This U.S. C.I.A. blended heavy, power, and thrash metal and released material through Next Productions before splitting up after a short run beginning in 2021.

Named after the plastic explosive, Boston's C4 began as a powerviolence outfit before shifting into crossover hardcore territory, gaining enough metal credibility to earn a Metal Archives listing on the strength of their release Payback's a Bitch.

Veteran heavy/power metal band from San Diego, California active since 1992 who persevered through the grunge era and went on to open for Iron Maiden, Dio, and Judas Priest, anchored by vocalist Sean Peck and guitarist Dave Garcia.

Richmond, Virginia crossover/grindcore/powerviolence band formed in 2019, channeling maximum aggression across genre lines in the city's unruly extreme underground.

Fort Myers, Florida death metal act that formed around 2009 and later split up, operating without a label.

Oakland sludge metal/grindcore/powerviolence band on Youth Attack, channeling war, hate, and anti-humanity themes through abrasive, maximally aggressive music.

California solo project by Agravain that evolved from power/melodic death metal into black, pagan, and folk metal territory, drawing on themes of despair, fantasy, and ancient legend before disbanding around 2010.

Austin heavy and power metal outfit that blended classic metal songcraft with the soaring energy of the power metal tradition.

Virginia doom metal outfit trudging through slow, heavy territory since the late 1990s, carrying on the tradition of funeral-paced riffing and desolate atmospherics.

Boston progressive and power metal act bringing melodic grandeur and genre ambition to the classic power metal tradition, with swashbuckling imagery built into their identity.

An Arizona power and progressive metal band merging the soaring, melodic ambition of power metal with progressive rock's structural complexity and dynamic shifts.

One of the Pacific Northwest's more unusual extreme metal acts, combining grindcore's frantic brutality with sludge's slow toxicity and unexpected power metal elements into a genuinely bizarre and unpredictable listening experience.

Michigan's Castles in Spain weave power metal's melodic grandeur into a progressive framework, favoring elaborate song structures and dynamic shifts over pure speed or blunt aggression.

Cataract Stare is a San Diego oddity pairing the hyper-blasted ferocity of grindcore with the bombastic melody and theatrical energy of power metal, resulting in a chaotic yet surprisingly catchy sound. Short song lengths and velocity are weaponized against pompous epic structures.

Catch 22 is an Ohio act from Marietta blending heavy metal, power metal, and thrash in a melodic yet aggressive style. Soaring vocals, twin guitar harmonies, and driving rhythms define their sound.