Richmond's Hectic Polarity navigate the disorienting space between industrial metal's mechanical pulse and sludge metal's tar-thick riffing, producing music that's both mechanically precise and organically crushing. Formed in 2020, they represent a relatively uncommon pairing in the American underground.

Portland, Oregon's Hectic Shock have been thrashing with blunt efficiency since 2016, drawing on the genre's classic mid-80s blueprint while operating in one of the country's most fertile underground metal scenes. Their music is direct, headlong, and disinterested in revision.

Milwaukee's Hedda have been weaving progressive and power metal together since 2006, combining the latter's melodic lift with the structural ambition of the former into an approach that prioritizes both feeling and technical execution. They're one of the Midwest's more durable prog-power acts.

Providence's Heel drag death metal's grim cadence through the mire of sludge, producing something heavier and more hostile than either genre accomplishes alone. Active since 2017, they're a natural fit in Rhode Island's gritty underground, where the two scenes have long overlapped.

Born from the rust belt shadows of East Liverpool, Ohio, Heidentum channels a raw and ancient fury through primitive black metal that feels ripped straight from northern European soil. Formed in 2021, the project embraces pagan hostility with an American grimness all its own.

Los Angeles outfit Heil drags black metal into the sweat-soaked chaos of hardcore, fusing scathing tremolo aggression with the blunt physicality of the pit. Since 2012 they have weaponized both traditions into something confrontational and hard to classify.

Michigan's Heksebrann — the name meaning "witch burning" in Norwegian — conjures cold, ritualistic black metal from the rural quiet of Bancroft. Their sound carries the chill of a Midwestern winter stripped down to bone and frost.

Denver's Hel Hath Fury arrived in 2023 wielding melodic death metal sharpened on the high-altitude edge of Colorado's underground. Sweeping riffs and relentless momentum give their sound a cinematic intensity that belies their short time in existence.

Houston newcomers Held in Orbit blend melodic heavy metal hooks with the angular punch of metalcore, arriving in 2023 with a sound that orbits the line between anthem and aggression. Their songs carry the epic sweep of classic metal filtered through a contemporary lens.