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

A brand new outfit out of West Long Branch, New Jersey, Witchlord formed in 2025 and are staking their claim in traditional heavy metal — a genre whose values of melody, power, and riff craftsmanship have never gone out of style. New Jersey has long fed into the New York-area metal ecosystem, and Witchlord appear to be drawing on that regional energy. As one of the newest acts in this directory, their story is only just beginning.

Washington state's Witchtrial formed in 2017 playing speed and heavy metal with a clear nod to punk's energy and punk's contempt for pretension, straddling the line where Motörhead meets the NWOBHM. Their Bandcamp handle's "DC" tag suggests some cross-country connective tissue, adding intrigue to their geographic placement. They are lean, fast, and direct — a throwback built with genuine conviction.

Richmond, Virginia's Witherhorde formed in 2024 playing thrash and heavy metal with the urgency of a band that has a lot to prove and no patience for half-measures. Richmond is one of the American South's genuinely strong metal cities, with a DIY underground that has produced a steady stream of serious acts over the decades. Witherhorde are a new entry in that lineage, leaning hard into the old-school thrash tradition.

San Francisco's Wizard traffics in the hard rock and heavy metal of an earlier era, channeling the raw electricity of classic metal into a modern Bay Area context. Formed in 2011, they keep things straightforward and guitar-forward, a deliberate contrast to the city's reputation for experimental music. Their no-frills approach is part of the appeal — this is heavy metal without apology or affectation.

Pittsburgh's Wizard share a name and a vintage heavy metal sensibility with their West Coast counterparts, though they emerged from the blue-collar grit of the Steel City's rock underground in 2011. Their hard rock and heavy metal sound feels entirely at home in a city with deep roots in working-class American rock. Straightforward and hard-hitting, they embody Pittsburgh's no-nonsense approach to loud music.

Chicago's Wizard Castle have been hauling heavy, stoner-inflected metal through the Windy City's underground since 2012, fusing traditional heavy metal muscle with the hazy, riff-centric languor of stoner metal. Their dual identity — rooted in classic metal but drenched in fuzz — gives them a timeless quality that appeals across subgenre lines. They're a reliable presence in the Chicago scene, built on the kind of riffs that demand to be played loud.

Boston's Wolfsmyth channel the classic spirit of heavy metal with the directness and energy that made the genre compelling in the first place. Formed in 2018, they draw from the traditional well — muscular riffs, anthemic structures, and a sound that doesn't chase trends. They're a testament to the enduring vitality of no-frills heavy metal in New England.

Chicago's Worwyk have been keeping the torch of classic heavy metal burning since 1989, outlasting trends and genre fads with stubborn dedication to the fundamentals. Their sound draws on the blue-collar grit of the Midwest and the timeless appeal of crunching riffs and soaring vocals.