Mesa, Arizona death metallers formed in 2023 with no interest in playing it safe, delivering punishing riff architecture and guttural brutality suited to the unforgiving heat of the Sonoran Desert.

I Prevail launched from Southfield, Michigan in 2013 and rapidly ascended from posting a viral cover of Taylor Swift's 'Blank Space' to becoming one of the biggest bands in modern metalcore. Their dual vocalist dynamic between Brian Burkheiser's clean vocals and Eric Vanlerberghe's screams powers albums like 'Trauma' and 'True Power,' which blend metalcore heaviness with hip-hop and electronic influences. A Grammy nomination and arena headlining tours cemented their status as generational leaders in heavy music.

Grief-stricken metalcore from Denton.

I See Stars pioneered the electronicore subgenre from Warren, Michigan, starting in 2006 by fusing post-hardcore screams and metalcore breakdowns with aggressive EDM production. Their albums 'New Demons' and 'Treehouse' pushed the boundaries of how electronic music and heavy guitar could coexist, creating a blueprint that countless bands would follow. The band's ability to make dubstep drops feel as natural as breakdowns set them apart as genuine innovators in the scene.

A long-running Illinois one-man project that began in raw, caustic black metal before evolving into sweeping symphonic and atmospheric territories — a solitary journey spanning over a decade of increasingly ambitious composition.

Hailing from Shelton, Washington, this deathcore outfit brings a small-town ferocity to the genre, hammering out suffocating breakdowns and blastbeat onslaughts that punch well above their remote origins.

Phoenix deathcore outfit forged in 2016, combining scorched-earth heaviness with the kind of technical flair that makes the Arizona heat feel even more oppressive — outcast by name, predatory by nature.

San Francisco's thrash veterans have been sharpening their Bay Area blade since 2017, trading in speed, precision, and that classic Northern California aggression that put the genre on the map.

A Seattle institution in the sludge underground since 2007, Iamthethorn buries listeners under slow-motion avalanches of distortion — the sound of the Pacific Northwest's grey skies transmuted into heavy, corrosive weight.