Uncompromising traditional metal anchored by thrash, speed, and doom influences. Guest appearances from members of Manowar and Virgin Steele on their releases.

An Illinois metalcore outfit formed in 2016, WitchHammer bring aggressive riffing and hardcore-influenced intensity to a genre already saturated with extremity. Without a city listed, they seem deliberately low-profile, letting the music do the talking under the numerically marked "witchhammer666" Bandcamp tag. They occupy the harder-hitting end of the metalcore spectrum.

Kent, Ohio's Witchhelm have been hauling heavy doom and stoner riffs since 2014, working in the warm, fuzz-drenched tradition that owes as much to Black Sabbath as to the later stoner metal wave. Kent and the surrounding Northeast Ohio area have a quiet but real heavy music tradition, and Witchhelm are among its most committed representatives. Their sound is patient and immersive — music built for volume.

Atlanta's WitchKing emerged in 2015 where death metal and deathcore meet, combining the technical brutality of modern death metal with the breakdowns and structural ambition of the deathcore world. Georgia's larger metal scene has grown considerably in the 2010s, and Atlanta in particular hosts a cluster of extreme acts — WitchKing among the heavier entries. Their sound is punishing, modern, and aimed squarely at the pit.

A brand new outfit out of West Long Branch, New Jersey, Witchlord formed in 2025 and are staking their claim in traditional heavy metal — a genre whose values of melody, power, and riff craftsmanship have never gone out of style. New Jersey has long fed into the New York-area metal ecosystem, and Witchlord appear to be drawing on that regional energy. As one of the newest acts in this directory, their story is only just beginning.

Virginia's Witchmark formed in 2025 and blend groove metal's rhythmic punch with death metal's brutality, carving out territory that rewards headbanging as much as intensity. The groove/death combination — think a rawer Pantera crossed with modern death metal sensibilities — is a natural fit for a Virginia scene that has historically gravitated toward hard-hitting, riff-first metal. They are one of the newest acts in the American heavy metal underground.

Cleveland's Witchrune arrived in 2024, adding another black metal voice to a city already known for producing some of America's most corrosive underground metal. Their approach stays in the pure black metal lane — cold, atmospheric, and unadorned by genre dilution. Cleveland's tradition of heavy, uncompromising music runs deep, and Witchrune appear to be drawing directly from that well.

Washington state's Witchtrial formed in 2017 playing speed and heavy metal with a clear nod to punk's energy and punk's contempt for pretension, straddling the line where Motörhead meets the NWOBHM. Their Bandcamp handle's "DC" tag suggests some cross-country connective tissue, adding intrigue to their geographic placement. They are lean, fast, and direct — a throwback built with genuine conviction.

Bay Shore, New York's Witchtripper have been plying their trade in stoner doom since 2016, bringing Long Island into a genre conversation usually dominated by the American South and West. Their sound is rooted in heavy psychedelic grooves and slow-burn riff cycles that reward cranking the volume in a dark room. They are a consistent presence in the New York-area underground heavy music world.