Lafayette, Indiana black metal project whose 2012 debut Awaken draws on ancient mysticism from the flatlands of west-central Indiana. The Italian-Latin name — roughly 'ancient secrets' — frames their atmospheric approach to the genre.

Richmond, Virginia death metal act delivering some of the most ferocious extremity on the East Coast since 2017. Morbid Triumph and Filth of the World established their reputation for relentless, war-metal-adjacent brutality that has earned them a devoted following in the underground.

Howell, New Jersey thrash metal outfit with two albums since 2015. Their self-titled debut and The Call of the Void trace an evolution from straightforward thrash into more existential territory, the latter title nodding to the French concept of l'appel du vide.

Seattle crossover thrash act whose 2014 demo Perfect Society delivers politically charged punk-metal from the city that once made protest music mainstream. The name says it all — against the grain, against the system.

Elizabeth City, North Carolina black metal project whose 2015 debut Ritus Sanguineum — Latin for 'blood rite' — targets organized religion with blasphemous fury. Anticlerical black metal from the rural South.

Haddam thrash metal project from the Connecticut underground.

Spokane deathcore project from the Washington underground.

Cahokia power metal project from the Illinois underground.

Black Metal project from the American underground.