Kansas City raw black metal and punk hybrid born in 2023, stripping the genre down to its most abrasive and primitive elements with the kind of volatile energy that owes as much to hardcore as to black metal.

New Jersey death metal act formed in 2016, known for a prolific output of cavernous, riff-dense material that draws from the most primitive and war-obsessed currents of the genre.

Heavy metal band from Pantego, Texas, formed in 2022 in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, delivering traditional metal with the blunt force the name promises.

Rogue River, Oregon symphonic groove metal and metalcore band active since 2009, weaving orchestral ambition into heavy, rhythmically driven material from the rugged Rogue Valley.

Evans, Colorado epic heavy metal outfit formed in 2009, drawing on the sweeping grandeur of the genre's classic fantasy tradition from the Front Range of the Rockies.

Cincinnati melodic death metal act formed in 2015, balancing hook-driven melody and harsh aggression in the tradition of Scandinavian melodeath with an unmistakably American edge.

Buffalo melodic death metal band active since 2012, blending the snarl and weight of death metal with melodic sensibility from a Great Lakes city with a fierce and underappreciated metal underground.

Olympia, Washington stoner/doom duo formed in 2018, building slow, haze-soaked riffs into hypnotic, heavy structures — fitting for a city steeped in DIY culture and Pacific Northwest atmosphere.

Siete Lagunas is a black metal band from Bogotá, Colombia, founded in 2017 and signed to La Caverna Records. The band released two demos in their first two years of activity — simply titled I (2017) and II (2018) — drawing on themes of nature and Colombian mythology. Their demo tracks incorporate Spanish-language titles referencing natural landscapes and figures from regional folklore.