Columbus, Ohio's Deprecator have been grinding out punishing thrash metal since 2013, carrying the torch of the genre's aggressive, riff-driven traditions in the Midwest. Their approach favors neck-snapping velocity and tightly wound aggression over polish, keeping thrash's underground spirit alive.

Cincinnati's Desensitized arrived in 2020 with a death/thrash hybrid that channels the ferocity of both traditions without splitting the difference — the thrash is aggressive and fast, the death metal influence dark and heavy. The Queen City has a long metal heritage, and Desensitized keep it in violent good health.

Columbus, Ohio's Discretionary Kayoss have been tearing through the crossover thrash playbook since 2020, combining punk's stripped-down aggression with metal's firepower in the tradition the genre was built on. They bring a chaotic energy to the Columbus underground that the city's thriving DIY scene has always made room for.