Founded by ex-Cattle Decapitation bassist Troy Oftedal, Cave Bastard forge a savage hybrid of death metal, sludge, and hardcore from San Diego with relentless abrasive heaviness.

Phoenix black/death/sludge project combining sludge-drenched atmosphere with raw black metal aggression, firmly situated in the underground extreme metal tradition.

Oakland heavy metal band rooted in traditional metal songwriting and hard-rocking riff craft, drawing from the deep well of classic American and British heavy metal.

Indianapolis band straddling brutal death metal and deathcore, delivering low-tuned, gut-punching heaviness with technical precision and pit-focused Midwest underground energy.

Asheville, North Carolina death metal act delivering decrepit, filthy death metal with a cavernous, putrid aesthetic rooted in the ugliest traditions of the genre.

Cave In formed in Methuen, Massachusetts in 1995, beginning as a metalcore act before undergoing one of the more dramatic stylistic evolutions in underground heavy music, shifting from the technical aggression of Until Your Heart Stops (1998) to the sprawling space-rock of Jupiter (2000). They signed to RCA Records and released the alternative rock-oriented Antenna in 2003, then went on hiatus in 2006 before reforming in 2009 and returning to heavier territory. The band remains active and is regarded as a key bridge between hardcore, progressive rock, and post-metal.

Florida mathcore and deathgrind trio blending the arhythmic dissonance of Discordance Axis with brutal deathgrind energy and free jazz-influenced off-kilter structures.

Miami duo of Venezuelan origin playing epic, shifting doom and progressive metal that moves between trudging heaviness and soaring melodic passages, with deep operatic vocals and classical guitar grandeur reminiscent of Rainbow and early Rush.

Philadelphia's Cave Weta build massive post-metal structures from sludge-soaked riffs, channeling the patient heaviness of Neurosis and Isis into slow-burning, emotionally corrosive soundscapes.