Ohio's Void Meditation Cult have been active since 2013, carving out a distinct space within American black metal through music that prioritizes atmosphere and ritual over aggression and speed. The "cult" in the name is accurate — this is insular, purposeful black metal built more for immersion than shock, concerned with trance states and darkness as sustained conditions rather than momentary extremity. One of the more interesting and long-running underground black metal acts in the Midwest.

Cincinnati's Voidwitch started in 2023 with a black metal sound that carries the genre's expected malice but channels it through a witchcraft-inflected aesthetic that sharpens the occult menace. Raw production, cold riffing, and vocal delivery that sounds like something summoned rather than performed — the Ohio underground context gives their work an isolation that suits the material. Still early in their existence but already operating with clear thematic vision.

Toledo, Ohio black metal project formed in 2020, invoking Slavic mythological imagery through a raw and atmospheric approach to the genre. The name references Veles, the underworld deity of Slavic paganism, suggesting a thematic focus on death, nature, and ancient spiritual darkness.