Taking their name from H.P. Lovecraft's dreaming fortress, Gates of Kadath traffic in black/death metal that feels suitably cosmic and malevolent. Formed in 2019 with no fixed location on record, they carry the air of something deliberately obscure.

Boston's Gates of Ruin deliver a punishing strain of death metal with the tight, practiced ferocity you'd expect from a band steeped in New England's underground scene. Active since 2020, they've wasted little time building a reputation for density and aggression.

Minnesota's Gates of Sanity play thrash metal that's direct, relentless, and clearly shaped by the genre's early '90s second wave — no frills, just tight riffs and propulsive rhythm work. Formed in 2020, they keep the old flame burning in the cold northern underground.

From Plainview in the Texas Panhandle, Gates of Sodom have been battering out old-school death metal since 2020, drawing on the genre's foundational filth and brutality without reinventing the wheel. Uncompromisingly blunt and committed to the craft.

Louisville, Kentucky's Gates to Hell bridge the gap between death metal's brutality and metalcore's rhythmic aggression, a combination that hits hard in live settings. Formed in 2021, they bring a confrontational energy rooted in the Ohio Valley's hardcore tradition.

Columbus, Ohio's Gates to the Abyss fuse blackened venom with melodic death metal's harmonic depth, resulting in a sound that's simultaneously punishing and richly textured. Since forming in 2017, they've developed one of the more nuanced takes on the blackened melodeath hybrid.

San Francisco's Gateways inhabit a singular space where progressive death metal collides with neoclassical shred, resulting in technically fearsome music that refuses to sit still. Since forming in 2011, they've pushed the limits of what guitar-driven extreme metal can absorb.

Gath is a death metal project of unclear geographic origin, shrouded in a deliberate obscurity that suits the biblical darkness of the name. Their Bandcamp presence under the handle 'gathsmane' hints at a conceptual depth that runs beneath the brutality.

Los Angeles's Gauntlet play heavy metal with a hard rock swagger, leaning into classic tones and direct songwriting since their 2022 formation. Unpretentious and built for volume, they carry the spirit of the Sunset Strip's heavier end.