Columbus, Ohio's Cultists work within the death/doom tradition, building heavy, suffocating compositions that balance the slow crawl of classic doom with the brutality of death metal. The Ohio band operates independently, adding to a Columbus extreme metal scene that has produced some of the most punishing underground acts in the Midwest.

Herndon, Virginia's Cultum Draculesti are a duo devoted to vampyric black/doom metal that prioritizes slow, doomish tempos and an atmosphere of Gothic darkness over raw aggression. Formed in 2020 from the ashes of Spinster City, their self-titled 2021 debut established a sound of atmospheric rawness steeped in mythology, death, and darkened beauty.

Sacramento's Cura Cochino — Spanish for 'dirty priest' — are a husband-and-wife doom act whose morbid, Black Sabbath-rooted sound is transported into Baja California when vocalist Priscila sings in Spanish and unleashes grito Mexicano howls over grinding, funeral-weight riffs. Their doom en español is something singular in the American metal landscape.

Jackson, Tennessee's Curmudgeon describe their music as 'hermit metal,' a self-aware tag for their idiosyncratic mix of doom, stoner heaviness, and grindcore brevity that resists easy categorization. Active since 2006, the Tennessee outliers built a small but devoted following by doing exactly as they pleased in the middle of nowhere.

Connecticut doom and stoner metal duo from East Haven conjuring massive, fuzz-laden riffs and meditative heaviness. Curse the Son operates in the tradition of sleep-deprived, riff-worship doom with hypnotic repetition.

Detroit death metal band trading in straightforward brutality and no-frills aggression. Cursed draws on the Motor City's rich extreme metal tradition with punishing riffs and guttural vocals.

San Antonio doom and stoner metal band built on crushing, fuzz-soaked riffs and a deliberate slow-burn approach. Cursus navigates desert-heavy sonic territory with the patient, enveloping weight of Texas stone and heat.

Kingston, New Hampshire band fusing black metal coldness with the lumbering weight of doom, crafting bleak and heavy soundscapes. Cuspian brings a rural New England grimness to music built on extremity and atmosphere.

Youngstown, Ohio doom and stoner metal band spelling out heaviness in a deliberately obscured name as raw and slow as their riffs. CVTTVNMVVTH drags through cavernous, fuzz-drenched dirges from the Rust Belt underground.

Columbia, Missouri band blending doom metal's lumbering weight, groove metal's mid-tempo punch, and classic heavy metal riffing. Cyanigma crafts a heavy, rolling sound rooted in the riff-first traditions of American metal.

Seattle doom, post-metal, and sludge metal band crafting expansive, heavy soundscapes rooted in desolation and slow-building tension. Cycles of the Damned draws from the Pacific Northwest's introspective and heavy musical heritage.

Dallas doom and sludge metal band anchored in crushing mid-paced heaviness and a dark, suffocating atmosphere. Cynical delivers the kind of slow, heavy punishment that defines Texas sludge.

Philadelphia doom and sludge metal band named after the Marvel Comics entity, channeling unstoppable crushing weight into slow, enveloping heaviness. Cyttorak builds its sound on feedback-drenched riffs and the kind of slow-motion brutality that defines sludge.

Bismarck, Arkansas doom and stoner metal band conjuring fuzz-soaked heaviness from the rural South. Czarus leans into the slow, meditative power of stoner doom with riffs built for maximum amplifier worship.

Arlington, Texas's Daemora fuses doom metal's crushing, slow-burning weight with death metal's sepulchral menace, arriving at something that feels genuinely heavy rather than merely loud. Since 2017 they've carved a niche in the Metroplex's underground built on patience and density.