Providence, Rhode Island's Kingdom Hell have been churning out sludge metal since 2020, fitting comfortably into New England's tradition of heavy, feedback-laced music made in cold rooms and small clubs. Abrasive and deliberate in equal measure.

Kingdom of Giants make modern metalcore that favors motion, atmosphere, and emotional scale as much as blunt force. Earlier albums such as Every Wave of Sound, Ground Culture, and All the Hell You've Got to Spare established a foundation of screamed vocals, melodic guitar lines, and post-hardcore urgency, while Passenger refined the band into a more spacious and cinematic version of itself. Dana Willax's harsh vocals give the songs their pressure point, but the clean hooks, electronic programming, and open guitar passages are just as important to the identity. Their writing often feels like a series of forward pushes: tight verses, glowing synth textures, wide choruses, and sudden breakdowns that pull the songs back to the floor. The heavier sections are measured rather than chaotic, leaving room for atmosphere to build before impact. Kingdom of Giants fit into the same modern metalcore lane as bands that treat ambience and melody as structural pieces, not decoration. Their best work turns conflict into movement, using contrast to make both the melodic peaks and the breakdowns feel earned.

New Orleans' Kingdom of Sorrow merge the swampy heaviness of sludge metal with metalcore's structural intensity, and the combination carries the weight of a city that has always made music sound like survival. Active since 2008 and deeply rooted in the Crescent City's heavy scene.

San Francisco Bay Area's Kingdom Scorned play melodic metalcore with a hook-forward sensibility, drawing on the region's long history of technically proficient heavy music. Formed in 2012, their sound prioritizes emotional impact as much as aggression.

Portland groove metal outfit formed in 2019, Kingdom Under Fire brings the Pacific Northwest's heaviness to a style rooted in down-tuned riffs and rhythmic punch. Their sound channels the city's legacy of weighty, hard-hitting metal into driving, head-down groove.

Kings of Mercia is a hard rock supergroup formed in 2021 by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos, whose melodic songwriting found its counterpart in the voice of Steve Overland of British AOR veterans FM. Rounding out the lineup are drummer Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who) and bassist Joey Vera (Armored Saint), giving the project considerable pedigree across classic rock and metal. The band debuted with a self-titled album in 2022 on Metal Blade Records, followed by Battle Scars in 2024.

Las Vegas heavy metal band active since 2016, Kingscrossing keeps the old-school flame burning in the desert Southwest. Their approach favors straightforward, riff-forward metal with a traditional sensibility born in the neon shadows of Nevada.

Indianapolis outfit Kiritsis arrived in 2025 fusing the slow, tar-thick weight of sludge metal with the grime and brutality of death 'n' roll. Their sound feels like the Midwest's industrial bones being ground down — ugly, visceral, and deliberate.

The solo project of Kirk Windstein — guitarist and vocalist known for his work in Crowbar and Down — this New Orleans doom vehicle launched in 2020 as a deeply personal, dirge-laden outlet. Windstein's signature tone and Southern Gothic heaviness are unmistakable here, steeped in the grief and grit that define NOLA metal.