Kansas City, Missouri's SavageLand blend Southern swagger, down-tuned groove, and stoner weight into a dense, road-worn sound that has been developing since 2012. The trio's approach sits at the intersection of sludged-out Southern metal and Pantera-style groove, heavy enough to shake rafters and slow enough to let every riff breathe.

Chicago's Sawdoff arrived in 2025 with a crossover thrash approach built for the pit — the kind of music that owes equal debts to D.R.I. and Pantera, with groove metal's punch layered under thrash metal's speed and the DIY ethos of hardcore crossover. Brand new to the scene, they're already positioned squarely in Chicago's heavy underground tradition.

Champaign, Illinois's Scathe work the intersection of heavy, groove, and thrash metal — a power trio approach built on thick midrange riffs, driving rhythms, and the kind of blue-collar intensity that characterizes the Illinois college-town underground. Formed in 2015, they share only a name (and possibly a Bandcamp handle) with their Pennsylvania counterpart, carving out their own identity through sheer riff tonnage.

Huntsville, Alabama's Sciatica fuse sludge metal's oppressive low-end with groove metal's punishing rhythmic impact under the fitting banner of "pain metal" — their Bandcamp handle makes the ethos explicit. Formed in 2020 in the Rocket City, they bring the South's tradition of miserable, crushing heaviness to a city more often associated with aerospace than agony.

Green Bay, Wisconsin's Scofflaw emerged in 2021 with a sound that fuses the hip-swinging momentum of groove metal with the tightly coiled aggression of metalcore. Their riffs land with a blunt physicality — chugging patterns that lock into a pocket before snapping into breakdowns — while the vocals shift between barked hardcore cadence and abrasive screams. For a young band out of Wisconsin's frozen flatlands, they arrived with a surprisingly seasoned sense of tension and release.

please update this band

please update this band

please update this band

Second Shooter arrived in Los Angeles in 2023 bringing a groove metal approach that prioritizes rhythmic punch and low-end brutality over melodic concession. As a newer entry into the LA metal scene, they've established themselves quickly with a direct, no-frills heaviness built around the kind of locked-in riff patterns that make groove metal compelling at its core. The name suggests a band comfortable playing the supporting role — until they're the main event.

Des Moines's Second Side have been navigating the space between thrash aggression, groove-metal momentum, and alternative metal experimentation since 2015. The Iowa trio's approach resists easy categorization — the thrash instincts keep things sharp and forward-moving, while the alternative influences introduce texture and dynamics that prevent the sound from calcifying into formula. They're a product of the Midwest DIY underground where versatility is a survival trait.

Formed in 2025 out of Gilroy, California, Serpent and the Sun drive a groove-heavy thrash metal sound rooted in riff-forward aggression and thick rhythmic punch — a brand-new presence in the Bay Area's deep-rooted thrash tradition.

A groove metal outfit from Littleton, New Hampshire, Shadow Moses have been delivering thick, punishing riffs and locked-in rhythms since 2016. Their approach favors the bulldozing mid-tempo stomp that defines the genre, honed in a small-city scene that demands directness.

New York's Shadow of Demise have been at it since 2006, fusing the groove-forward chug of groove metal with outright death metal brutality into a sound that's both punishing and propulsive. Their long tenure gives them a road-worn authority that newer bands are still working toward.

Martinsville, Virginia's Shadows Within have been blending groove metal's rhythmic stomp with metalcore's intensity since 2011, carving out a sound rooted in the Southern region's blue-collar hard rock tradition. Their approach leans on heavy, mid-tempo riffing anchored by metalcore dynamics and a songwriting sensibility honed over more than a decade of regional activity.

Denver's Shard have been building their groove metal sound since 2020, channeling the genre's signature syncopated heaviness into the Colorado scene's increasingly diverse heavy music landscape. Their music sits in the thick-riffed, head-down groove tradition — built for momentum and physical impact.