Connecticut's Exhortation have been hammering out uncompromising death metal since 2016, channeling the region's underground intensity into punishing, riff-forward compositions. Their approach is rooted in classic death metal craft — no frills, no concessions, just dense and purposeful brutality.

Toms River, New Jersey's Eye of Anubis have been refining their melodic death/groove metal hybrid since 2013, built around Egyptian mythology and punishing mid-tempo riffing. They pull the melodic death metal template toward heavier, more grooving territory — anthemic without sacrificing weight.