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
87 bands found
Los Angeles power metal band delivering epic, anthemic heaviness from the City of Angels, channeling European-influenced grandeur through SoCal's metal-saturated scene.
Los Angeles progressive metal project with twelve releases since 2024. Their rapid-fire output — including the Amor Fati EP drawing on Nietzschean philosophy — builds one of the most prolific prog catalogs in recent LA history.
Power metal act that moved from Storrs, Connecticut to Los Angeles, living up to their forward-thinking name by pushing the boundaries of traditional power metal convention.
Los Angeles progressive power metal project whose 2013 self-titled EP lives up to the punning name — forward-thinking metal that guards the avant-garde tradition. Cerebral heaviness from the entertainment capital.
San Francisco power metal outfit with origins stretching back to 1983, operating under a previous name before adopting Bad Press — one of the Bay Area's longer-lived metal acts.
A Los Angeles-based power/thrash metal recording project helmed by Chris Rydo, Barking Spider features rotating guest musicians across its releases and has maintained an active presence in the underground since the early 2000s.
Veteran heavy/power metal band from San Diego, California active since 1992 who persevered through the grunge era and went on to open for Iron Maiden, Dio, and Judas Priest, anchored by vocalist Sean Peck and guitarist Dave Garcia.
Oakland sludge metal/grindcore/powerviolence band on Youth Attack, channeling war, hate, and anti-humanity themes through abrasive, maximally aggressive music.
California solo project by Agravain that evolved from power/melodic death metal into black, pagan, and folk metal territory, drawing on themes of despair, fantasy, and ancient legend before disbanding around 2010.
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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.