Explore California Metal
Featured Album
Dead Bodies Everywhere (2021)
Featured Heavy Metal Album
Metallica (Remastered Deluxe Box Set) (2021)
Featured Artist with an Upcoming Show
Featured Groove Metal Album
Outside The Box (2021)
Featured Artist with an Upcoming Show
Browse California Metal Bands
1987 bands found
Joshua Tree death metal project from the California underground.
Los Angeles black metal project that arrived in 2026 with two releases in quick succession. The End Will Write Itself and their extended play signal a band emerging fully formed from the city's vast underground.
Corte Madera, California gothic metal project with five releases spanning 2005 to present. Their deluxe edition on UK label Ravenheart Music demonstrates international reach from the small Marin County town, blending gothic atmospherics with progressive ambition.
San Jose, California death metal act whose 2017 debut The Dark Curse channels occult menace through punishing extremity. Bay Area death metal with a supernatural edge.
Madera/San Francisco black metal project whose 2018 releases Collection of Old Filth and In Defiance pair raw aggression with lo-fi aesthetics. Splitting operations between Central Valley isolation and Bay Area intensity.
San Francisco doom and gothic metal project whose 2017 single Angel blends dark beauty with crushing weight. A contribution to the Bay Area's diverse heavy music ecosystem.
NWOTHM act that migrated from Antioch, Illinois to Los Angeles. Their 2004 EP Fire In The Sky captures the classic heavy metal energy of the early NWOTHM wave, predating the movement's broader recognition.
Los Angeles NWOTHM project adding to the city's vast traditional metal roster. The name evokes medieval weaponry — fitting for a band committed to heavy metal's timeless warfare.
Los Angeles black metal project with five releases since 2021, including a full-length and single both titled Archaic Black Metal. The self-referential naming convention signals a band committed to the genre's most primal traditions.
Enter the Inferno
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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.
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.