Portland stoner metal project whose 2025-2026 releases blend heavy grooves with electronic remix culture. Named after the flowers of the Greek underworld, their New Paradigm album suggests a forward-looking approach to fuzz worship.

Fredericksburg, Virginia black/gothic metal project whose 2012 EP Per Saecula Saeculorum — Latin for 'forever and ever' — blends ecclesiastical grandeur with dark atmospherics from Virginia's historic corridor.

Connecticut gothic metal and melodic death metal project with two EPs from 2007-2008. Surrender the Fire and The Awakening of the Sleeping King blend dark romanticism with Scandinavian melodeath from the Constitution State.

Decatur, Illinois thrash metal project with six releases since 2012. Black Waltz and Feathers & Flesh deliver theatrical, riff-driven metal from central Illinois, building a substantial catalog from the heartland.

Chicago gothic metal veterans with nine releases stretching back to 1993. One of the longest-running underground gothic metal acts in America, their catalog — from the delicate A Delicate Tracery of Red to later works — traces over three decades of darkly beautiful music named after the entrance to the Roman underworld.

Minneapolis project fusing black metal's cold atmosphere with gothic metal's melodic darkness and industrial metal's mechanical, synthetic textures into a multi-layered sound reflecting the upper Midwest.

Frederick, Maryland gothic metal band blending dark, atmospheric arrangements with melodic female-fronted vocals, drawing from the orchestral and melancholic traditions of European gothic metal.

Catatonic from Portland, Michigan plays groove-laden thrash with a heavy, head-nodding mid-tempo sensibility and riff structures that prioritize rhythmic impact. Their sound sits squarely in the Pantera-influenced groove-thrash tradition of the American Midwest.

Cemetary is a heavy metal band from Center Line, Michigan, playing traditional metal with a no-frills Midwest sensibility rooted in classic hard rock and heavy metal, built around clean vocals and mid-tempo riffing.