Illinois act Ruby Rockatansky, formed in 2022 and named after a Mad Max character, combines the complex song structures of progressive metal with the raw momentum of thrash — a nervy, cinematic take on both genres that leans into tension and velocity in equal measure.

Furious Thrash Metal from Santa Cruz, California (early); Texas (later).

Louisville, Kentucky's Rude Awakening is a straightforward thrash metal outfit formed in 2021, bringing the genre's hallmark speed and aggression to a city not typically associated with the style. They operate in the raw, no-frills mode of classic US thrash without heavy stylistic embellishment.

New Orleans' Rude Awakening pulls from three of the heaviest currents in American metal — thrash, groove, and death — blending their distinct textures into a sound that is aggressive, swinging, and mean in the way the city seems to demand. Formed in 2021, they fit naturally into the NOLA heavy underground.

San Diego's Ruinist play a driving blend of melodic death and thrash metal, carving out riff-heavy arrangements that balance aggression with melodic purpose since their formation in 2014.

New Jersey's Ruins have been grinding out heavy, fuzz-saturated stoner metal since 2001, drawing on the genre's psychedelic and blues-soaked roots with a sound built for low-end punishment.

Hard-hitting Melodic Groove Metal / Metalcore from Dallas.

Formed in Granada Hills in 2021, Ruthven play thrash-inflected death metal with a sharp, riff-forward attack that draws from both genres without softening either's edges.

Nashua, New Hampshire's Ryan Burke operates as a solo project fusing thrash metal's precision and speed with groove metal's locked-in, syncopated heaviness, a combination honed since the project's 2022 start.