New York's No More Sorry launched in 2023 sitting squarely at the intersection of groove metal's mid-paced, hip-swinging heaviness and thrash's kinetic aggression — a combination that produces riffs built for maximum physical impact. The groove/thrash hybrid has deep New York roots, and No More Sorry work that lineage with the kind of down-tuned swagger that values the weight of a riff as much as its velocity.

Out of Brookline, New Hampshire, No Thanks have been working a groove-inflected thrash metal sound since 2014 — thick mid-paced riffs punctuated by bursts of speed, with the kind of headbang-ready rhythmic sensibility that sits between Pantera's stomping groove and the classic thrash template. They represent the kind of meat-and-potatoes heavy metal that the New England underground quietly sustains year after year.

Wisconsin's Nobody — a separate entity from their Cincinnati namesake — have been working groove and thrash metal since 2018 with the straightforward muscle that both genres demand. Their sound favors the mid-paced groove over flat-out thrash velocity, building riffs with the kind of density and swing that rewards repeated listening, representing a quietly tenacious corner of the Midwest's underground metal scene.

NoneTheLess hail from Walker, Minnesota — a small town in the lake country of the north-central part of the state — and have been playing groove metal and metalcore since 2016, a combination that emphasizes both body-moving riff patterns and the kind of dynamic vocal delivery metalcore has made central to its identity. There's something characteristically Midwestern about their persistence: a band building a following in a region where metal infrastructure demands patience. Their hybrid sound occupies a well-worn but consistently effective lane where groove and aggression reinforce each other.

Formed in 2022 in Sturgis, Michigan, Nova Blast combine the churning groove of mid-period metal with metalcore's melodic and structural sensibilities, a pairing that suits the band's direct, hard-hitting approach. Young but focused, they represent the next wave of Midwest metal — bands building identity in smaller cities far from the conventional scenes.

Hailing from Madison, Indiana, Nyraevra merge melodic death metal's harmonic bite with the mid-paced, rhythmically dominant feel of groove metal, carving out a niche that favors riff momentum over pure aggression. Formed in 2018, the band brings a methodical approach to extreme metal that suits the Midwestern underground.

Bristol, Tennessee's Omega Tribe fuse groove metal's rhythmic punch with thrash's velocity, staking out a sound that's heavy without sacrificing momentum. Since 2017, they've represented the Appalachian end of the Southern metal underground with swagger and force.

The Bronx's Omen Faculty bring industrial metal's mechanical menace and groove metal's locked-in rhythmic attack to New York City's hardened underground. Since 2011, they've been fusing electronic texture with metal muscle in a way that feels entirely native to the city's relentless energy.

Los Angeles groove/thrash act Outbreak formed in 2013, channeling the city's long history of punishing metal into a sound built on syncopated riffs and relentless momentum. They fuse the groove metal's locked-in low-end swagger with thrash's forward aggression, a combination that hits hard in a live setting. The LA underground has been their training ground.

Based in Apex, North Carolina, Outliar have been pumping out groove metal since 2018 with a focus on locked-in riffs and driving rhythmic intensity. The name's deliberate misspelling signals a band that operates just outside the expected norm — close enough to groove metal's conventions to hit hard, different enough to keep it interesting. A tight unit with serious momentum.

Pittsburgh's Overdrive formed in 2016 at the intersection of heavy, groove, and thrash metal, channeling the Steel City's blue-collar tenacity into a multi-faceted approach to riff-driven music. They draw from three decades of metal tradition without fixating on a single era, letting the song determine whether the groove or the thrash takes precedence. A versatile outfit with serious Pittsburgh credibility.

Santa Clarita's Pain Catalyst fuse groove-heavy riffs with thrash velocity, arriving at a punishing sound rooted in the heavier side of California metal. Formed in 2022, they channel mechanical precision and physical aggression into tightly wound songs.

Holland, Ohio's Paradoxicide channel the neck-snapping rhythmic punch of groove metal and the relentless velocity of thrash into a combined assault since 2021. Their sound is direct and hard-hitting, built for stages rather than headphones.

Madison, Wisconsin's Plant have been sowing stoner groove since 2007, rooting their sound in thick mid-paced riffs and a low-end rumble that owes as much to swamp rock as it does to metal. Unhurried, heavy, and deliberately earthy.

From Saint Marys, Ohio, PolyCrisis weave groove metal's mid-tempo pound together with stoner rock's fuzz and swagger, arriving at something heavy enough for the pit but wide-eyed enough for the couch. Formed in 2023, they're a small-town answer to a question nobody was asking — and the answer turns out to be pretty satisfying.