Out of Tumwater, Washington, Karp have been a fixture of the Pacific Northwest heavy scene since 1995, navigating the space between raw heavy metal and caustic sludge with a sound that's abrasive and unpredictable.

One of Salt Lake City's longest-running metal acts, Katagory V have crafted progressive heavy and power metal since 2001 — ambitious, technically accomplished music with a cinematic, expansive feel.

Aurora, Illinois heavy metal outfit Keeper lean into the classic and the traditional, delivering no-frills, riff-driven metal with the kind of earnest conviction that has defined the genre since its origins.

Murfreesboro, Tennessee's Keymaster have been delivering classic heavy/power metal since 2005, with the kind of dual-guitar heroics, strong melodies, and earnest delivery that keeps traditional metal alive and vital.

Fullerton, California's Kilimanjaro plant their flag firmly in traditional heavy metal, delivering riff-forward songs steeped in the genre's classic vocabulary. Active since 2010, they favor hooks and power over gimmick.

Formed in 2020 in Alma, Michigan, Kiljin play heavy metal with a small-town directness — no frills, no pretense, just guitars built to move a room. Their approach owes more to the blue-collar Midwest than to any coastal trend.

Kill Devil Hill is an American heavy metal supergroup assembled in 2011, anchored by Pantera bassist Rex Brown and Black Sabbath/Dio drummer Vinny Appice alongside vocalist Dewey Bragg and guitarist Mark Zavon. The band released a self-titled debut in 2012 and Revolution Rise in 2013, drawing on a classic heavy rock template shaped by the members' histories in foundational metal bands. Subsequent lineup changes — including the departure of Appice and later Brown — continued through the band's third album Seas of Oblivion in 2023.

Mean Heavy / Southern Metal from Houston.

Staten Island's Killen play traditional heavy metal with the no-nonsense working-class energy of the outer boroughs, formed in 2016 and drawing on the timeless vocabulary of riff-driven power and melodic hooks.