Bellingham, Washington's Ex Nihilo conjure raw, atmospheric black metal from the misty Pacific Northwest, active since 2015. Their sound draws naturally from the cold and forested landscape of the region — bleak tremolo-picked riffs, howling vocals, and a sense of desolation that feels earned by geography.

Fierce Melodic Death / Symphonic Metal from Fort Worth.

Nashville's Exalted are a new arrival to the deathcore space, forming in 2026 and blending the mechanized breakdowns and guttural extremity of deathcore with death metal's more brutal instincts. Their emergence from Music City's surprisingly fertile underground heavy scene signals a city increasingly comfortable producing music far removed from its country roots.

Funeral doom duo of Shane Elwell and Ryan Wilson, who also collaborate in Pneuma Hagion. Released a split with Wilson's solo project The Howling Void.

Venice, California's Excel are a storied name in the American crossover thrash tradition, their roots going back before the current active period, and continuing as a working band since 2014. Drawing from the beach punk and skate-thrash culture of the Venice scene, their music bridges the ferocity of hardcore with the technical muscle of thrash in a way that defined West Coast crossover.

Orange County's Excised play melodic death metal with a heavier, more visceral edge than the Gothenburg tradition that inspired them, active since 2015. Their Southern California roots push them toward a sunnier sense of melody even as the riffs stay caustic and the drumming punishing — melodic death metal for a scene that likes its music both catchy and brutal.

Exclusionist are a freshly formed death-thrash outfit from Salt Lake City, Utah, coming together in 2025 with a sound that fuses thrash metal's headlong momentum with death metal's darker tonal palette. The band is part of Utah's growing underground metal community, bringing a coiled, aggressive energy to one of the American West's more unlikely metal cities.

Detroit's Excremental Scaphism are a recent and uncompromising entry into the brutal death metal and grindcore space, forming in 2023 with a name that leaves no illusions about their musical intentions. They bring the grind and brutality traditions together under the shadow of the Motor City, a fitting birthplace for music built on industrial noise and extreme aggression.

Tacoma, Washington's Excrescence have been delivering brutal death metal since 2020, operating out of the shadow of Seattle's larger music industry but with a rawer, heavier edge befitting the port city's working-class character. Their sound is direct and crushing — low tunings, blast-heavy drumming, and guttural vocals that prioritize weight over technicality.