Portland, Oregon act formed in 2012 that merges the mechanical rhythmic precision of djent with the crushing weight of deathcore and metalcore, built around polyrhythmic chugging and technical breakdowns. The "Sisyphean" in their name feels earned — their music is dense, cyclical, and relentlessly uncompromising.

Punishing Melodic Death Metal / Metalcore out of Texas.

Austin, Texas band formed in 2017 operating at the intersection of progressive death metal and metalcore, combining technical compositional ambition with the rhythmic directness and emotional intensity that metalcore brings. Their name is provocative and grotesque in the tradition of death metal, belying the progressive sophistication of the music.

Skeleton Horse is a groove metal and metalcore band from Panama City, Florida, formed in 2010, blending the rhythmic heaviness of groove metal with the structural dynamics and vocal intensity of metalcore. The Florida Panhandle is an underreported region for heavy music, and Skeleton Horse represents its working underground.

St. Louis's Skeptik has been blurring the line between metalcore, nu-metal, and electronic production since 2015, an unpredictable outfit that leans into genre-mixing with an anything-goes energy rooted in the Midwest's diverse underground.

Everett, Washington's Skull Throne formed in 2020 at the crossroads of melodic death, groove metal, and metalcore — a Pacific Northwest act with a production-forward approach that suits the polished aggression of the modern extreme metal scene.

Lexington, Kentucky's Skullcap formed in 2016 at the crossroads of thrash metal and metalcore, bringing a Southern-state edge to a sound that fuses the rhythmic aggression of hardcore-influenced metalcore with thrash's love of velocity.

Electronica-laced metalcore from Fort Worth.

Norman, Oklahoma band formed in 2014, pulling from melodic death metal, thrash, and metalcore into a cross-genre hybrid that reflects the eclecticism of the South-Central underground scene. Their willingness to blend styles from different metal corners gives their music a restless, genre-fluid character.

Maryland's Sleepless Malice occupy the volatile crossroads of melodic death metal and metalcore, marrying hooky melodic leads with the punishing weight of extreme metal since their 2020 start. Their hybrid approach draws from both the Gothenburg tradition and the aggression of East Coast hardcore-adjacent extremity.

Santa Paula, California band formed in 2019 that merges the aggression of death metal with metalcore structure, delivering a hard-hitting sound from the Ventura County underground.

Chaparral, New Mexico melodic deathcore and metalcore band formed in 2012, blending Scandinavian-influenced melodic death metal guitar work with the breakdowns and dynamics of modern metalcore.

Florida Southern metal and metalcore band whose Bandcamp handle references the number 666, merging the groove-heavy riffing of Southern metal with the aggressive breakdowns of metalcore.

Queens-based act formed in 2013 working the heavier end of groove and nu-metal, blending thick downtuned riffs with metalcore intensity in the tradition of New York's hard-hitting heavy scene.

Metalcore band from Midland, Texas, active since 2013, operating out of the West Texas oil country with a sound rooted in aggressive riffing and melodic intensity common to the genre.