Character is a heavy metal and power metal band from Cincinnati, Ohio that delivers melodic, riff-driven heavy metal in the traditional power metal mold. The band operates independently within the Southwest Ohio metal scene.

Cincinnati's Chastain, helmed by guitarist David T. Chastain and featuring the powerhouse vocals of Leather Leone, produced some of the most technically ambitious and melodically rich American power and heavy metal of the 1980s. Their catalog set a high bar for instrumental sophistication within a genre often judged primarily by sheer volume.

Cleveland's Chemikill marries the twin-guitar fire of power metal to the breakneck pace of speed metal, delivering melodic muscle with serious velocity. Ohio's working-class grit runs through every track.

Cleveland's Chemikilled blends the melodic hooks of power metal with thrash's angular aggression into a hard-hitting hybrid sound. They carry on the Midwest tradition of no-nonsense heavy metal.

Uhrichsville, Ohio's Damascus Steel bring a blue-collar midwestern grit to the traditionally European sound of power metal. Formed in 2022, their take on the genre favors directness and power over baroque excess.

Cleveland's Deadiron draw from the city's blue-collar grit, forging heavy and power metal with workmanlike conviction since 2012. Their 216 area code Bandcamp handle is a point of pride for a city that takes its metal seriously.

A fresh arrival from Dayton's underground, Emerald Cauldron brew classic heavy metal and power metal together with an old-school sense of drama, conjuring something that feels pulled from a different era of the Midwest scene.

Akron's Emerald Rage hit hard at the intersection of speed, power, and traditional heavy metal, delivering the kind of fist-pumping anthems and fleet-footed riffing that recalls the best of the Ohio metal underground.

Cleveland's Eternal Legacy have been a steady force in Ohio power metal since 2013, delivering high-octave vocals and galloping rhythms with the workmanlike reliability that defines the region's hard rock and metal heritage. They are one of the Rust Belt's more dedicated standard-bearers for the genre.