Fantasy-themed speed metal rippers forged in Houston's heavy underground. Released on Cease and Destroy Records.

Albuquerque's Leeches of Lore draw from the deep well of traditional heavy and speed metal, keeping the spirit of the NWOBHM and its American inheritors alive in the New Mexico high desert.

Franklin Square's Leeds Point tap into Long Island's blue-collar metal tradition, blending heavy and stoner metal into a riff-heavy, earthy sound that has been growing steadily since 2014.

Brooklyn's Legend have been hauling classic heavy metal into the present tense since 2012, favoring doomier tempos and a shadowy atmosphere that suits their borough's industrial corners. Riff-centered and uncommonly patient, they play metal like it was meant to last.

One of America's longest-running progressive power metal acts, Lethal have been crafting keyboard-laced, melodically adventurous heavy metal from Hebron, Kentucky since the mid-1960s — a true institutional presence.

New Brunswick's Lethal Affection deliver classic heavy metal with hard rock swagger, keeping the tradition of arena-ready riffs and earnest melody alive in the Garden State since 2017.

Heavy Heavy Metal from Fort Worth.

Heavy metal and hard rock collide in Lick's straightforward approach — a band content to let the riff do the talking without unnecessary ornamentation or geographic grounding.

Port Townsend, Washington's Lickity Split arrived in 2024 with traditional heavy metal in tow, their seaside Olympic Peninsula hometown lending a rugged, blue-collar edge to the classic genre.