Formed in 2017 out of Arcata in California's remote Humboldt County, War Möth traffics in pure heavy metal with the isolated, self-reliant energy that comes from being far outside any major scene. Their name — a nocturnal thing drawn to destruction — suits the deliberate, no-frills approach they bring to traditional metal riffing. There is something unpolished and genuinely hard-bitten about what they do.

Phoenix's Wardog have been channeling the twin spirits of heavy and power metal since 2017, favoring the kind of soaring, anthem-ready songwriting that treats every riff as a rallying cry. Their sound is unapologetic in its love for traditional metal — twin guitar leads, driving rhythms, and vocals that push skyward. In the scorching heat of the Phoenix scene, Wardog brings the energy of the open road.

Springfield, Oregon's Warlok have been playing heavy metal since 2015 with the earnest conviction of a band that cares more about the riff than about trends. Their name is a deliberate nod to the occult and the classic metal tradition, and they deliver on that promise with guitar-driven material rooted in the fundamentals of the form. The Oregon interior produces bands that have no interest in being fashionable, and Warlok is squarely in that lineage.

Bay Area heavy metal act Werewolf have been operating since 2008 in one of the most historically rich scenes for the genre in the world — Northern California's peninsula of metal royalty. They play traditional heavy metal that is unambiguous in its devotion to the form, shaped by decades of Bay Area precedent while belonging entirely to the current underground. Old blood, still running.

Los Angeles's White Wizzard emerged in 2009 flying the flag for classic American heavy metal with a distinctly NWOBHM-influenced sound — twin guitar harmonies, galloping rhythms, and soaring vocals reminiscent of the Sunset Strip's hard-rock glory days filtered through an iron-clad metal sensibility. They've become one of the more prominent purists in the traditional heavy metal revival, earning a dedicated following among fans who want their metal uncut and unapologetically old-school.

Forming in Los Angeles in 2024, Whoremones crash together hardcore's blunt-force aggression with heavy metal's commanding riffs into something confrontational and raw. Still freshly minted, this band represents the city's long tradition of cross-pollinating extreme subgenres into something harder to ignore than either alone.

Out of Helena, Ohio, Wicked Aura have been building their take on traditional heavy metal since 2016 — a small-town approach to the genre that strips the music back to essentials: heavy riffs, earnest vocals, and a commitment to the form that doesn't require a major market to validate it. They're part of a quiet but real current of Midwest acts keeping classic metal alive in unexpected corners of the country.

Chico, California's Wicked Sensation have been grinding away at the intersection of heavy metal and hard rock since 2001 — one of the region's most enduring acts in a genre where longevity itself is a statement. Their approach draws on the melodic, radio-friendly edge of classic hard rock while keeping the guitar work grounded in genuine metal muscle.

Nashville isn't often associated with death-doom, but Wicked Sorcerer — formed there in 2023 — arrive dragging heavy metal, death metal, and doom together into something genuinely sinister. The city's outsider quality suits this kind of music well, and the band's willingness to pull from multiple extreme subgenres gives their sound a lurching, unpredictable weight.

Boston's Wicked Weird formed in 2023 fusing black metal's icy hostility with the harder-hitting structures of traditional heavy metal — a blackened heavy metal approach that fits naturally in New England, where the cold and the defiant have always gone hand in hand. Their name might suggest irreverence but the sound is dead serious, built on atmosphere and riff alike.

Fargo, North Dakota's Widow have been playing death metal since 2011, carving out a niche in one of the country's more isolated heavy metal scenes. The remoteness of the Northern Plains seems to inform the band's aesthetic — there's a bleakness to straightforward death metal that suits a place where winter lasts longer than it has any right to.

Formed in Los Angeles in 2022, Wings of Steel belong to the city's tradition of traditional heavy metal acts who look back to the genre's foundational era — NWOBHM riffing, soaring clean vocals, and a commitment to the metal aesthetic that the LA scene has never entirely let go of. They arrive late to the revival but with clear conviction for the craft.

please update this band

Colorado Springs's Winter Nacht have been playing traditional heavy metal since 2017, drawing on the Germanic connotations of their name to anchor a sound rooted in classic European metal traditions. The high-altitude, mountainous setting of Colorado suits the kind of grandiose, cold-edged metal that Winter Nacht build their songs around.

San Antonio doom metal with soaring vocals. Classic doom with a Texas edge.