San Diego's Talisman forged their heavy/power metal sound in 2021, arriving with the sun-drenched energy of Southern California filtered through towering riffs and soaring melodies. They lean into the more muscular end of power metal — less symphonic flash, more fist-in-the-air conviction rooted in classic heavy metal songwriting.

Ripping Thrash Metal from Los Angeles, California (early); Dallas, Texas (later).

Los Angeles' Temple of Dagon have been conjuring death/thrash savagery since 2014, fusing the crust punk grit of the California underground with the skull-splitting attack of old-school death and thrash. Their Lovecraftian namesake suits music this primordial — filthy, fast, and hostile, built on riffs that feel dredged from somewhere beneath the ocean floor.

Fort Lauderdale's Tempus Fugit have been practicing technical power/thrash metal since 2014, a demanding hybrid that requires both precision and firepower in equal measure. Their South Florida origins are fitting for a band whose music buzzes with a relentless, sun-scorched energy — technically demanding riffs delivered at thrash velocity with the melodic ambition of power metal.

please update this band

Short-lived blackened thrash/crust unit active 2007-2009. Lyrics addressed corruption, anti-government themes, and Mexican wrestlers.

Furious Death / Thrash Metal / Grindcore from Houston.

Relentless Groove / Thrash Metal out of Texas.

Hendersonville, North Carolina's Terrorsaur have been playing heavy/thrash metal since 2009, rooted in the Appalachian foothills where a certain strain of hard, working-class metal has always thrived. They combine traditional heavy metal's melodic sense with the crunch and attack of thrash — a crowd-pleasing ferocity that doesn't sacrifice songwriting for aggression.