Conyers, Georgia's Last Rites bring a Southern-fried intensity to straight-ahead thrash metal, active since 2002 and showing no signs of slowing the onslaught.

Cumberland, Maryland's Last Rites drag thrash metal through the gutter with hardcore's stripped-down aggression, a rough and confrontational hybrid born in 2002.

Heavy metal at its most workmanlike and mean — this Last Rites welds groove's midrange punch to thrash's forward momentum, producing a no-frills assault that gets the job done.

Prattville, Alabama's Last Transgression has been carving out death-thrash territory since 2011, channeling the American South's heat and grime into riffs that hit like a sledgehammer.

Pittsburgh's Last Will stretch thrash metal across a progressive skeleton, threading speed and technical ambition into songs that reward repeat listens as much as they reward headbanging.

Formed in Oakland, Illinois in 2019, Latem plays meat-and-potatoes thrash with the kind of unpretentious intensity that suggests they care more about the riffs than the hype.

Los Angeles speed-thrash unit Lawnmower have been dismembering everything in their path since 2010, with a name that perfectly describes what their riffs do to the listener.

Queens crossover veterans Leeway have been crashing hardcore and thrash together since their reformation in 2012, carrying on a tradition they helped build in the New York underground decades prior. Pit-ready riffs with street-level aggression are their calling card.

Ossining, New York's Left in Ruins pull death metal, thrash, and metalcore into a tightly wound package that has been evolving since 2013. The Hudson Valley band blend aggression and melody without softening the edges of either.