Virginia melodic death/groove metal outfit formed in 2022, blending the propulsive groove-centered riffing of American groove metal with the harmonic lead work and dynamic aggression of Scandinavian melodic death metal. A relatively new act in the mid-Atlantic underground, the band channels a homegrown approach to the crossover between these two styles.

Houston's The Tenebrian Machine combine the bone-crushing weight of death metal with groove metal's mid-tempo heaviness and rhythmic lockstep, producing a sound rooted in Houston's strong metal tradition of hard-hitting, riff-forward heaviness. Active since 2016, the band emphasizes sheer physical impact over technicality.

Indianapolis's The Tug Fork River Band have been mining the groove-heavy, swampy end of Southern metal since 2012, delivering thick riffs with a blues-inflected grit. Their name and sound both nod to the working-class river country that runs through Southern and Midwestern American identity.

Atlanta's The Voltage Cult have been fusing groove metal's rhythmic swagger with the slow, toxic heaviness of sludge since 2013 — a combination that gives their riffs both Southern grit and a suffocating, low-end weight.

These Worlds Collide are a Saint Paul, Minnesota thrash and groove metal band active since 2012, channeling the punishing mid-paced stomp of groove metal alongside more frantic thrash passages. They represent the Twin Cities' enduring appetite for heavy, riff-forward metal that hits hard and moves hard.

Formed in 2012 in Lake View, South Carolina, Thirst for Clarity pull from death metal brutality, groove-driven heaviness, and the melodic ambitions of progressive metalcore, building dense, layered songs that resist easy genre labels.

Springfield, Ohio's This Blessed Hatred fuse the mid-tempo chug of groove metal with the high-tension dynamics of metalcore, producing a sound built for impact on both the stage and the pit.

Valparaiso, Indiana's Thorn Fetish has been grinding since 2012 at the intersection of industrial grit, groove-driven stomp, and thrash aggression. The combination makes for a mechanized, hard-hitting sound that draws equally from the caustic pulse of industrial metal and the neck-snapping rhythms of groove and thrash.

Scranton, Pennsylvania outfit formed in 2013 who blend melodic death metal's tunefulness with groove metal's rhythmic heaviness, finding a middle ground between accessibility and brutality that suits the anthemic tendencies of both styles.