax take black metal's foundational elements — cold atmospheres, raw production, and relentless misanthropic energy — and channel them from the Missouri underground with uncompromising fidelity to the genre's spirit. Their work is bleak and unadorned.

Long Island's Cordectomy deliver brutal death metal from Smithtown with the unrelenting bluntness the genre demands — dense riffing, guttural vocals, and a singular commitment to heaviness over technique. They're a strong entry in New York's ferocious brutal death underground.

Denver's Cordyceps take their name from the parasitic fungus and craft brutal death metal that feels appropriately invasive and overwhelming — a thick, suffocating mass of down-tuned riffs and percussive extremity. Their Colorado-based attack brings high-altitude force to low-end brutality.

Fort Worth death metal outfit delivering punishing riffs and guttural aggression rooted in the Texas underground. Their sound draws on old-school brutality with a modern edge.

Petaluma's Cormorant blend black and death metal with folk textures and progressive ambition across sweeping, literary-minded albums. They are one of the most ambitious DIY metal acts in the American underground.

Salt Lake City act fusing melodic death metal sensibilities with thrash aggression and brutal death metal weight. Their sound is fast, hook-laden, and relentlessly intense.

Aurora, Illinois outfit blending doom and traditional heavy metal into crushing, atmosphere-laden compositions. Expect thick riffs and a dark, vintage heaviness.

Long Island brutal death metal band bringing medically-themed gore and grinding intensity to the New York underground. Their music is dense, fast, and unrelentingly brutal.