Memphis thrash metal project from the Tennessee underground.

Los Angeles sludge metal trio laying waste since 2014. Three releases of corrosive, tar-thick heaviness that channels the smog-choked sprawl of LA into music that feels like breathing in exhaust fumes — oppressive, toxic, and oddly addictive.

Pittsburgh sludge metal project whose 2023 self-titled debut wallows in the kind of slow, agonizing heaviness the Steel City specializes in. The name is truth in advertising — this is music designed to crush.

North Carolina sludge metal project.

Piedmont Triad sludge metal project from the North Carolina underground.

Quakertown sludge metal project from the Pennsylvania underground.

Ashburn sludge metal project from the Virginia underground.

Chicago sludge metal duo dealing in literary-tinged heaviness since 2015. Their single titles — Things Have Learnt to Walk That Ought to Crawl and Vincent — hint at a band drawing from horror literature and dark art as much as the sludge metal playbook.

Bloomington sludge metal project from the Illinois underground.

Lansing sludge metal project from the Michigan underground.

Columbus death metal project from the Ohio underground.

Austin sludge metal outfit whose 2012 EP Titan delivers monolithic heaviness befitting its mythological title. A contribution to Austin's diverse heavy music scene that extends well beyond the city's reputation for psych rock.

Denton, Texas sludge metal outfit delivering raw, heavy grooves since 2018. Their EPs capture the dense, abrasive sound of North Texas sludge with an unflinching directness that matches the college town's DIY punk ethos.

Boston sludge metal project from the Massachusetts underground.

Battle Creek death metal project from the Michigan underground.