Gulfport, Mississippi black/death/grind band channeling apocalyptic extremity from the Gulf Coast underground. Their sound fuses the chaos of grindcore with black and death metal's darker currents.

Indianapolis sludge metal band building walls of crushing, feedback-drenched sound in the Midwestern underground. Their slow, punishing riffs and bleak atmosphere carry the weight of the genre's heaviest practitioners.

Bremerton, Washington band blending classic heavy metal power with black and thrash metal intensity from the Pacific Northwest. Their sound bridges the old-school and extreme metal worlds with energy to spare.

San Diego death metal band delivering raw, old-school brutality rooted in classic American death metal aesthetics. Their sound favors putrid, murky production and punishing riffs that recall the genre's earliest incarnations.

Los Angeles black metal act conjuring darkness from the sprawling Southern California underground. Their sound channels the cold, atmospheric tradition of black metal against the backdrop of the city's extreme metal scene.

Milwaukee thrash outfit Conniption deal in hard-hitting, riff-driven aggression rooted in the Midwest underground, building a following through relentless local gigging and punishing live sets.

Newark, Delaware's Conqbine blend raw black metal fury with crust punk abrasion and post-black expansiveness, carving out a bleak and noisy niche in the mid-Atlantic underground.

Conquer Divide formed in 2012 as an all-female metalcore band whose members initially connected online from various locations across the US before coalescing as a touring act. Their dual vocalist approach, pairing aggressive screams with soaring clean singing, drives the catchy yet heavy songs on their self-titled debut and follow-up 'Slow Burn.' The band challenges the male-dominated metalcore scene not through gimmickry but through consistently strong songwriting and technical proficiency.

Savannah's Conquer/Devour bring the swampy weight of Southern metal into slow-grinding sludge territory, soaking their riffs in the oppressive heat and rot of coastal Georgia.