Laguna Niguel, California death/thrash metal band formed in 2022 by guitarist and founder Travis Derby, who built their sound around classic thrash touchstones like Exodus, Testament, and Coroner before incorporating death metal darkness in the vein of Death and Pestilence. Their album The Cycle of Darkness is a self-described DIY effort that bridges old-school thrash precision with the heavier, more ominous atmosphere of early death metal.

Seattle progressive thrash outfit formed in 2017, weaving technical riffing and syncopated rhythmic complexity into a framework that keeps one foot firmly in old-school aggression. Their approach rewards repeated listens as new layers of compositional detail surface with each spin.

Houston, Texas thrash and heavy metal band formed in 2019, channeling classic metal aggression through a sound rooted in the hard-hitting riff traditions of both genres. Houston's active metal underground gives The Scourge a scene to sharpen their material against, and their approach makes no apologies for its old-school orientation.

Moscow, Idaho's The Swelbows attack crossover thrash with the no-frills velocity you'd expect from a band equally indebted to hardcore punk and vintage speed metal, formed in 2013 in a college town far from the traditional crossover hubs. Their music is short, fast, and built for the pit.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania's The Synics Awakening have evolved significantly since their 2015 formation, shifting from symphonic black metal's orchestral grandeur toward a harder-edged death and thrash metal sound over time. The band's battleground hometown seems fitting for a project built on sonic conflict and transformation.

Saint Paul's The Terrordactyls have been thrashing with a crossover sensibility since 2006, blending classic thrash metal speed with hardcore punk's abrasive attitude and short-song discipline in a city with a long-running punk and metal underground. They are a durable fixture of the Twin Cities extreme scene with a name that matches their irreverent, high-velocity approach.

Bay Area melodic death and thrash metal act The Urchin Barren have been honing a sound built on twin-guitar interplay and relentless rhythmic propulsion since 2014. They fit naturally within the Northern California tradition of technically sharp, riff-forward extreme metal.

Ripping Death / Thrash Metal from Houston.

Blistering Thrash / Sludge Metal out of Texas.