Oklahoma City metalcore project. The absent — lost or disappeared — channeled through aggressive music.

Memphis thrash metal project from the Tennessee underground.

Manchester, New Hampshire extreme metal project with an eclectic approach since 2020. Their split with Blu Anxxiety and a Black Sabbath cover of Black Hole Sun reveal a band drawing from multiple corners of heavy music, united by raw intensity.

Anatomy of Habit is a Chicago post-metal and doom collective formed in 2008 by vocalist Mark Solotroff and guitarist Alex Latus, blending post-metal, sludge, post-punk, death-rock, and drone influences into extended, atmospheric compositions. The band released their debut on their own before issuing Ciphers + Axioms in 2014 on Relapse Records, followed by Even If It Takes a Lifetime (2021) and Black Openings (2023). Their sound is notably slow and enveloping, drawing from industrial and experimental traditions as much as from metal.

Los Angeles doom metal project plumbing the depths of darkness since 2014. Four releases including Devoured by Darkness and The Haunting Despair deliver crushing, morbid doom that channels LA's long history of occult heavy music.

West Palm Beach doom metal crew conjuring ocean-heavy riffs since 2013. Three releases including A Curse Unspoken and Rising Toward Reflection build a catalog of nautical-tinged doom that feels uniquely Floridian — sun-bleached and salt-corroded.

Sterling, Virginia doom metal project whose deliberately misspelled name and 2011 EP Pilot... Chariot... hint at the cosmic mysticism driving their sound. Heavy, deliberate riffs suggesting extraterrestrial origins for humanity's heaviest music.

Indianapolis doom metal project with a prolific six-release catalog since 2020. From their self-titled debut through multiple live recordings and splits, they've established themselves as a cornerstone of Indiana's heavy underground, dealing in the kind of slow, crushing riffs that make time feel irrelevant.

Chicago doom and heavy metal project whose 2013 single MMXIII conjures visions of classic Candlemass and Black Sabbath worship. A nod to the genre's oldest traditions from a city that has always appreciated heavy music at its most elemental.