Skeleton Krew is a heavy metal band from Freehold, New Jersey, formed in 2014, taking their place in the long tradition of New Jersey and Northeast hard rock and metal that stretches back to the late 1970s. They play traditional heavy metal in a scene that still values straight-ahead riffing and no-nonsense songwriting.

Operating out of Juneau, Alaska since 2000, Skeletor blends the twin-guitar punch of power metal with the relentless attack of thrash, an unlikely combination born in one of America's most isolated state capitals.

Connecticut's Skeltima launched in 2023 with a sound that marries the grim atmosphere of black metal to the muscular directness of traditional heavy metal, staking out a place in the state's emerging extreme metal scene.

The storied heavy metal institution from Toms River, New Jersey, Skid Row have endured decades of lineup changes to remain an active force in hard rock and heavy metal, their anthemic arena sensibility keeping them relevant since the band's reformation.

Pomona, California's Skitz bring a heavy metal and hard rock sensibility to the Inland Empire underground, a scene formed since 2011 that blends the blue-collar grit of the 626 with classic heavy riffing.

Reno thrash act Skull Fracture have been tearing through the Nevada underground since 2021, bringing the speed, aggression, and no-frills production aesthetic that keeps classic thrash metal's underground flame burning in the high desert.

Skull Pit formed in 2018 as a transatlantic collaboration between Mem V. Stein of German thrash band Exumer and Tatsu Mikami of Tokyo doom act Church of Misery. The pair, who had long corresponded online over mutual admiration for each other's bands, channeled their shared love of Motörhead and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal into the project's self-titled debut album, released on Metal Blade Records in November 2018. The record's ten tracks — including a cover of Rose Tattoo's 'All the Lessons' — prioritize stripped-down riffing and momentum over genre innovation, delivering a focused heavy metal statement.

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.