A California atmospheric black/death metal act active since 2015, Sire melds the sweeping, post-influenced atmospherics of atmospheric black metal with the crushing brutality of death metal, crafting dense and layered sonic environments.

Los Angeles, California's Sirenhex play traditional heavy metal forged in the city's sprawling underground scene since 2018, channeling the genre's foundational energy into material that owes a clear debt to classic metal's twin virtues of hooks and power.

Los Angeles outfit formed in 2014 who fuse the twin-guitar melodicism of Scandinavian death metal with power metal's soaring sensibility, resulting in music that is both technically demanding and built around hooky, anthemic structures. Their sound draws equally from In Flames-era melodeath and the more grandiose end of American power metal.

Los Angeles doom and heavy metal band formed in 2015, conjuring a ritualistic, occult-tinged atmosphere through slow tempos, commanding riffs, and deliberate pacing. Their name signals an affinity for the ceremonial side of doom metal, and their LA setting has long been fertile ground for that style.

Orange County, California melodic death metal band with roots going back to 2004, giving them over two decades in a scene that has seen plenty of turnover. Their melodic death approach is steeped in the Gothenburg tradition, applying it to the sun-baked Southern California underground.

Los Angeles sludge and doom metal band formed in 2017, operating in the long shadow of the city's thriving heavy underground with dense, slow-moving riffs and the kind of suffocating atmosphere that characterizes the best of the West Coast doom scene. The "sixesdoom" Bandcamp tag underscores where their loyalties lie.

Skaven is an Oakland, California sludge metal and crust punk band formed in 2004, rooted in the Bay Area's long tradition of heavy, filthy music that draws equally from Neurosis and His Hero Is Gone. Their sound is oppressive and slow-burning, built on feedback-soaked riffs and punk urgency.

Skeletal Incineration is a San Diego, California death/black/thrash metal band formed in 2004, forging a destructive hybrid of the three styles that leans into the darkest corners of each — the speed of thrash, the malevolence of black metal, and the low-end grotesquerie of death metal. San Diego has historically been fertile ground for this kind of cross-genre extreme metal brutality.

Skeletal Remains is a Whittier, California death metal band formed in 2011, widely recognized as one of the most accomplished practitioners of old-school death metal in the contemporary underground — their technically refined but atmosphere-rich style draws deep from the Florida and European wells. They have built a dedicated international following through consistent, high-quality releases that never chase trends.