Chicago's Sloth King work the atmospheric end of doom-death metal, building music that moves slowly but with tremendous emotional weight since their 2015 formation. Their layered approach draws out melody and atmosphere from within the genre's characteristic heaviness, giving their music a contemplative quality alongside the brutality.

Akron, Ohio's Sloth Wampa lean into the fuzzed-out, slow-burning intersection of stoner and doom metal since their 2020 formation, delivering the kind of heavy, sun-baked riffs that make the body move at glacial speed. Their name signals a self-aware approach to the absurd side of the genre's lore while keeping the music genuinely heavy.

Phoenix, Arizona sludge and stoner metal band formed in 2024, channeling the desert Southwest's arid heat into lumbering, fuzz-drenched riffs and a hazy psychedelic atmosphere.

Portland, Oregon stoner and doom metal act formed in 2021, stacking thick, fuzz-laden riffs atop slow grooves drawn from the Pacific Northwest's fertile heavy underground.

Brooklyn stoner and doom metal band formed in 2017, blending lumbering riff work with a heavy psychedelic undercurrent that draws on New York City's diverse heavy rock tradition.

San Francisco psychedelic doom metal band formed in 2021, weaving extended lysergic textures into slow, crushing compositions rooted in the Bay Area's long history of heavy and experimental music.

Chicago's Slow Mass craft melancholy, dynamic emo and post-punk characterized by two strong vocal voices winding through dramatic shifts between quiet introspection and cathartic release. Their sound draws from the rich tradition of Chicago's emo and indie rock lineage, combining the emotional intensity of Midwestern emo with post-punk's angular textures. Slow Mass represent a thoughtful, emotionally resonant corner of the city's ongoing emo revival.

Cleveland, Ohio psychedelic doom and post-metal band formed in 2023, constructing expansive, atmosphere-heavy arrangements that move between meditative drone and crushing heaviness.

Santa Paula, California band formed in 2019 that merges the aggression of death metal with metalcore structure, delivering a hard-hitting sound from the Ventura County underground.