Kansas City, Missouri's Barrage operate at the intersection of heavy metal, groove metal, and metalcore, blending hard-hitting riffwork with the modern heaviness that defines the Midwest's contemporary metal underground.

Metallic hardcore from Austin.

San Antonio metallic hardcore influenced by NYHC. Released on Deathwish Inc.

Dynamic Melodic Groove Metal, Metalcore from Houston.

Burnt by the Sun formed in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1999, founded by drummer Dave Witte (ex-Human Remains) and guitarist John Adubato, combining metalcore density with thrash aggression and flashes of dark humor. Signed to Relapse Records, the band released three studio albums — Soundtrack to the Personal Revolution (2002), The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good (2003), and Heart of Darkness — before disbanding in 2011. Their approach to extreme metal was considered influential in bridging hardcore and thrash.

Rockville, Connecticut's Cable underwent a dramatic stylistic transformation over their long career — from metalcore and hardcore beginnings in 1994 through to atmospheric sludge metal — earning placements on Hydra Head Records compilations and an Eyehategod tribute record.

Black metal act from Ashland City, Tennessee, operating in the shadow of the Appalachian underground since 2015.

Philadelphia doom/death metal band that emerged from the ashes of sludge act Black Urn in 2018, releasing the 2023 full-length From Roving About the Earth.

Elgin, Illinois thrash/groove metal band exploring themes of humanity and society through a heavy, metaphor-driven lens.