Winston-Salem's Headripper launched in 2020 with crossover thrash in their blood and hardcore fury in their lungs, making them one of North Carolina's most promising new practitioners of the genre. Their approach is fast, ugly, and deliberately unrefined in all the right ways.

Providence death metal veterans Headrot have been at it since 1991, making them one of the longer-running acts in Rhode Island's underground metal scene. Decades on, they continue trading in the kind of rotting, blunt-force death metal that defined the early 90s American underground.

Denver's Headshrinker emerged in 2021 bringing a caved-in, skulking brand of death metal to Colorado's already formidable heavy scene. Their sound leans into primitive brutality — no frills, no mercy, just relentless forward pressure.

Las Vegas newcomers Headtrip formed in 2023 fusing traditional heavy metal foundations with the urgency of thrash, carrying on a classic twin-guitar attack suited to the neon desert. They arrive late to the game but with evident reverence for the genre's golden era.

St. Louis's Headworm tunnel through the brain with a particularly nasty strain of death metal and grindcore, collapsing the distance between surgical brutality and pure chaotic noise. Since 2018, they've been one of Missouri's more abrasive underground exports.

Pasadena, Texas's Hearken have been summoning death metal out of the Houston metro area since 2017, carrying forward a tradition of technically demanding, riff-driven brutality with roots deep in Texas's storied extreme metal history. Their music commands attention with the weight of genuine conviction.

Chico, California's Hearses combine drone, sludge, and doom into a crushing slow-motion procession built from sustained dissonance and mountainous low-end pressure. Since 2021 they've inhabited the unhurried, suffocating space where all three genres converge.

Northern New Jersey's Heart for Bait came together in 2022 with a stoner metal identity built on warped, riff-heavy foundations and a deep commitment to fuzzy heaviness. They represent the rawer, more uncompromising edge of the Garden State's underground heavy rock scene.

Los Angeles progressive metal act Heart Impaled have been at it since 2009, weaving together complex arrangements and technical ambition into a sound that rewards close listening. Their work reflects the discipline and reach of LA's sprawling prog-metal underground.