Newport News, Virginia progressive metal project with four releases since 2012. Neo-Terran Front and Secret Language span a decade of ambitious, sci-fi-influenced prog from the Hampton Roads shipbuilding region.

Audiotopsy is an alternative metal and nu-metal band from Peoria, Illinois, formed in 2015 by members drawn primarily from Mudvayne and Skrape: vocalist Billy Keeton (Skrape), guitarist Greg Tribbett and drummer Matthew McDonough (both Mudvayne), and bassist Perry Stern. Signed to Napalm Records, their self-produced debut Natural Causes arrived in 2015, followed by The Real Now in 2018 and The Calling. Their sound revisits the heavy groove and aggressive dynamics of early-2000s alternative metal.

California death metal project with two releases since 2023. Crime Rituals and Tragedies Of Western Existence channel societal critique through brutal extremity from the Golden State.

Boston power metal project. The name connects sound and vision — fitting for a genre built on epic mental landscapes rendered in triumphant metal.

Seattle NWOTHM and stoner metal outfit named after the Twin Peaks character. Three releases since 2014 including Devil's Bell and Pure Heavy deliver thick, groove-laden metal from the city David Lynch made synonymous with Pacific Northwest darkness.

Chicago black metal project whose 2025 noise compilation — titled DETACHMENT & ALIENATION — lives up to its German name ('task' or 'assignment'). The collaborative, genre-blurring approach positions them at the intersection of black metal and noise.

Wallington, New Jersey NWOTHM project whose releases — including the delightfully bizarre The Ballad Of Buttery Cake Ass audiobook — refuse to play by any genre's rules. Eccentric heavy metal from suburban North Jersey.

Chicago crossover thrash act blending hardcore punk velocity with metal riffing, adding to the Windy City's diverse and productive heavy music scene.

Fullerton, California NWOTHM band from Orange County, delivering classic heavy metal revival from the same suburban sprawl that spawned iconic punk and metal acts.