Cemetary is a thrash metal band from Santa Clara, California, channeling the aggressive Bay Area tradition of bands like early Exodus and Testament, with tight rhythm work, barked vocals, and relentless forward momentum.

Los Angeles, California band blending melodic death metal's harmonic sensibility with the riff aggression of thrash, resulting in a melodically charged and technically driven sound.

Chain Wolf is a Los Angeles, California crossover thrash band fusing the breakneck speed and aggression of thrash metal with the hardcore punk energy of crossover. Their sound captures the raw, street-level intensity that defined the mid-1980s crossover movement.

Chaotic Evil is a crossover thrash band from Bakersfield, California that combines thrash metal riffs with hardcore punk aggression in the classic Southern California crossover tradition. The band operated independently before eventually splitting up.

Chaotic Noise was a crossover thrash band from Venice, California, active in the early 1980s as part of the vibrant Venice Beach punk and metal scene alongside Suicidal Tendencies and Beowülf. The band changed its name to Excel in 1985 and went on to greater prominence in the LA crossover scene.

California's Chatterbox fused industrial metal's mechanized texture with thrash's serrated riffing, staking out a harsher corner of the early-90s industrial metal scene that was building momentum alongside acts like Ministry and Skinny Puppy. Their sound carries the abrasive, mechanical quality of a region generating some of the period's most experimental heavy music.

Northern California's Cheap Evil plays heavy-thrash with a rough, basement-forged energy that reflects Arcata's distance from the polished commercial metal scenes further south. Their material values speed, grit, and a defiant DIY spirit.

Van Nuys thrash outfit Chemi-Kill emerged from the fertile Southern California scene with a punishing approach to the genre. Their sound reflects the aggression and speed that defined the LA thrash movement.

Riverside's Chemical Warfare straddles the line between crossover thrash and straight-ahead metal, bringing a punk-inflected aggression to California's inland underground scene. Their sets are short, loud, and combative.