A California heavy/thrash metal outfit that materialized in 2025, Skullbuggery appears to be taking cues from classic metal's swaggering riff vocabulary, planting a tongue-in-cheek name on a foundation of heavy, speed-driven material.

Portland, Oregon's SkullMaster emerged in 2020 playing a hybrid of black, heavy, and thrash metal that carries the reckless energy of the Pacific Northwest underground. Their sound pulls from classic thrash aggression while threading in black metal atmospherics and traditional heavy metal songcraft.

Michigan City, Indiana's Skullview have been one of the Midwest's most persistent heavy/power metal acts since forming in 1997, trading in soaring vocals, galloping rhythms, and classic dual-guitar attack. Their nearly three-decade run makes them a genuine institution in American underground power metal.

Chicago's Sky Summoner formed in 2020, blending traditional heavy metal's muscular songcraft with stoner metal's fuzz-drenched ease into something that sits naturally alongside the city's underground rock scene. They bring a groove-conscious approach to classically influenced metal that keeps the songs accessible without sacrificing weight.

Jacksonville, Florida's Skyliner have been one of the Southeast's more ambitious heavy metal acts since forming in 2018, working across heavy, progressive, and power metal to craft music built around strong melodic sensibility and technical range. They operate in the tradition of American power metal that values both songwriting and instrumental sophistication.

Taunton, Massachusetts's Skywül formed in 2024 and play a hybrid of melodic and heavy death metal that reflects the New England underground's affinity for both European melodeath influences and old-school American brutality. A newly formed act working within a style that rewards strong melodic composition as much as raw aggression.

Slammer are a heavy metal band formed in 2019, drawing on the hard rock and traditional metal traditions for a sound that favors melody and power over extremity. Their Bandcamp handle, hogslammer, suggests a personality as large as their riffs.

Slammer are an Altoona, Pennsylvania hard rock and heavy metal band formed in 2019, rooted in the blue-collar metal tradition that the state has long produced. They share a Bandcamp with their heavy metal counterparts, occupying a classic, no-frills approach to the genre.

This Slaughterhouse, a separate act formed in 2018, works in the heavy and power metal territory where melody and muscle share equal footing. The lack of a confirmed location adds an air of mystery to a band whose sound leans toward the epic and anthemic.

Seattle's Slave Traitor merge heavy metal's melodic muscle with doom's oppressive tempos, producing a sound that befits the Pacific Northwest's overcast, introspective atmosphere. Active since 2012, they bring traditional doom sensibilities to a city better known for grunge and post-metal.

Los Angeles heavy metal band formed in 2020, rooted in traditional metal sensibilities with a contemporary edge drawn from the city's long-running hard rock and metal culture. Slaven operate in classic heavy metal territory without veering into extreme subgenres.

Bowling Green, Ohio heavy metal band active since 2016, rooted in traditional heavy metal with an emphasis on direct, no-frills power riffing. Sledge represent the working-class Midwest metal aesthetic — straightforward, heavy, and unapologetic.

Los Angeles heavy metal band formed in 2017, operating in the tradition of classic heavy metal with Southern California's characteristic blend of hard rock influence and metallic punch. Their music carries the spirit of the city's deep metal lineage without chasing modern trends.

Denver's Sleepless Knights arrived in 2024 with a sound rooted in the melodic traditions of heavy and power metal, filtered through progressive arrangements that push beyond straight-ahead anthems. Their approach favors expansive songwriting and technical ambition alongside the genre's characteristic drive and hooks.

Denver's Sleepwalker work the hard rock-adjacent side of traditional heavy metal, delivering muscular, riff-driven music in a city with a deep-rooted metal scene. In operation since 2011, they represent the bread-and-butter heavy metal ethos that keeps grassroots scenes alive.