Riverside, California death metal band formed in 2020, adding another voice to the Inland Empire's long history of brutal underground metal. Their approach draws from the meat-and-bones tradition of American death metal, built on punishing riffs and relentless percussion.

Binghamton, New York death metal act operating under the Swedish word for "apparition" or "ghost," a name that hints at a sound influenced by the spectral, rotten-sounding Swedish death metal tradition. Active since 2012, they've quietly maintained a presence in the upstate New York underground.

Oregon black metal project formed in 2025 under a heavily diacritical name that reads as deliberately cryptic and anti-legible — a statement in itself about obscurity and esoteric intent. A brand-new entry in the Pacific Northwest black metal underground, with the aesthetics of a project designed to resist easy categorization or consumption.

Vómito Vacuo is a black/doom metal band from Concepción, Chile. The band released their debut EP "Locura y un cuerpo" in April 2022, a three-track recording that earned a 92% review score on Metal Archives.

Spartanburg, South Carolina band fusing black metal, death metal, and noise into a corrosive, boundary-dissolving sound since 2018. The Vølus name evokes Norse mythological resonance, and the band's blackened death approach carries the dense, suffocating weight that typifies the genre's most extreme convergences.

W.A.S.P. was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1982 by vocalist and bassist Blackie Lawless, becoming one of the most notoriously theatrical acts of the 1980s metal scene through provocative live performances and shock rock imagery that earned them a place in the Parents Music Resource Center's "Filthy Fifteen" list of objectionable songs. Their self-titled debut (1984) and The Last Command (1985) were both RIAA gold-certified, and The Headless Children (1989) marked a critical turning point toward a more serious, album-oriented approach. With over 12 million records sold worldwide, W.A.S.P. remains active under Lawless's direction, releasing their most recent studio album Golgotha in 2015.

Wage War emerged from Ocala, Florida with a precise blend of metalcore aggression and modern production polish, breaking through with 'Blueprints' in 2015. Their subsequent albums 'Deadweight' and 'Manic' expanded their sonic palette toward alternative metal and electronic elements without sacrificing the crushing breakdowns that built their fanbase.

Atlanta's Waited emerged in 2013 dragging the dense, tar-thick weight of sludge metal into collision with the aggressive precision of metalcore. Their sound is built on the tension between those two poles — punishing low-end churn undercut by the kind of punchy rhythmic attack the Atlanta heavy scene breeds naturally. It is heavy that sits in the gut rather than the head.

Dallas duo Waiting 4 April pair vocalist Colton Ray's piercing range — from aggressive highs to intimate crooning — with heartfelt, soul-searching lyrics that have earned them a devoted cult following. After their 2020 debut single 'Fade' gained traction partly through Ray's popular TikTok presence, the band has grown into a genuine force in the modern rock scene.