Cane Hill crawled out of New Orleans in 2012, forging a caustic blend of nu-metal, industrial, and metalcore that sounds like a panic attack set to music. Vocalist Elijah Witt's unhinged screams and unsettling clean passages drive albums like 'Too Far Gone,' which channels the desperation and darkness of their hometown's underbelly. Their willingness to embrace nu-metal's confrontational edge while pushing into heavier territory gives them a unique position in modern heavy music.

Gardena, California death metal outfit with roots going back to 1990, an early presence in the West Coast underground extreme metal scene.

Black metal project that moved from Florida to Portland, Oregon, maintaining an active presence in the underground since 2017.

Black metal project from Plymouth, Minnesota exploring themes of nature, death, and anti-Christianity with a raw, misanthropic edge.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania outfit blending thrash, stoner metal, and punk with a lycanthropic/Satanic thematic bent, active from 2007 until their split-up.

San Diego raw black metal solo project formed in 2015, channeling misanthropy and ritual philosophy through the grey wolf as metaphor.

Minnesota death metal act formed around 2024 with a focus on serial killer themes, sitting squarely in the brutal underground.

Richmond, Virginia death metal act launched in 2006 as a marijuana-themed parody of Cannibal Corpse and classic death metal, featuring Phil from Municipal Waste.

Northumberland County, Pennsylvania slam/brutal death metal and goregrind band taking their name from the 1980 horror film and operating in the extreme underground.