Chico, California deathcore and melodeath project. Ethereal extremity from Northern California's Sacramento Valley.

Aittala is a heavy, stoner, and doom metal band from the Raleigh/Apex area of North Carolina. With six releases stretching back to 1993, the band is a veteran act with over three decades of heavy, groove-laden doom under their belt.

Self-styled "Blackened Crowleyan Doom" — psychedelic blues and crushing doom filtered through the occult lens of Aleister Crowley.

Ajayu is a black metal band from El Alto, Bolivia, signed to Infernal Possession Productions. Their self-titled full-length, released in 2017, is described as a work drawn from the soul exploring the complex nature of human emotion, placing them within a small but active circle of extreme metal acts operating out of Bolivia's high-altitude urban centers.

AK-47 is a heavy metal band from Portland, Oregon with roots stretching back to 1980. One of the longest-running underground metal acts in the Pacific Northwest, the band's recent output includes 2024's "in the Neutron Stew Continuum" — forty-four years into a career that has outlasted countless scenes and trends.

Whittier, California black metal project named after the Zoroastrian demon of evil intent. Ancient Persian darkness from the LA suburbs.

Eugene, Oregon metalcore and power metal hybrid. A provocative name from the Pacific Northwest's most liberal college town.

Haverhill, Massachusetts death metal project. Merrimack Valley extremity from the birthplace of Dustin Pedroia.

Akasha is a melodic heavy metal and hard rock band originally from Brownsville, Texas, now based in Memphis, Tennessee. With five releases in 2024-2025 alone — including the Spanish-language EP "Huellas" and single "Santa Cecilia" — the band bridges Latin American musical identity with classic heavy metal.