Chaos Theory is a groove metal and hardcore band from Bordentown, New Jersey that formed in the mid-1990s and was part of the state's robust metallic hardcore scene during that era. The band drew on the collision of groove metal heaviness and hardcore intensity that defined much of the New Jersey underground at the time.

Indiana's Charybdis forge a hybrid of death metal, groove, and hardcore that refuses easy categorization, with the visceral directness of punk bleeding into extreme metal's more crushing textures. Their sound has a blunt, functional brutality that suits the unpretentious character of the Midwestern underground.

Yakima, Washington's Chokeout fuses groove metal's locking rhythms with hardcore's aggressive directness, creating a sound that is both heavy and kinetic from the Pacific Northwest's agricultural heartland. Their music is physical and combative, built for the pit.

Washington grindcore project Choking Sands tear through material with hardcore ferocity and grind economy, leaving little room for breath between blasts. Short, sharp, and relentless.

Roanoke's Choose to Suffer collide black metal venom with hardcore aggression and thrash momentum, producing a chaotic and combative hybrid. Virginia underground at its most unruly.

Indiana brutal death and slam act Chop Shop lean into the most grotesque corners of the genre, combining pummeling slam breakdowns with hardcore-inflected brutality. Unsubtle and intentionally so.

Philadelphia's Chopped Up blend death metal violence with grind efficiency and hardcore swagger, keeping things fast and ugly in the tradition of Philly's combative underground. Short and brutal.

Razor-sharp Crossover / Hardcore / Thrash Metal out of Texas.

Hailing from the small western Massachusetts city of North Adams, Clot operate in the crosshairs of death metal and hardcore. Their stripped-down aggression fits naturally into the tradition of brutal New England underground bands.