Plainville, Connecticut's Shovelhead work the intersection of classic heavy metal and thrash, drawing on old-school hard rock energy and driving riff craft that favors straightforward muscle over modern production polish.

Phoenix, Arizona's Show n Tell have been delivering straightforward heavy metal since 2019, carrying the city's tradition of sun-baked hard-rocking power through direct songwriting and a classically rooted approach to the genre.

San Francisco's Shrakys, formed in 2021, bring a Bay Area pedigree to a hybrid of heavy and thrash metal — sharp riffing, speed, and a no-nonsense approach that draws on the city's long history of thrash aggression.

Los Angeles's Shrapnel, formed in 2021, deliver heavy and thrash metal shaped by the city's sprawling extreme metal community, prioritizing riff density and forward momentum in a style that echoes the early-80s heavy thrash underground.

Austin-based Shrapnel play melodic thrash and heavy metal with a classic sensibility — the band emphasizes tight melodic construction and speed, drawing from the genre's golden era while operating out of one of Texas's most active heavy music cities.

Merrick, New York's Shredded bridge heavy metal and metalcore, the Long Island outfit drawing on both the traditional metal riffing of their region and the modern extremity of metalcore to carve out a hybrid sound since 2018.

Seattle heavy metal band formed in 2013, occupying the classic end of the genre with thick riffing and a traditional song structure that sits apart from the city's more experimental tendencies. Their name evokes a dark, gothic atmosphere within a fundamentally heavy metal framework.

Phoenix heavy/thrash act formed in 2018, delivering punishing riff-forward metal with the attitude of classic thrash filtered through a modern, muscular lens.

San Luis Obispo thrash outfit formed in 2020, channeling the raw intensity and social cynicism of classic thrash into a tight, relentless sound on the Central Coast.

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Bloomington, Indiana heavy metal band formed in 2016, delivering traditional metal with Midwestern directness from a college town with a tight-knit underground music community.

Heavy metal band from Pantego, Texas, formed in 2022 in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, delivering traditional metal with the blunt force the name promises.

Evans, Colorado epic heavy metal outfit formed in 2009, drawing on the sweeping grandeur of the genre's classic fantasy tradition from the Front Range of the Rockies.

Charlotte's Sikarra operate in the melodic and technically ambitious space between progressive metal and power metal, weaving clean-toned guitar work and dynamic song structures into their heavy metal foundation since 2016.

A Boston heavy metal outfit formed in 2024, Silencio traffics in the hard rock-adjacent side of the genre — muscular riffs and a classic sensibility that nods to the NWOBHM tradition without being beholden to it.