Cincinnati melodic death metal act formed in 2015, balancing hook-driven melody and harsh aggression in the tradition of Scandinavian melodeath with an unmistakably American edge.

Akron, Ohio's Silent Knight have spent two decades threading death, thrash, and speed metal into a cohesive whole since forming in 2005, blending the velocity of old-school speed with the darker tonality that comes from a genuine death metal foundation.

Akron, Ohio's Sin-Eater pursue death metal with the industrial-city grit that the Rust Belt town lends to everything it produces. Formed in 2016, they share an online presence with their Colorado-based namesake, creating some confusion, but their death metal allegiance sets them clearly apart.

Skag is a Dayton, Ohio brutal death metal and grindcore band formed in 2022, delivering punishing low-end heaviness punctuated by grind-tempo blasting and guttural vocal extremity. They represent the working-class Midwest underground tradition of no-frills, no-mercy extreme metal.

Cincinnati death metal/deathcore outfit formed in 2020, combining the brutality of old-school death metal with the rhythmic breakdown-driven aggression of deathcore. Their sound leans into a heavier, more punishing direction within the Cincinnati underground scene.

Solidification is a brutal death metal band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2004, bringing over two decades of grinding, technically dense extreme metal to the Midwest underground scene.

Solipsist is a Cleveland, Ohio band formed in 2007 operating across death metal, thrash, groove metal, and metalcore, reflecting the diverse heavy music lineage of the Rust Belt underground scene.

Sons of Belial is a melodic black/death metal band from Cleveland, Ohio, formed in 2014, combining the melody and atmosphere of Scandinavian black metal with the crushing brutality of death metal.

Sothoros is a death metal band from Athens, Ohio, formed in 2010, crafting punishing and straightforward death metal within a small-city underground scene built around Ohio University.