L.A.'s Obscene Gesture ride the collision of thrash and crossover with the kind of high-energy hostility that's been a hallmark of Southern California's street-level heavy scene since the '80s. Formed in 2014, they keep the aggression blunt and the tempos punishing.

Los Angeles death/thrash unit Omnicide carve through breakneck riff structures with a ferocity that owes equal debt to early Morbid Angel and the Bay Area thrash tradition. Since forming in 2012 they have kept their attack tight, mean, and relentlessly forward-moving.

Los Angeles groove/thrash act Outbreak formed in 2013, channeling the city's long history of punishing metal into a sound built on syncopated riffs and relentless momentum. They fuse the groove metal's locked-in low-end swagger with thrash's forward aggression, a combination that hits hard in a live setting. The LA underground has been their training ground.

Santa Rosa thrash outfit Outrage have been tearing through Northern California since 2007, bringing the Bay Area thrash tradition's speed and aggression to the wine country. Their approach is rooted in the classic thrash blueprint — tight rhythm playing, snapping snare, and riffs that don't let up. A region better known for Pinot Noir than pit-ready metal, but they've made it work.