Los Angeles' Repulsant formed in 2022, channeling death metal's brutality through groove metal's physical rhythmic insistence — the result is something that hits hard at both the gut and the neck. In a city with no shortage of extreme metal acts, they've distinguished themselves by prioritizing feel alongside aggression. Young but built with clear intent.

Second Shooter arrived in Los Angeles in 2023 bringing a groove metal approach that prioritizes rhythmic punch and low-end brutality over melodic concession. As a newer entry into the LA metal scene, they've established themselves quickly with a direct, no-frills heaviness built around the kind of locked-in riff patterns that make groove metal compelling at its core. The name suggests a band comfortable playing the supporting role — until they're the main event.

Formed in 2025 out of Gilroy, California, Serpent and the Sun drive a groove-heavy thrash metal sound rooted in riff-forward aggression and thick rhythmic punch — a brand-new presence in the Bay Area's deep-rooted thrash tradition.

Los Angeles-based Siglos fuse the mechanical pulse of industrial metal with thick groove-oriented riffing, a combination that gives their sound an abrasive, rhythmically locked character since their 2022 formation.

Santa Barbara, California's Sinsation formed in 2020 playing groove metal shaded with hard rock, favoring mid-paced, rhythmically punishing riffs and an accessible sensibility that bridges the gap between heavy and radio-friendly.

Skinlab formed in San Francisco, California in 1994, carving out a groove-heavy sound that bridged the aggression of Bay Area thrash with the downtempo churn of early 1990s groove metal and the emerging nu-metal movement. The band's early albums Disembody: The New Flesh and Bound, Gagged and Blindfolded were released with assistance from Robb Flynn of Machine Head, who helped them access the European touring circuit. After disbanding in 2003 and reforming multiple times, Skinlab continued releasing material through the 2000s and 2010s, including The Scars Between Us (2009) and the single Flesh Wounds (2024) on WURMgroup.

Sacramento's Skribble began in 2000 at the height of nu-metal's commercial peak, blending those chunky, down-tuned grooves with death metal's aggression — a trajectory that saw the band shed the radio-friendly angles in favor of darker, heavier material over the years.

Soul Inside is a groove metal and metalcore band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2018. They blend the rhythmic heaviness of groove metal with metalcore's aggressive riffing and dynamic song structures.

Spitkiss is an industrial and groove metal band from San Jose, California, formed in 1994, combining the mechanical textures and electronic elements of industrial metal with the mid-tempo, riff-locked heaviness of groove metal.