Aerial View is a progressive metal band from Sacramento, California. With two EPs and a single released between 2014 and 2017, the band crafts technically accomplished progressive metal that draws from both the djent movement and classic prog influences.

Aerith is a melodic death metal project from Chico, California. Named after the iconic Final Fantasy character, the project's 2019 single "The Cosmic Winds" offers a glimpse of melodic death metal with a cosmic, fantastical edge.

Aeronwen is a symphonic progressive metal band from San Diego, California. Their 2023 debut full-length "Fallen in Ruin" combines orchestral grandeur with progressive metal complexity across eight tracks, a polished entry into the Southern California metal scene.

Los Angeles groove metal and progressive project. The Latin name — meaning 'heat' or 'tide' — channels LA's dual nature of sunshine and ocean.

Bakersfield, California death metal project. Eternal death from the Central Valley's oil country.

Aeternum is a black and death metal project from California, still in its early stages with limited material released.

Aethere is a technical deathcore and djent project from Soledad, California. Known for evolving from djent-influenced tech-deathcore toward a more melodic approach, the project represents the genre-blurring experimentation happening in California's heavy music underground.

Vista, California death metal project. Extremity from the inland reaches of North San Diego County.

Starting as a scrappy East Bay punk band in Ukiah, California in 1991, AFI underwent one of the most dramatic sonic evolutions in alternative music history. From hardcore roots through gothic post-punk on 'Sing the Sorrow' to the new wave-inflected 'Decemberunderground,' Davey Havok and Jade Puget have continually reinvented the band while maintaining a fiercely devoted fanbase. Their ability to shift from blistering punk to darkly atmospheric rock without losing authenticity is virtually unmatched.