Explore California Metal
Featured Album
Necromanteum (2023)
Featured Black Metal Album
Vertigo (Sunbather: 10th Anniversary Remix / Remaster) (2023)
Featured Artist with an Upcoming Show
Featured Power Metal Album
We Three Kings (Metal Holiday) (2015)
Featured Artist with an Upcoming Show
Browse California Metal Bands
654 bands found
San Diego deathcore veterans known for combining melodic sensibility with crushing breakdowns and death metal ferocity, one of the genre's most consistent and well-regarded acts blending sweeping lead guitar work with relentless heaviness.
Santa Maria brutal death and grindcore act formed in 2021, delivering chaotic, speed-driven extremity that blurs the line between the two genres with short, savage, and unrelenting compositions.
San Diego death metal act formed in 2021, carving out a sound rooted in brutality and deliberate, riff-centered songwriting.
San Francisco death/grind unit grinding out compact, savage blasts where grindcore's brevity and punk fury collide with death metal's guttural weight.
San Diego act blending metalcore's melodic structures with the groove-driven punch of death metal and down-tuned heaviness, formed in 2024.
Sacramento brutal death and slam act formed in 2024, pursuing the genre's most visceral extremes through crushing breakdowns and low-register sonic violence.
San Jose grind/death unit formed in 2025, delivering short bursts of violent, noise-soaked brutality in the tradition of West Coast goregrind and power violence.
Sacramento act blending technical death metal with progressive structures and thrash-driven aggression, channeling complex rhythmic shifts into a sound that feels both cerebral and visceral.
please update this band
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.