Explore California Metal
Featured Album
GRAVESIDE CONFESSIONS (2021)
Featured Grindcore Album
An Exposition of Insides (2018)
Featured Artist with an Upcoming Show
Featured Black Metal Album
Vertigo (Sunbather: 10th Anniversary Remix / Remaster) (2023)
Featured Artist with an Upcoming Show
Browse California Metal Bands
1987 bands found
California death metal band Squelch formed in 2024, operating within the state's vast and varied extreme metal tradition with a focus on straightforward, unadorned death metal brutality.
St. Elmos Fire is a Sacramento, California melodic heavy metal band formed in 2015, drawing on classic metal traditions with an emphasis on strong hooks and twin-guitar arrangements.
Stand Accused is a San Jose, California thrash metal band formed in 2014, playing aggressive Bay Area-rooted thrash that carries on the ferocious, riff-heavy tradition of the region's legendary scene.
Standing on a Floor of Bodies is a San Francisco, California brutal death metal and grindcore band formed in 2010, unleashing gory, technically precise extremity from one of the West Coast's most active underground metal cities.
Los Angeles stoner metal outfit formed in 2017, Starburner traffics in fuzz-drenched, groove-heavy riffs that draw equally from psychedelic rock and the heavier end of the desert sound.
Heavy metal band from Pleasanton, California, active since 2018, Starch deal in straightforward traditional metal with an emphasis on muscular riffing and unpretentious songwriting.
Melodic death metal act from Sacramento, California, formed in 2025, Stars in the Void brings a melodically charged approach to death metal drawing from the Gothenburg tradition.
San Jose, California black/death metal band formed in 2022, Starve the Leech blends the tremolo aggression of black metal with the heaviness and technique of death metal.
Hayward, California metalcore and melodic death metal band formed in 2025, State of Reliance blends the hook-driven intensity of metalcore with the melodic riff vocabulary of death metal.
Enter the Inferno
View all threads →Frequently asked questions
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.
Visit our shows page for California metal concerts — death metal shows, black metal concerts, thrash metal shows, doom concerts, and all heavy metal events. Updated daily with ticket links from Ticketmaster and SeatGeek.
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.