Out of Dunn, North Carolina, Fall River Massacre blends groove metal's rhythmic stomp with metalcore's structural urgency, a combination they've been refining since 2013. The result is a sound designed for heavy rotation at regional fests — thick, accessible, and hard-hitting.

Dallas groove metal crew Fallen South have been a fixture in the North Texas scene since 2012, delivering the heavy mid-tempo stomp that makes groove metal ideal for loud rooms and unforgiving PA systems. Their name nods to their Southern roots while the music delivers all the head-down, locked-in weight the region demands.

Livermore, California's Falling to Pieces have been blending thrash aggression with groove metal's rhythmic muscle since 2007, part of the Bay Area's remarkably durable tradition of heavy guitar-driven bands. Nearly two decades in, they continue refining a formula that keeps the energy high and the riffs heavy.

Portland, Oregon's Fantasmagoria has been thrashing since 2001, making them one of the Pacific Northwest's longer-running outfits in the genre. Two-plus decades in, they continue to champion the speed and aggression that drew them to metal in the first place.

Aurora, Illinois's Far Under blends groove metal's rhythmic momentum with metalcore's structural intensity, active since 2019. The Chicago suburb has quietly produced a band that leans into heaviness with both fists.