Wilmington, Delaware's Murzer X arrived in 2019 with a groove metal approach built on thick, syncopated riffs and a hard-hitting rhythmic foundation. Their sound sits in the tradition of mid-90s groove metal, updated for a contemporary audience in the small-but-active Delaware metal scene.

Tampa, Florida's Must Not Kill draw from thrash metal's aggression, metalcore's melodic bite, and groove metal's hip-swinging heaviness to construct a modern extreme sound with broad appeal. Formed in 2015, they represent the Tampa Bay area's continued tradition of productive metal hybridization.

Pearsall, Texas's Mute TX formed in 2022 playing groove and heavy metal from a small ranching town in South Texas, channeling working-class grit into a sound built on down-tuned riffs and hard-driving rhythms. Their presence demonstrates that Texas metal has roots in places far beyond the major metro areas.

Minneapolis's Myiasis, active since 2019, merges the neck-snapping groove of groove metal with the aggression and structural intensity of metalcore, delivering a sound built on churning mid-tempo heaviness and rhythmic punch.

Petaluma, California's Mythborn formed in 2016 and blend progressive and groove metal with a focus on rhythmic complexity and dynamic range — technically ambitious without losing the punchy, physicality that groove metal demands, drawing from the Bay Area's broad-minded metal heritage.