Steven Taylor is a melodic death metal solo project from San Diego, California, formed in 2016. The project channels the guitar-driven melodicism of the Gothenburg tradition into a personal compositional voice, emphasizing lead work and dynamic arrangements.

Stick to Your Guns formed in Orange County, California in 2003, developing a metalcore sound grounded in hardcore punk ethics, melodic hooks, and socially conscious lyrics. Their album Diamond (2012) debuted at number one on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and Disobedient (2015) and True View (2017) continued the band's steady commercial and critical momentum. Across eight studio albums through Keep Planting Flowers (2025), the band has remained consistent in both sound and values, maintaining a connection to the hardcore underground while growing a larger fanbase. Vocalist Jesse Barnett's direct and earnest lyrical approach has been a defining constant throughout the band's career.

Stigmata is a death/thrash metal band from Escondido, California, formed in 2008. They work within the aggressive tradition of West Coast death/thrash, combining the technical attack of thrash metal with the darker, heavier textures of death metal.

Stiletto is a heavy metal band from San Jose, California, formed in 2005. They play traditional heavy metal with a polished edge, drawing on the classic sound of the genre and contributing to the active Bay Area metal underground.

San Diego melodic death metal and metalcore act formed in 2004, blending aggressive riffing with melodic hooks in the tradition of the early 2000s West Coast extreme metal scene.

Los Angeles stoner and sludge metal act formed in 2017, stacking fuzzed-out riffs and swamp-heavy grooves against the backdrop of the Southern California heavy underground.

San Diego technical thrash metal band founded in 2007, channeling the precision and aggression of the Bay Area thrash tradition into tightly constructed, technically demanding compositions.

San Diego heavy metal project formed in 2021, rooted in classic metal traditions and operating within the active Southern California underground metal scene.

Santa Rosa, California thrash and groove metal band formed in 2021, combining the crunch of groove-oriented riffing with the speed and energy of Bay Area thrash.