Lansing, Michigan's Mourning Wolf have been merging melodic death metal's harmonic sensibility with black metal's bleak, tremolo-driven intensity since 2013, crafting a hybrid sound rooted in the northern Midwest underground.

Fairfax, Virginia's Mournspire traffic in death/doom of the heavy and suffocating variety, blending the genre's slow, crushing tempos with death metal's brutal downtuned attack in a sound that has been taking shape since 2017.

Saint Paul, Minnesota's Mousai pursue a melodic take on traditional heavy metal, with songwriting that prioritizes hooks, harmonic clarity, and an accessible melodic sensibility within a classic heavy metal framework.

Blistering Grindcore from Arlington.

Fort Worth hardcore/metallic hardcore. Named after the Pantera song, delivering punishing Texas-style beatdown.

Thunderous Stoner / Sludge / Progressive Metal out of Texas.

Portland, Oregon's Mouth of Maggots deal in the uglier, filthier end of sludge metal — corrosive, feedback-soaked, and rooted in the Pacific Northwest's deep tradition of heavy, noise-informed extremity.

Henderson, Illinois death metal act Mouth of Sauron combine technical brutality with relentless aggression, drawing on both the technical and brutal death metal traditions to deliver a sound that is punishing in both complexity and raw force.

Dayton, Ohio's Mouth of the Architect are one of the Midwest's most respected post-metal acts, building dense, emotionally charged compositions that move between crushing heaviness and vast atmospheric space with a conviction that has defined their sound since 2006.