Cincinnati's Mournblade fuse the soaring hooks of power metal with the propulsive aggression of thrash, arriving on the scene in 2023 with an energetic attack that nods to classic US metal traditions.

Cleveland, Ohio's MSOD blur the lines between power, thrash, and traditional heavy metal, pulling from each genre's strengths to craft a hard-hitting, versatile attack that reflects the city's deeply rooted metallic blue-collar heritage since 2020.

Cleveland, Ohio's Mystik formed in 2018 and blend power and thrash metal into a high-energy combination — the melodic ambition and vocal hooks of power metal fused with the speed and aggression of thrash, giving their music a driving, hook-laden intensity.

Necromancing the Stone formed in Ohio in 2014 as a supergroup drawing members from Arsis, The Black Dahlia Murder, The Absence, and Brimstone Coven, signed to Metal Blade Records. The band plays melodic death metal and power metal fused with thrash, taking a self-consciously 1980s-influenced approach that references Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Their fantasy-themed songwriting and high-energy musicianship draw on the collective pedigree of their constituent members.

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Cleveland's Olathia blend power metal's soaring ambition with metalcore's aggression and heavy metal's anthemic foundation, landing in a space that's cinematic and hard-hitting all at once. Since 2015, they've been building on the city's deep heavy music legacy in their own melodic, forceful way.

Cleveland's Shok Paris carry the torch for Midwestern heavy and power metal, reviving the band under that name in 2020 and returning to the melodic, fist-pumping anthemic metal that made the original lineup a cult favorite in the Ohio heavy metal underground.

Cincinnati's Silver Cypher have been fusing power metal's soaring ambitions with thrash metal's aggression since 2011, producing a sound that pairs high-octane riffing with melodic reach. The Ohio band occupies a compelling space where anthemic energy meets speed-driven intensity.

Solar Flare is a heavy and power metal band from Amelia, Ohio, formed in 2010, delivering melodic, guitar-driven material with an emphasis on soaring hooks and traditional metal structures rooted in the Midwest hard rock scene.