A solo darkwave and ambient project launched in Dallas, Texas in 2007 by Proscriptor McGovern, the drummer and vocalist best known from occult black metal act Absu. Proscriptor's output here veers into atmospheric, ceremonial territory that draws on esoteric imagery far removed from the conventional metal canon.

A San Diego project active since 2021, Protas blend the swagger of classic heavy metal with the propulsive attack of thrash, drawing on California's deep tradition of dual-genre crossover. The project is built around guitarist Jon Protas, whose playing bridges the melodic sensibility of traditional metal with sharper, more aggressive arrangements.

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A Los Angeles heavy metal outfit formed in 2017, Prowler draw on the melodic, leather-and-chrome aesthetic of traditional metal — clean vocals, galloping rhythms, and guitar work that nods to the NWOBHM and American power metal bands that ruled the Sunset Strip era. Their music rewards fans who prize craft and songcraft over extreme noise.

Jacksonville, Florida's Pseudocidal have been grinding out heavy, mid-tempo groove metal since 2013, leaning into the thick, down-tuned riffing and rhythmic swagger that defines the American groove scene.

A Brooklyn, New York project that bends psychedelic doom into experimental territory, Python draws on the city's eclectic underground to produce hazy, hallucinatory heaviness that drifts far from conventional song structure into something genuinely strange and immersive.

Valley Village, California guitarist Randy Pevler launched this solo project in 2025 at the intersection of neoclassical shred and traditional heavy metal, weaving fleet-fingered technique through hard rock frameworks. It's the kind of guitar-forward work that nods to Malmsteen and the heyday of virtuoso metal while finding its own voice in the LA session scene.

Out of Plainfield, New Jersey, Rat Race have been working the heavy metal and hard rock circuit since 2015, drawing on the gritty blue-collar energy the Garden State's metal scene is known for. Their sound rides the line between arena-sized riffing and street-level aggression.

Detroit's Rawdogs have been delivering a hard-knuckled blend of heavy metal and hard rock since 2015, with the Motor City's no-nonsense working-class grit baked into every track. They're the kind of band built for bars and clubs, playing loud and mean for an audience that doesn't need anything fancy.

Phoenix's Reckless Abandon began in 2015 with their roots in power and thrash metal before evolving toward a more classic heavy metal and hard rock sound over time — a trajectory that mirrors the arc of many American metal bands navigating genre identity over a decade. Their catalog shows a band unafraid to shift toward the anthemic and melodic while keeping their edge.

Manchester, New Hampshire's Reckless Force have been flying the flag for traditional heavy metal since 2018, building a sound rooted in the stripped-back power of the genre's foundational era. No-frills, no gimmicks — just riffs, hooks, and the kind of straightforward metal that the New England underground breeds with quiet consistency.

Kansas City's Red Raven have been shaping melodic, progressive power metal since 2016, blending the anthemic grandeur of power metal with the structural ambition of progressive metal. They bring a Midwest earnestness to a genre that sometimes disappears into its own excess, grounding the epic in something direct and emotional.

New Orleans has always been a city steeped in darkness, and Redemption have been channeling that into traditional heavy metal since 2016. They carry the weight of their city's gothic, storm-battered character in a sound that favors atmosphere and grit over flash.

Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, Rellik has been delivering no-frills heavy metal since 2003, drawing from the classic American metal tradition with hard-hitting riffs and a blue-collar intensity. Their longevity in the Hampton Roads scene speaks to a dedication to the craft that outlasts trends. Norfolk's port-city grit runs through every track.

Named after the iconic Indonesian folk art form, Los Angeles' Reog bring a multicultural undercurrent to classic heavy metal, forming in 2017 within one of the world's most diverse cities. Their approach is rooted in traditional metal architecture — muscular riffing, melodic sensibility — while nodding to cultural sources outside the genre's typical European and American frame. A distinctive identity in the LA metal underground.