San Francisco's Shrakys, formed in 2021, bring a Bay Area pedigree to a hybrid of heavy and thrash metal — sharp riffing, speed, and a no-nonsense approach that draws on the city's long history of thrash aggression.

Los Angeles's Shrapnel, formed in 2021, deliver heavy and thrash metal shaped by the city's sprawling extreme metal community, prioritizing riff density and forward momentum in a style that echoes the early-80s heavy thrash underground.

San Luis Obispo thrash outfit formed in 2020, channeling the raw intensity and social cynicism of classic thrash into a tight, relentless sound on the Central Coast.

Los Angeles-based Silversteel bring a traditional heavy metal sensibility to a city where the style has deep roots, forming in 2019 to carry on the classic sound with unironic commitment. Their name telegraphs both the genre's ornamental glam inheritance and its steely, unbending core.

Maywood, California's Sin play traditional heavy metal from the Los Angeles metro area, formed in 2014 and operating under the same sin7ven online presence as their New York namesake. Their Southern California location situates them within a region with a storied hard rock and heavy metal history.

Los Angeles, California's Sirenhex play traditional heavy metal forged in the city's sprawling underground scene since 2018, channeling the genre's foundational energy into material that owes a clear debt to classic metal's twin virtues of hooks and power.

Los Angeles doom and heavy metal band formed in 2015, conjuring a ritualistic, occult-tinged atmosphere through slow tempos, commanding riffs, and deliberate pacing. Their name signals an affinity for the ceremonial side of doom metal, and their LA setting has long been fertile ground for that style.

Pomona, California's Skitz bring a heavy metal and hard rock sensibility to the Inland Empire underground, a scene formed since 2011 that blends the blue-collar grit of the 626 with classic heavy riffing.

A California heavy/thrash metal outfit that materialized in 2025, Skullbuggery appears to be taking cues from classic metal's swaggering riff vocabulary, planting a tongue-in-cheek name on a foundation of heavy, speed-driven material.