Oakland, California's Saviours have been one of the Bay Area's most reliably heavy bands since 2005, fusing the fuzzed-out weight of stoner metal with the aggressive propulsion of thrash and the melodic confidence of classic heavy metal. Their records feel like desert highway riffs played at combat speed — sun-baked, riff-driven, and deeply indebted to the California heavy music tradition.

San Francisco's Shrinebuilder are a supergroup formed in 2009 from members of Sleep, Neurosis, The Melvins, and Scott Kelly's solo projects, combining stoner and doom metal traditions into monolithic, lysergic compositions that draw from the full weight of their members' combined legacies.

Sacramento's Sky Pig have been combining stoner, sludge, and doom metal since 2018, trafficking in slow-grinding riffs soaked in fuzz and feedback that nod equally to Electric Wizard and Saint Vitus. The band occupies the fertile Central Valley heavy underground, where volume is treated as a virtue unto itself.

Legendary San Jose stoner/doom metal institution formed in 1992, Sleep defined a generation of slow, cannabis-scorched heaviness with records like Holy Mountain and the monolithic single-track Dopesmoker. Their hypnotic, Sabbath-descended dirges became the blueprint for an entire strain of heavy, riff-obsessed music that continues to resonate worldwide.

Oakland stoner metal outfit formed in 2007, drawing from the Bay Area's rich tradition of heavy, fuzz-drenched rock with a particularly thick low-end sensibility.

Los Angeles band formed in 2003 that began as a provocative nu-metal act before evolving toward heavier stoner and hard rock territory, known for theatrical stage performances and confrontational imagery.

Solar Haze is a stoner metal band from West Covina, California, formed in 2019, trafficking in heavy, fuzzed-out riffs and a sun-scorched atmosphere that suits both its Southern California origins and the genre's cosmic sensibility.

Somnus Throne are a Los Angeles doom/stoner metal band formed in 2020, conjuring heavy, fuzz-laden riffs and psychedelic weight in the tradition of California's sun-scorched but spiritually dark stoner doom scene.

Soul Broker is a doom and stoner metal band from Oakland, California, formed in 2019, delivering heavy, fuzz-laden riffs and slow, hypnotic grooves characteristic of the Bay Area's rich heavy underground.