Explore California Metal
Browse California Metal Bands
345 bands found
Los Angeles death metal act Septic Fumes formed in 2023 and quickly established a reputation for dense, suffocating brutality within the sprawling Southern California underground. Their music draws on the city's long tradition of brutal and old-school death metal, filtered through a modern contempt for polish. They are a young band with an ugly, uncompromising vision.
Los Angeles crossover outfit Septik Onslaught have been tearing up the Southern California scene since 2017, fusing hardcore aggression with the breakneck riffing of thrash metal. Their sound sits in the classic crossover tradition — short, mean songs built for pits and chaos — with a modern edge drawn from the city's diverse extreme music community. They remain one of LA's most energetic live acts in the crossover/thrash lane.
Hayward, California's Seraphim Defloration deal in the guttural end of brutal death metal, built on punishing rhythms, gurgural vocals, and the kind of relentless sonic violence that has defined the Bay Area's underground extreme metal scene since the band's 2015 formation.
San Diego's Sergulath fuse orchestral grandeur with the raw edge of black and thrash metal, building a symphonic black/thrash sound that sets them apart in Southern California's scene since their 2018 formation.
Formed in 2025 out of Gilroy, California, Serpent and the Sun drive a groove-heavy thrash metal sound rooted in riff-forward aggression and thick rhythmic punch — a brand-new presence in the Bay Area's deep-rooted thrash tradition.
Los Angeles death/thrash outfit Serpentance formed in 2019 and channel the old-school ferocity of both genres — tightly wound riffs, barked vocals, and the kind of no-frills brutality that keeps the Southern California underground honest.
Out of Arbuckle in rural Northern California, Serpentera have been delivering death/thrash metal since 2018 — a two-genre hybrid that puts the pedal down on aggression and channels the raw energy of both traditions into a compact, punishing sound.
Serpentine Dominion is an American death metal supergroup formed in 2009 by Killswitch Engage lead guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, Cannibal Corpse vocalist George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher, and former The Black Dahlia Murder drummer Shannon Lucas. The project originated when Dutkiewicz composed material specifically tailored to Fisher's vocal style, with lyrics written by Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach. The band released their sole self-titled album in October 2016 through Metal Blade Records, a record that balanced Fisher's brutal death metal delivery with Dutkiewicz's trademark melodic and groove-driven riffing.
San Diego's Serpentyne draw from three directions at once — progressive, thrash, and power metal — resulting in a dynamic, melodically rich hybrid that has been sharpening its edge in Southern California's metal scene since 2018.
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California Metal Index indexes hundreds of California heavy metal bands across every subgenre — death metal, black metal, thrash metal, doom metal, metalcore, hardcore punk, grindcore, sludge, stoner metal, and more. Browse heavy metal bands by genre, city, or state.
Yes — browse California death metal bands in our index. Filter by genre to find death metal, technical death metal, and melodic death metal bands. We also index black metal, thrash metal, doom metal, and all heavy metal bands.
Use the genre filter to browse California black metal bands. We index black metal, atmospheric black metal, and related subgenres alongside death metal, thrash metal, doom metal, and all heavy metal bands.
Browse our index for California thrash metal bands. Filter by genre to discover thrash metal, crossover thrash, and speed metal bands. Our index covers all heavy metal bands including death metal, black metal, doom, and metalcore.
Yes — we index metalcore bands, doom metal bands, and every heavy metal subgenre. Browse California metalcore, doom metal, sludge metal, stoner metal, progressive metal, power metal, and more.
Yes — browse California hardcore punk bands alongside heavy metal bands. We cover hardcore punk, crust punk, D-beat, grindcore, metalcore, and all heavy music subgenres.
Filter by city and state to find heavy metal bands near you. Each band page includes streaming links, genre tags, and upcoming metal concerts. Discover death metal, black metal, thrash, doom, and all heavy metal bands in your area.
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California Metal Index is an index of California heavy metal bands — death metal, black metal, thrash metal, doom metal, metalcore, hardcore punk, and all heavy music. Browse bands by genre, find metal concerts near you, and discover the California metal scene.