Los Angeles death metal band Reincarnate have been pursuing pure, unadorned brutality since 2016 — a straight-line approach to the genre in a city that often dilutes its metal with crossover appeal. Their Bandcamp presence signals a band operating in the underground on their own terms.

Out of Springfield, Missouri, Ritual Chalice have been developing their melodic black metal sound since 2019, occupying a corner of the genre where atmosphere and songcraft matter as much as raw ferocity. Their approach draws on the melodic traditions of Scandinavian black metal — layered guitar work, dynamic shifts, and a sense of grandiosity — filtered through a distinctly American underground sensibility. Springfield is an unlikely home for the style, which makes Ritual Chalice's commitment to it all the more notable.