Tunnell is a Columbus, Ohio sludge and stoner metal band formed in 2021, combining fuzz-drenched riffs with the grit and drag of sludge to create a dense, oppressive sonic presence.

Tusko is a sludge and groove metal band from Canton, Ohio, formed in 2015, melding the lurching heaviness of sludge with groove metal's infectious rhythmic punch.

Two Tons is a doom and sludge metal band from Cleveland, Ohio, formed in 2025, emerging from a city with deep roots in underground heavy music to deliver slow, crushing compositions that draw equally from funeral doom and sludge traditions.

Cincinnati's Utopiate have been plying the sludge metal trade since 2014, bringing a Midwestern density and a heavy, dragging groove to a genre that rewards patience and volume. The name's wordplay — utopia and opiate — telegraphs a bitter, heavy-lidded worldview.

Columbus, Ohio outfit Wurm Sun fuse the crawling weight of doom metal with the abrasive filth of sludge, conjuring a suffocating heaviness that feels born from the industrial grimness of the Midwest. Active since 2022, their sound prioritizes atmosphere and oppressive volume over speed.