Explore California Metal
Featured Album
Death's Forgotten Children (2023)
Featured Death Metal Album
Necromanteum (2023)
Featured Artist with an Upcoming Show
One Day Closer to the End of the World (2019)
05/12 @ The Basement East, Nashville
Featured Melodic Death Metal Album
From Days Unto Darkness (2019)
Featured Artist with an Upcoming Show
Browse California Metal Bands
32 bands found
Santa Barbara, California's Eating Fear blends black and death metal into a coastal darkness, active since 2012 and operating outside the typical scenes that tend to define both genres.
Los Angeles-based since 2006, Echoes of Silence drape symphonic grandeur over the icy framework of black metal, building an atmospheric sound that leans cinematic without losing its teeth.
Named for the Aztec wind god, Bay Area's Ehecatl channels atmospheric black metal with a conceptual depth that matches the name's mythological weight — cold, expansive, and active since 2015 in California's rich underground.
Ein Schwarzes Kreuz — German for "a black cross" — formed in Sacramento in 2021, channeling a cold and austere brand of black metal that leans into the genre's more ceremonial and oppressive traditions.
Los Angeles technical black/death metal outfit Eiris has been refining a precision-engineered approach to extremity since 2017. Their music balances surgical riffing with the savagery expected of the blackened death tradition.
Oakland's Electromancy bring a technical precision to black metal that sets them apart from the Bay Area pack — formed in 2020, they channel the city's intellectual extremity into densely constructed, technically demanding compositions.
Named after the tragic figure who died at the Cecil Hotel, this Los Angeles black metal project channels dread and unease into its music — atmosphere soaked in paranoia and the feeling of being watched in a dark corridor.
Los Angeles black metal act Elrik operate in the city's more underground corners, trading the sunshine of their surroundings for cold, misanthropic darkness that has defined the project since 2014.
Oakland's Embers fuse black metal's icy atmosphere with doom's crushing weight and crust punk's streetwise grit, building something uniquely Bay Area in its bleakness. Active since 2009, they've carved out a space where political urgency and sonic desolation intersect.
Enter the Inferno
View all threads →Frequently asked questions
California Metal Index indexes hundreds of California heavy metal bands across every subgenre — death metal, black metal, thrash metal, doom metal, metalcore, hardcore punk, grindcore, sludge, stoner metal, and more. Browse heavy metal bands by genre, city, or state.
Yes — browse California death metal bands in our index. Filter by genre to find death metal, technical death metal, and melodic death metal bands. We also index black metal, thrash metal, doom metal, and all heavy metal bands.
Use the genre filter to browse California black metal bands. We index black metal, atmospheric black metal, and related subgenres alongside death metal, thrash metal, doom metal, and all heavy metal bands.
Browse our index for California thrash metal bands. Filter by genre to discover thrash metal, crossover thrash, and speed metal bands. Our index covers all heavy metal bands including death metal, black metal, doom, and metalcore.
Yes — we index metalcore bands, doom metal bands, and every heavy metal subgenre. Browse California metalcore, doom metal, sludge metal, stoner metal, progressive metal, power metal, and more.
Yes — browse California hardcore punk bands alongside heavy metal bands. We cover hardcore punk, crust punk, D-beat, grindcore, metalcore, and all heavy music subgenres.
Filter by city and state to find heavy metal bands near you. Each band page includes streaming links, genre tags, and upcoming metal concerts. Discover death metal, black metal, thrash, doom, and all heavy metal bands in your area.
Visit our shows page for California metal concerts — death metal shows, black metal concerts, thrash metal shows, doom concerts, and all heavy metal events. Updated daily with ticket links from Ticketmaster and SeatGeek.
California Metal Index is an index of California heavy metal bands — death metal, black metal, thrash metal, doom metal, metalcore, hardcore punk, and all heavy music. Browse bands by genre, find metal concerts near you, and discover the California metal scene.