Bakersfield, California death metal project. Eternal death from the Central Valley's oil country.

Aeternum is a black and death metal project from California, still in its early stages with limited material released.

Aethere is a technical deathcore and djent project from Soledad, California. Known for evolving from djent-influenced tech-deathcore toward a more melodic approach, the project represents the genre-blurring experimentation happening in California's heavy music underground.

Vista, California death metal project. Extremity from the inland reaches of North San Diego County.

Starting as a scrappy East Bay punk band in Ukiah, California in 1991, AFI underwent one of the most dramatic sonic evolutions in alternative music history. From hardcore roots through gothic post-punk on 'Sing the Sorrow' to the new wave-inflected 'Decemberunderground,' Davey Havok and Jade Puget have continually reinvented the band while maintaining a fiercely devoted fanbase. Their ability to shift from blistering punk to darkly atmospheric rock without losing authenticity is virtually unmatched.

After Dark is a heavy metal band from Sacramento, California that blends classic metal with punk energy. Their full-length "New Dawn Rising" (2021) and its 2024 expanded edition showcase a band rooted in the raw, no-frills intersection of metal and punk.

AfterShock is a thrash metal band with roots in Honolulu, Hawaii, later based in San Francisco. Their 2020 full-length "RiSk - High-Risk Behavior" brings an island-to-mainland thrash metal attack across eleven tracks.

Agaliarept is a black metal project from California named after a demon from occult grimoire tradition. Their two EPs — "Human sacrificium" (2017) and "Necro Lust Invocation" (2019) — deliver raw, occult-themed black metal steeped in the traditions of the Second Wave.

AGE is a heavy metal and rock band from San Jose, California. Exceptionally prolific since 2022, the band has released fourteen records in three years, including multiple full-lengths and EPs that range across hard rock and traditional heavy metal territory.