Catatonic from Portland, Michigan plays groove-laden thrash with a heavy, head-nodding mid-tempo sensibility and riff structures that prioritize rhythmic impact. Their sound sits squarely in the Pantera-influenced groove-thrash tradition of the American Midwest.

Catch 22 is an Ohio act from Marietta blending heavy metal, power metal, and thrash in a melodic yet aggressive style. Soaring vocals, twin guitar harmonies, and driving rhythms define their sound.

Category 7 is a Los Angeles heavy metal and thrash band delivering a high-energy mix of crunching riffs, muscular rhythms, and a melodic edge that draws from both classic metal and the American power-thrash tradition.

Severn, Maryland one-man heavy/speed/thrash metal project delivering tightly wound riffs and driving rhythms rooted in the classic metal tradition.

Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan heavy/thrash metal band blending traditional heavy metal groove and power with the speed and bite of classic thrash.

Austin one-man instrumental metal project by David Menendez ranging freely across thrash, doom, black, and progressive metal, treating each release as a genre-spanning compositional exercise.

Auburn, New Hampshire traditional heavy metal band drawing from the classic early-1980s American metal and NWOBHM blueprint, emphasizing melody, power, and unadorned song craft.

Oakland heavy metal band rooted in traditional metal songwriting and hard-rocking riff craft, drawing from the deep well of classic American and British heavy metal.

Celestial Tide from Frederick plays melodic, earnest heavy metal and power metal with a focus on strong hooks, clean vocal harmonies, and polished twin guitar arrangements that recall the classic American power metal tradition. Their Maryland roots place them in a region with a long tradition of melodic metal.

Celestial Wizard from Denver blends the occult heaviness of death metal with the anthemic grandeur of power metal and traditional heavy metal, producing a theatrical and heavy sound with equal parts brutality and melody. Colorado's high-altitude isolation lends the material a cosmic, expansive quality.

Cell-13 from Albuquerque combines the slow, oppressive weight of doom metal with the gritty, blues-influenced heaviness of traditional heavy metal, rooted in the Sabbathian tradition filtered through the desert Southwest. Their sound is measured and heavy, built on massive riff cycles and a smoldering atmosphere.

Celtica is a heavy metal band from New York, working in a melodic traditional style rooted in classic 1980s American and European heavy metal, with hook-forward songwriting built around clean vocals and crunching mid-tempo riffs.

Cement Head is a doom and progressive metal band from Boulder, Colorado, combining the slow, heavy riff cycles of traditional doom with progressive arrangements and dynamic range drawn from classic heavy metal.

Cemetary is a heavy metal band from Center Line, Michigan, playing traditional metal with a no-frills Midwest sensibility rooted in classic hard rock and heavy metal, built around clean vocals and mid-tempo riffing.

Central Power is a power and heavy metal band from Maryville, Tennessee, delivering anthemic, melodic heavy metal with soaring vocals, twin-guitar energy, and the uplifting drive of American traditional and power metal.